Sharing a real Agile story about our successes but also pitfalls and lessons learned though our organizational development journey in banking. The mission of this journey is to learn & develop towards a future fit Organization which is capable of mastering in a best possible way the challenges ahead on a mission to provide a superior value towards our customers.

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Ana Kafadar
Banking Reimagined
Navigating the Adaptive transformation

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Ana Kafadar
Head of Transformation Management
Who am I
• since 2015 leading Transformation
management in RBBH
• 17 years experiance in banking
• extensive experience in business banking
& Leading Product development teams
• Domain topics – agile transformation, change
management, business strategy, operational
excellence & automation
„As ppassionate Agile Change Leader currently on a
mission of co-creating future environment with experts
and employees towards Agile culture that will help the
bank transform continuous innovation into a superior
customer experience”

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Agile
in Banking?

4. Our customers
have changed
New improved experiance
more digital offerings
No or less branches
Quick and outside of office
hours availability
Tailormade solutions

5. We have
changed
Companies have grown
Complexity
Security & Regulation
Nowadays more
technology/ IT driven than
in the past
Employees have different
needs

6. The market has
changed
We are not alone on the
Financial Service Planet
anymore
Higher speed
Higher competition (solutions
and costs)
Market has become more
international

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Our challenges
common in large traditional organizations
• Fear of Change
• Strong Hierarchy
• Siloed Structures
• Misaligned Incentives
• Resistance to Learning /
Comfort zone
• Lack of Prioritization

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The prioritization saga..

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And what about People...
... Performing & Happy
... Stress & frustrations
... Burnout
The prioritization saga..

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The key challenge was how to
move from left to right …
Defining the Fundamentals of
the adaptive approach....

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Our challenges /antipatterns
common in large traditional
organizations
Focus on
Customer
Value
Delighting our customers
1. Valuable increments
2. Short validation cycles
3. Continuous learning

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Collaborate
cross
Boundary
end-to-end as
one Team
1. Understand end-to-end
2. Eliminate handovers
3. Direct collaboration
4. We-Culture

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Responsibility
and
Autonomy
unleash collective
potential
1. Leadership and responsibility on all levels
2. Servant leadership rather than command and
control
3. Empowered people rather than passive

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Respond
to change
culture that is
ready
for any change
1. Culture is fit to adapt and
change
2. Continuous learning and
improvement
3. Failure as opportunity to learn

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Adaptive Transformation Journey
202
2
202
2
2017 2019
201
8
202
4
Default
method for
projects
First Scrum
experiments
Beginning of
Adaptive
Transformation.
Starting „Agile
Product Teams”
Adaptive
Reference
Model.
Scaling Agile
teams
1st steps in
reducing Org.
hierarchy /
New Budgeting
approach
100 % of
Business-IT
Innovation in
Agile Product
Teams

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Loosely coupled, highly aligned Product value teams
Organizatio
n
Technology
Monolith Microservices
UI
B
u
s
i
n
e
s
s
L
o
g
i
c
D
a
t
a
b
a
s
e
RBBH – Adaptive Transformation Journey

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17
Customer
Facing
Set
Ups
C
Budget &
Runrate
KPIs
Goals & Vision
Investors
Budget &
Runrate
KPIs
Goals & Vision
Tribe Lead’s
Agile Coach
Delivery Team
BA
SM
Goals &
Vision
Impact Map
Pr
od
uct
Ba
ckl
og
PO
Delivery Team
BA
SM
Goals &
Vision
Impact Map
Pr
od
uct
Ba
ckl
og
PO
Delivery Team
BA
SM
Goals &
Vision
Impact Map
Pr
od
uct
Ba
ckl
og
PO
Trib
e Product Value
Stream
Product Value
Stream
Product Value
Stream
Chapter
RBBH – Adaptive Transformation Journey
Virtual Organization
Product Value
streams
(x-functional)
Tribe
Chapters

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Shift mindset from
requestor-supplier
relationship to
collaborative Teamwork
Different management
style – more supportive,
less directive, Transferring
empowerments to the
teams, taking and
sharing responsibility
Building Trust and
Psychological
safe environment
Role modeling
including the Board
level
Building
enterpreneurship
and engagament
It’s all about
People
Courage of leaving the
Comfort zone
Failure culture

19. • Start with Culture change
first
• Top Management support is
crutial;
• This change cannot be planned
and driven with a waterfall
mindset
• Transfer of epowerement
and responsibility is 2 way
street;
• Set the expectations right,
Lessons learned

20. • It requires investment in
terms of TIME but in several
areas also MONEY-WISE
• Choose Personality over
expertise;
• Clash virtual vs line
organization
• Two hats for one had
• In crises situatons people
tend to return to old way of
Lessons learned

21. • Don’t look & seek for a
perfection
• The change will mean a
disruption to the Organization
• Agile as it self will not solve
„lack of ressource“ issue in
organization.
• Full dedication is a must
Lessons learned

22. The change will
uncover many issues
that most likely were
there for a long time –
working agile means
getting visibility.
...work continuously
on improvement
• Start with Culture change first
• Top Management support is crutial;
• This change cannot be planned and driven with a waterfall mindset

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There is a great (hidden)
potiential in people
But be prepared for some amaizing outcomes
Team work &
Breaking Siloses
T-shaping & people
development
Shared
Vision & Transparency
Technology Leadership
Fast
adaptability & TTM

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It’s all about the
People!

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“Psychological safety is a belief that
one will not be punished
or humiliated for speaking up with ideas,
questions, concerns or mistakes.”
Amy Edmondson

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