Mock presentation to bring in a project manager to work with a team of professionals in order to expand multiple offerings into the Fintech market.

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Case Assignment: Mock Project Mangement Presentation
Stacey Troup
Project Management/MGT-307
March 17, 2017
Dr. Ryan Repich

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Case Assignment: Mock Project Management Presentation
For this Midterm Case Study assignment, I will prepare a light “mock” presentation to a
financial institution whereby a suggestion to bring on a project management team in an attempt
to expand our offering with the launch of a new “FinTech” (FinTech, N.D.) division within our
existing Alternative Assets Group. In addition to the request, an outline will be made to bring on
an outsourced project manager and team to work alongside the managing director of the firm to
ensure project deadlines and deliverables are met in order to launch the fund of funds division in
a timely manner. Finally, we will review the aspects of project management that make this
launch a necessary entity which requires a project management team to effectively execute.
Proposed Addition
As financial markets change, its is paramount for investment divisions of banks and
financial firms (hedge funds) to diversify their offerings to their clients (both private and public)
in order to create investment opportunities which are on the cutting edge of consumer needs. No
greater growth has been as evident in recent years that rivals that of FinTech markets.
Retail banking has seen this change as favorable for their bottom line. Banks such as
Ally, who have forsaken physical locations and branded ATM’s for internet banking have found
favor among clients who wish to have the flexibility of “anywhere banking” without having the
need for going into a physical location. However, Ally is not without problems and is an
example of launching a project to get services out ahead of competitors but without fully
utilizing methodologies such as Six Sigma™ to properly evaluate their offerings prior to release.
They fail customers through extensive holds on funds, not allowing cash deposits, and other tech
failures to their offering which began with their launch in 2008 (Meola, 2016).

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Pitfalls such as those experienced by inexperienced FinTech firms who fail to do proper
due diligence in their project management can be avoided with the use of an experienced project
manager who is familiar with both the FinTech markets as well as investment and retail banking
operations. Our ability to effectively launch a FinTech market to our private and public
customers will broaden our offering, revenue streams and perceived value to the customer if
executed right, while the appropriate project management team will ensure proper Six Sigma™
steps are followed ensuring both compliatory as well as due diligence needs for our proposed
launch (Teixido, 2016).
Application of Six Sigma™ for Project Success
A project management team who would be constructed to assist with the decision to add
a FinTech arm to our offering will depend on the use of Six Sigma™ principles as well as the
cross-disciplinary assignment of key team members for research and deliverables needs.
While FinTech is multi-disciplinary, many of the arms of FinTech can extend into both
our retail platforms we offer to clients as well as potential investments for the Alternative Assets
Group. As we as a company look into the investments into this market it is also imperative that
we consider the Six Sigma™ basics.
Utilizing the DMAIC method of Six Sigma™, we can see why a team would be
imperative to the success of the project. Define, the first step in the methodology requires us to
define the project scope. In this case, the need to expand into FinTech is a broad spectrum
definition of needs and individual goals should be assigned at other stages of the project to
specific teams specializing in the deliverables needed for success (DMAIC - Five Basic Phases
of Lean Six Sigma, N.D.).

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Measure, the second step in Six Sigma™ framework, requires us to measure the
performance of the suggested implementation. FinTech has several types of companies that
encompass its market including; (1) payment services; (2) investment & stock; (3) insurance; (4)
currency markets, and (5) finance industry (electronic payment processing) – just to name a few
(FinTech, N.D.). The measurement of these offerings can be done from historical performance
for a “surface scratch” analysis but this would be a major deliverable review item for the project
team to dive into and report on investment and implementation needs (DMAIC - Five Basic
Phases of Lean Six Sigma, N.D.). Our research indicates a major upswing in trends of FinTech
financing by investment firms, VC firms, and banks in the last five years. This trend can only
increase and continue as the appetite for ease of use and modified technology for their use
continues (Marino, 2016).
Analyze, the third aspect of this review, would select portions of the aspects of FinTech
we are most interested in such as Investment & Stock, Currency Markets, and Finance Industry
(payment processing) (DMAIC - Five Basic Phases of Lean Six Sigma, N.D.), as they most
closely relate to our first round immediate needs for expansion (FinTech, N.D.). Project
managers with a history of performance in the areas of financial markets, technology, and
effective due diligence of companies, will be paramount to the success of our analyzation of this
data for investment purposes (Financial Project Management, N.D.)
Improve, the fourth phase of the review process asks us to improve on our initial
assessments and deliverables for better project outcome. When the project management team
beings, each will be given a set of deliverables to research and report, included in these will be
mobile investing services, online payment services, and mobile applications for investment
management (retail and private client). Taking cues from existing banking operations in

