Program: Implementation of Insurance Policy Management System

Period: 2014–2015

Project Type: System Upgrade and Implementation Program

Customer: Property and Casualty Insurance Company

Description:

The program was initiated to support the goal of eventually migrating away from an outdated IBM AS/400-based policy management system that had been in place since the 1980s to a modern web-based rating and policy administration system for several insurance lines of business. The biggest challenge in this project was that the rules and ratings algorithms that were used daily were hard coded in COBOL language, and up-to-date documentation describing the current configuration was not available. Regulatory requirements also demanded that prior to any rating changes, a special filing be done seeking the approval of the regulators. Since the rating and other rules were not clearly documented, a huge effort was made to document the current state of the product and relevant business requirements and to clarify the rates and any specific or company-wide policies for insurance risk selection. A few external vendors were involved with various aspects of the project: decoding the COBOL code and translating it into a non-technical description of rules, configuring the new policy system, and defining the rating policies. A big portion of the project management effort was dedicated to coordination between multiple parties and internal stakeholders.

My role: Project Leader, Program Co-Manager

Tasks accomplished:

1. Pioneered program definition via Program Charter document

2. Established a Program Coordinating Group and facilitated periodic meetings

3. Conducted Vendor Management and Risk Management

4. Created and maintained program roadmap outlining the timeline and interdependencies between 5 projects competing for the same resources

5. Implemented program-level resource management

6. Collaborated closely with another PM to ensure smooth work and issue resolution

7. Facilitated periodic executive-level status updates and reporting

8. Conducted ongoing Business Case assessments

9. Helped define development cadence using elements of Scrum and Kanban

10. Managed the internal and vendor development teams

11. Facilitated UAT and testing with Underwriters

12. Supported Go-Live planning and managed the Production Cut-Over process

13. Established and coordinated the collaboration process between internal business units, vendors, and project teams

Program Budget: ~$5,000,000

Project Team: 9

1. Software Developers (2)

2. System Configuration Specialist (1)

3. Quality Assurance Specialist (1)

4. Printing and Mailing Developer (1)

5. Business SMEs - Underwriting (2)

6. Business SME - Actuarial (1)

7. Project/Program Manager (1)

Duration: 20+ months

Outcome:

The joint management team successfully implemented 2 out of 5 projects in the roadmap. The implementation of the other 3 Lines of Business was initiated.