Consulting Products

Project Management

1. Current Situation
At present insurance companies have to deal with ever-increasing cost pressure, an increased sense for service at both clients' and partners', short product development cycles and increased external requirements on quantity and profitability during the change-over to Solvency II.

These requirements lead to projects like

• Mergers, reorganizations and migrations
• Standardization, optimization and industrialization of (cross-sector) business processes
• Adoption of new products into existing systems including system modifications (if necessary)
• Implementation of new systems, both standard systems and individual solutions
• Professionalization of project and risk management.

Most of all, large-scale projects in this environment are frequently subject to changes in frame conditions like new legal or regulatory requirements, changing market conditions or changes in the company. Often this requires a re-adjustment of the project or at least a review. Methods that are based on project management only quickly reach their limits because here they have to deal with complex strategic and technical tasks.

According to our experience gained in numerous large-scale projects of this kind, the key to success is the combination of these competences:

• Competence and practical experience in change management
• Extensive understanding of the actuarial and business-process-related aspects of the project
• Mastery of and experience in the methods and techniques of project management

2. Cornerstones of Our Approach
Our employees applied successful management in many projects by combining these competences. We have years of experience in the successful management of large-scale projects on the side of both system developers and users. In this we combine formal project management and comprehensive knowledge of actuarial and technological situations and secondary conditions.
We see the project in its entirety. Besides experience and actuarial knowledge we emphasize the successful mastering of change management skills. Of course our certified project managers apply state-of-the-art project techniques and are well-versed in the use of common project management tools

 

 

2.1 Change Management
Change management can be divided into two fields, which are highly different and can only be mastered successfully when embedded within project management.
First there is managing the changes brought about by the expected project result. This is about involving the people affected by the project from an early stage (project order, process design, technical design), preparing them for change and accompanying them during the implementation (design and production of trainings, product implementation, and production support) which is especially important when for instance dealing with systems like a policy administration system that, after implementation, will be used by hundreds of employees for several hours every day.

Furthermore, it is just as important to be able to deal with changes to the frame conditions of the project. This refers to changes to details of existing requirements and to additional requirements, which both have to be managed using a controlled change request procedure. Also there is the management of changing project objectives and project-internal organizational demands.

2.2 Actuarial/Technological Experience
Of course, successful project management should not be limited to formal project management. A comprehensive knowledge of the actuarial and technological conditions and frame conditions, including the business processes involved, is also required.
We pay close attention to this issue. Accordingly, we can train employees of our customers or strengthen project teams by assigning viadico employees well-versed in the field.

Many executives at viadico have gained experience in difficult major projects over a number of years and have proven themselves in various functions.

2.3 Methodological Expertise
Methodological expertise is a must. We are familiar with the common project management procedures and the corresponding tools. Furthermore, certified project managers are on our staff and we continuously enhance certification.

Consideration of individual company standards and using them as intended by the company is a matter of course for us.

3. Good Reasons for Project Management by viadico
The complexity of the world we live in is constantly increasing. So is the complexity of the subjects (project) managers have to deal with, regardless of the industry or country they are in.
Some demand to "Keep it simple", others offer support by continuously enhanced methods and tools. But reduction of complexity is only half the truth, because enhanced abilities (of systems, business processes and so on) – which we want – ultimately result from increased complexity. Since 'garbage in–garbage out' we also know about the limits of permanently enhanced and more modern IT-based tools.
So, what has to be done? Face complexity? Most certainly!
Knowledge-based management alone will not solve the problems of the future. The challenge will be to manage the connections, the interaction. viadico and its approach to project management have recognized the signs of the time and developed corresponding competences. To us each project is a unit, we see a project in its entirety and take care of the connections.

 

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