Front-Office System Modernization

SUMMARY

Client
Česká spořitelna
Tech stack
DevOps, OpenShift, Kafka, .Net CORE, Angular

Česká spořitelna’s 15-year-old front-office system, outsourced and under-governed, had accrued heavy technical debt, slow and unclear change processes, and high error rates. The bank reclaimed control and engaged Profinit to modernise the platform with an agile, end-to-end approach. We assessed the system, clarified responsibilities, and put in a clear delivery process with automated build-and-release. Outcome: restored ownership and transparency, faster, lower-risk delivery, and a fit-for-purpose front office ready to evolve.

Graphic promoting case study Front-Office System Modernization

Results

Governance restored
front office and know-how reclaimed by client
Fast delivery process
process and automated releases
Modernised platform
with increased functionality and fewer errors

Česká spořitelna, the Czech arm of Erste Group Bank AG, had been using its front-office system for more than 15 years. Although initially developed internally, the system was subsequently assigned for maintenance to an external vendor. That resulted in a lack of governance and know-how over the system on the side of the client in long term.

This period saw the system undergo minimal modernisation, resulting in the following negative impacts:

  • Overly complex and ineffective change requests due to poor communication and lack of clarity on delegation of responsibilities.
  • Significant accrual of technical debt arising from poor support and lack of digital development over many years.
  • High error rate due to long-term neglect of basic software engineering principles

Frustrated by the ongoing lack of agile transformation, the bank decided to reclaim the system and seek a new partner to perform a complete modernisation.

The solution needed to meet the following targets:

  • Deliver added business value
  • Bridge the tech gap from legacy to modern
  • Improve automation and overall quality
  • Reduce technical debt

Building on its long-term partnership with Profinit going back many years, Česká spořitelna commissioned our team of engineers to apply an agile solution aimed at modernising its front-office legacy system.

Profinit consulted with the client on the development and maintenance of its front-end as well as back-end modules. As part of a proposed software development lifecycle, our engineers conducted an in-depth system assessment, which involved defining key processes and integrating CI/CD practices.

Given the complexity and scale of the operation, responsibilities for stabilising the system had to be divided between different teams. At peak, more than 20 of our consultants were working on the project in various capacities.

Our solution architecture was based on a UI redesign of the legacy platform. In a reasonably short time, we oversaw the smooth transition from obsolete to fit-for-purpose, with the system capable of supporting additional features.