Let’s start with the first one in the process chain: Product Design and Optimization - actually speaks for itself, doesn't it? Not quite, because there is a bit more to it than designing and optimizing products. We will explain by using three statements:
We create and continuously optimize user-centric digital frontend solutions
This is of course the core competence of the team. It’s all about creating new digital experiences for Allianz customers and employees alike. The team also applies data-informed methodologies to continuously evaluate and optimize digital products to fit the needs of the various customer and user groups of Allianz globally.
We enable business digitization at OEs in a globally harmonized way
With the superordinate goal to design digital solutions and tools that provide the OEs with the insight and expertise to take their business to a digital level, the Product Design and Optimization Team operates on a global approach.
In a nutshell: A global design system and user interface library named ‘New Digital Brand Experience’ (NDBX) has been developed to enable Product Designers at Allianz to work with re-usable and standardized user interface elements and patterns. This ensures that Allianz customers and also internal employees worldwide benefit from high-quality usability and usefulness of digital experiences – no need for major investments in unique UI designs are needed as a result. The library is evolved continuously based on insights from markets globally, making it possible for Allianz OEs to configure and adapt certain patterns to fit a specific market’s need.
We are doing this by applying expert knowledge in UX/UI Design, UX Research, Analytics and Digital Marketing
The Product Design and Optimization Team combines different competences and expertise in the area of UX / UI Design, UX Research and Business- and Marketing Analytics. This is also what makes this team so special. Each team member has a strong expertise on her field. An active and continuous exchange of information and knowledge within the team and also throughout Allianz happens all the time.
Take a look into the life of a team head of the Product Design and Optimization Team.
Diversity is kind of a regular thing at the GDF. Even in the Product Development Team we have members out of eight different countries, speaking eight different native languages. And at least as many abilities and expertise are found in the team.
Basically the key capabilities of the team are divided in frontend and backend development as well as DevOps. Employees of both fields work constantly and closely together to guarantee high quality implementations.
What GDF Development Experts do
Development in the context of a large Enterprise company can be such a wide-ranging and complex thing and it also can be a bit confusing when you ask yourself in general what a development team is exactly doing. But we can explain what our experts do.
Based on the results of the Product Design and Optimization Team, the Product Development Team receives requirements. Joined meeting sessions allow to go over different possibilities and a suitable solution design. After checking the technical practice the tool will be approved together. In general the Team is working on frontend development and frameworks within Allianz. This means that we try to improve processes by providing tools such as libraries or set up documentations to guide development teams of Allianz Entities in different countries.
You can imagine like this:
Here at GDF we design and develop digital solutions from the very beginning until the rollout. So all GDF employees are used to working on this developed toolstack. At the same time we are increasing the footprint of the ecosystem, which also involves working with OEs to set up the frameworks. At times this can be quite challenging when patterns, tool stacks and processes are different. So apart from developing a product we also support different teams within Allianz to become part of a common frontend ecosystem.
To get more insights into specific projects take a look at our former articles like UX Research roles in a global UX research approach or Building Blocks.
Now we know how digital products and solutions are conceived, designed and developed. But how do they reach the target groups, clients and OEs? This is where the Digital Asset Rollout Team comes in. And their key competence in a nutshell is building bridges.
Over All Project Management
Just like the exact definition of a project manager, our project management experts are responsible for the planning and monitoring as well as for the customer management. They build the bridge between the customer and our IT management platform. Questions like "What do we need for a project? When do we need it? How do we need it? Are answered right at the beginning of a project to guarantee a trouble free and high quality workflow. The agile environment of GDF also requires an agile project management.
What also needs to be kept in mind is the financial controlling. A separate instance inside the Digital Asset Rollout Team ensures that everything GDF does stays within budget.
Business Analytics
Further Business Analysts and Solution Architects are the connection between technology and business. Customer requirements are translated in a way that enables developers to work with them. On the other hand, the result is interpreted so that customers can easily understand. Different markets of course have different requirement profiles. In order to meet individual specifications as efficiently as possible, the Digital Asset Rollout team also strives for harmonization and ensures the reusability of assets. In close cooperation with transient borders, these two instances bring our products to the market.
