Agile and DevOps Transformation

Accelerating digital transformation for RPMI with agile and DevOps

The client: RPMI

RPMI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Railways Pension Trustee Company Limited (RPTCL) with over 50 years of experience. Originally established in 1965 to manage the pension arrangements for British Railways, RPMI today provides administration and strategic support for the railways’ pension schemes, as well as third-party clients.

Despite its deep-rooted heritage, RPMI has embraced modern technology to continuously improve customer experience.

Delivering greater value to customers

RPMI recognised the need to accelerate its digital strategy to keep pace with technological advances and deliver greater value to its customers.

The company wanted to adopt new technologies quickly while maintaining a high standard of reliability and service.

To achieve this, RPMI sought a collaborative partner who could help drive innovation and improve the efficiency of its operations through a modern, Agile approach.

Rapid adoption of new technology

RPMI partnered with us to implement a digital strategy focused on rapid adoption of new technologies. Together, they assembled an Agile team that included members from both RPMI and Answer Digital. This cross-functional squad worked under DevOps principles, integrating software development and IT operations to ensure a streamlined approach to designing, developing, and implementing new tools across the organisation.

A key feature of this collaboration was RPMI’s Mike Gilligan serving as the product owner, participating daily in project operations. This structure allowed for faster decision-making, problem-solving, and real-time involvement in the development process. The team adopted a continuous development and release cycle, allowing for frequent updates and improvements, delivering measurable business and customer value at each stage.

One significant project was the development of a Chatbot, designed to meet customer requirements. The team used continuous integration and continuous delivery/deployment (CI-CD) practices to quickly build and refine the tool over several Agile sprints. After an initial usability study, the team gathered user feedback, made incremental changes each week, and released updates promptly. This approach highlighted the flexibility and responsiveness of the Agile methodology.

Delivering technology that works seamlessly

By adopting a “Shift Left” approach, RPMI ensured quality was built into every stage of development. Testers were involved from the beginning of each process, enabling issues to be addressed immediately, rather than after the fact.

This focus on early testing allowed for quicker fixes and greater efficiency, ultimately creating a smoother development process. The collaborative nature of the Agile team facilitated transparency, ensuring that potential problems were identified and resolved quickly, leading to a higher-quality product.

In an industry like financial services, where customer trust is paramount, RPMI recognised the importance of delivering technology that works seamlessly.

Working with our QA team, testing was built into every sprint, ensuring any issues were resolved before impacting the customer experience. The involvement of the product owner in daily operations further ensured that any changes were assessed for their wider implications, resulting in faster decision-making and problem-solving.

The cross-functional, collaborative team structure was a significant advantage for both organisations. RPMI and Answer Digital learned from each other, shared expertise, and adopted a unified Agile mindset. By working toward a common goal, the team was able to deliver transformative digital solutions that significantly improved customer experiences.

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