Derek White: “The challenge is to create something amazing for the customer”

The first work session of the Program Increment (PI) 2017, attended by Derek White, Global Head of Customer Solutions at BBVA, and led by Hugo Nájera Alva, Head of Business Development at BBVA Bancomer, focused on the planning dynamics for the projects that will be delivered during the first quarter of the year, based on the use of the Agile methodology.

BBVA Bancomer has already developed many products and services applying this methodology, including the financial check-up system, the digital account, the mobile payments wallet, Bancomer.com’s digital auto-loan simulator, or the BMovil loan application & approval functionality.

Derek White complimented BBVA Bancomer’s team for the relevance of an event that he dubbed “world class”. Speaking to the 870-strong crowd, divided in 68 work teams (scrums), he said that their customers, co-workers, leaders, shareholders and families should be proud of them. The executive visited several of the scrum teams and was able to witness each unit in the process of creating opportunities for their customers. White acknowledged the great project prioritization effort that was being and promised to come back in three months’ time to learn about the final products and services. Finally, he challenged them "to create something amazing for the customer."

For his part, Nájera said that “Grupo BBVA, our main goal is to create opportunities and putting them in the hands of customers, because we want to keep building a better future for people.” The big challenge, he said, was working on a new value proposal that is based on four concepts: design, data, mobility and openness, which have been conveyed into a marketing strategy based on the four fundamental pillars of transparency, convenience, empowerment and knowledge of customer data, aimed at enabling the company to provide smart advice in each interaction, surprising customers by showing them we know their needs.

One year ago, a total of 36 scrum teams took part in BBVA’s first Program Increment, which became a valuable learning exercise.  

Today, one year later, the financial institution has become more nimble and has managed to create multidisciplinary development teams in which different business areas – engineering, legal, risks and processes – collaborate.