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existence and improving on the items and technology deliverables will enable us to build a better
product with more functionality and growth potential for our client base (DMAIC - Five Basic
Phases of Lean Six Sigma, N.D.). Through a rigorous R&D phase with assistance from our in-
house programmers and tech staff, we will be able to launch products that are not only superior
in terms of functionality but able to close the loop on customer needs. On the investment side,
we will also gain a better understanding of the FinTech companies out in the market for potential
investment and what makes them so innovative, as this will allow customers to invest in these
business models through our investment services, as they are unable to invest on their own
(Teixido, 2016).
The final phase will also cross into the last stage of the review process, Control (DMAIC
- Five Basic Phases of Lean Six Sigma, N.D.). In that phase of the review, we will discover
implementation issues as we integrate these technologies and offerings into daily use. After the
project managers have concluded their research and the build, test, re-test phases have been
completed, the project management staff can begin on the next phase of the project which is re-
work, investment side research, and redevelopment (tweaks) to existing tech we released to the
masses in the first phase (Teixido, 2016).
Through the use of these project managers and internal staff, we will ensure that we are
not prematurely releasing products before they are ready for market as well as doing pertinent
research for our investors for a resellable product offering. The additional phases will look into
the implementation of online trading platforms for our retail customers and investment mobile
applications for our private client, which would provide information and trade ability through
their mobile applications (within SEC guidelines for private client/hedge fund operations). In

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keeping with our needs to always innovate while providing service, these platforms will become
a cornerstone of our offering, as well as an additional revenue stream.
Conclusion
As we presented a plan to bring on a project manager to manage our FinTech plans, do
necessary research and due diligence with the assistance of cross-platform departments, we are
sure that the formed team that will work with the project manager will be integral for our
continued growth for both sides of our investment business (retail/private client). With the
proper research and planning, we will be able to release a multitude of products to these
customer bases which have better functionality than our competitors while, simultaneously,
looking into new investment opportunities for our private client business.
Many of our competitors have been quick to jump into the FinTech market in the same
fashion we are looking into but they often jump into this emerging market too quickly or only
invest in new companies and not adapt the technology for their customers (Skinner, 2016). We
strive for more than this for all aspects of our business which is why we wish to bring in a project
manager to manage this side of our expansion wishes.
With the use of basic Six Sigma™ review processes, the individual tasks can be handed
down to team leaders for assignment to team members who specialize in the area in question to
bring the best ROI for the overall project conclusion. As we grow our business models and offer
these services to our various clients, we grow our perceived value to the consumer. FinTech is
having a profound impact on financial services and it is high time we do not just dive in, but dive
in fully prepared for all outcomes with proper contingency plans (FinTech Report: PWC, N.D.)
as we do with all investment opportunities. If we are steadfast, compose proper teams made up

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of key employees with proper foundations in the area of expertise, as well as create these
contingencies, we are setting ourselves up to be a major player for the FinTech market, overall.

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References
DMAIC - Five Basic Phases of Lean Six Sigma. (N.D.). Retrieved from Go Lean Six Sigma:
https://goleansixsigma.com/dmaic-five-basic-phases-of-lean-six-sigma/
Financial Project Management. (N.D.). Retrieved from Plante Moran:
http://www.plantemoran.com/services/audit-accounting/accounting-outsourcing-
financial-services/financial-project-management/pages/home.aspx
FinTech. (N.D.). Retrieved from Investopedia: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fintech.asp
FinTech Report: PWC. (N.D.). Retrieved from Price Waterhouse Coopers:
http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/financial-services/fintech-survey/report.html
Marino, J. (2016, 03 09). Banks Pile Into Heady FinTech Funding. Retrieved from CNBC:
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/09/banks-pile-into-heady-fintech-funding.html
Meola, A. (2016, 12 14). The FinTech Report 2016. Retrieved from Business Insider:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-fintech-report-2016-financial-industry-trends-and-
investment-2016-12
Skinner, C. (2016, 07 09). The FinTech March into Investment Banking. Retrieved from CNBC:
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/09/banks-pile-into-heady-fintech-funding.html
Teixido, J. (2016, 03 04). 7 Keys to FinTech Project Management. Retrieved from Strands
Finance: http://blog.strands.com/7-keys-to-fintech-project-management-success