National universal bank - establishment of subsidiary and cloud-based non-banking mobile-first platform​

• Mobile-first platform in microservice architecture on automated cloud infrastructure

• Seamless transition from project structure to independent GmbH with start-up character

• Continuous support and steering from the idea to the finished product

Initial situation

For established universal banks, profitable business areas are disappearing due to persistently low interest rates. At the same time, competition from fintechs is increasing, especially in the core markets. The timely implementation of innovative business models is made difficult by the organisational structures and existing IT infrastructure. There is not enough expertise for cloud-based infrastructures and modern business forms. A modern, scalable IT platform is needed for the timely implementation of new product ideas.

COREprocedure

Creation of a product vision and narrowing of the MVP scope

• Support in the development of the strategic target image as well as the functional roadmap including technical-physical dependencies and evaluation of the feasibility given the time and budgetary framework conditions
• Technical support of the product discussions including derivation of the required technical features and assessment of the complexity of the implementation
• Validation of technical feasibility and educational communication to make dependencies transparent
• Support in the implementation of the first product step, as well as resolution of functional and technical dependencies
• Supporting discussions with potential product partners and programmes

Development of an efficient IT architecture

• Progressive detailing of the strategic IT target architecture, based on a greenfield approach with cloud architecture and modern architecture paradigms, taking into account the functional and non-functional requirements that are becoming more specific
• Creation of a strategic service landscape including a layer-based decoupling strategy and a context map to analyse the interdependencies and the critical path in terms of the logical structure of the functional services.
• Syndication with experts and management committees named in the project as well as support of the approval processes in the group parent company
• Detailing and explaining the architecture specifications in the context of the development to support the implementation
• Evaluation of the use of existing external interfaces of possible partners and various offers for the connection of further functionality

Requirements engineering

• Implementation and service provider management
• Analysis and preparation of software-specific requirements
• Analysis and control of both professional and technical requirements within the framework of the chosen project methodology
• Conception and preparation of implementation-relevant topics
• Preparation and control of relevant decisions for the further development of the applications with regard to an expansion to a platform
• Documentation and prioritisation of implementation-relevant issues
• Creation of a common understanding between the business and IT sides for the further development of the software
• Conducting workshops to mediate between the business and IT sides
• Contribution of IT-technical know-how (e.g. data science and other conceptual topics)
• Decision support and testing in the selection of software elements of the app as well as selection and evaluation of necessary tools
• Testing and error analysis of the current software status both on the end device and by directly controlling the end points
• Accompaniment and control of the full-product test to prepare the go/no-go decision for the beta test phase
• Structuring and prioritisation of the bug-fixing process in the beta-test phase combined with processing of user feedback
• Processing and incorporating user feedback in the form of user stories for the further development of the application
• Conceptual design of further expansion stages of the product after go-live

Vendor management

• Joint evaluation and preparation of vendor selection by bank staff
• Vendor selection interviews to test and compare service providers as the basis for an adequate selection of developers
• Monitoring and planning the use of providers in the project
• Building the hiring pipeline for developers
• On- and offboarding of vendors and developers
• Analysis of relevant key figures, creation of reports and monitoring of the budget (report infrastructure/developer incl. forecast for project duration etc.)

Management support and control of development

• Continuous budget controlling to reconcile planning, project implementation and invoicing
• Management communication in the form of preparing product/IT submissions for regular committees, such as the Management Board, Advisory Committee or Steering Committee, as well as support for Board discussions
• Accompanying various discussions with Legal/Data Protection to explain the Target Operating Model, all contractual relationships and data flows in the project as well as the tools and services used in the project.
• Support and management of IT-relevant internal bank approval processes, especially in the area of security and data protection
• Maintain and update the storymap for the MVP scope, a taskmap for setting up the production infrastructure and an implementation plan (stories and tasks) until the go-live of the MVP.
• Operational support and assistance with the pentesting process
• Ensure operational readiness for the go-live of the beta test

Benefits for clients

• Development of a strategic vision, derivation of an architectural design and coordination with various stakeholders (e.g. bank, BaFin)
• Control of the implementation including the requirement engineering
• Building a modern IT-driven digital services company with a suitable target operating model
• Establishment of compliance structures and processes with approval by group parent and supervisory authorities
• Incident management at 2nd and 3rd level up to taking over operation of frontend and backend by client resources