Standard Bank Group is the largest banking group in Africa by assets and earnings. Its 49 000 employees operate in 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, serving over 15 million customers. Standard Bank is a 150-year-old organisation and one of the “Big Four’’ banks in South Africa.
At the core of Standard Bank’s growth strategy is understanding and efficiently meeting the changing needs of its customers to create positive banking experiences. To do this effectively, the Bank required a more collaborative, responsive and transparent practice that would not only impact their organisational culture, but also bring real value to their customers. Identifying the need to simplify their processes and streamline some of their systems, Standard Bank embarked on a journey to evolve their approach to building software.
Recognising the critical role that technology plays in meeting the ever-evolving needs of their customers, Standard Bank partnered with Thoughtworks to develop their new Internet banking website, an essential customer-facing platform for their business.
Starting with an inception to create a common understanding of the business's goals, the team identified the core features required to launch a new online banking website and began to architect and implement the digital platform. Through the delivery project and additional coaching, over 70 different groups in the IT value chain have benefited from learning agile techniques, resulting in a more nimble and responsive culture.
Today, the technical environment allows the team to deploy code into production on a monthly basis, getting new features to market more regularly. By incorporating user testing into development, the team has ensured a more rewarding and intuitive experience for Standard Bank customers.
The new site is being released in phases, taking customer feedback into consideration every step of the way. New features are being added on an ongoing basis, giving Standard Bank customers the freedom to opt in to the new platform and bank easily, securely and seamlessly across various devices.
The engagement with Thoughtworks has been one of the most exciting journeys. We have had an opportunity to see Continuous Delivery transitioning from a small team to becoming a way of working for different parts of the business. To see the organisational changes and a new culture emerging has been very rewarding.
