Insurtech: Past, Present, Future

2016 has (among other things) been the year of insurtech. It was a year of headline-grabbing investment in technology startups, rapid developments in big data, the rise of the internet of things and blockchain, and a host of other digital innovations that are on the brink of disrupting the insurance industry. Disruption and insurtech go together and, in the slow moving world of insurance, we’ve finally reached a tipping point. Traditional insurers must now either adopt the latest technologies or watch as their businesses are eroded by fast-moving newcomers.

Yet despite this potential threat there is also opportunity and continuity – both of which are provided by RDT. We have been at the forefront of insurance technology for more than 25 years and we’re the name behind some of the key developments that have transformed the industry. From the first real-time insurance purchasing website to the first truly agnostic data orchestration platform that allows insurers to price centrally for the whole market, RDT has been helping insurers move with the times and build their businesses.

Agile - Sprinting and the Daily Scrum

In our previous article on Agile meetings, we discussed sprint planning.  Let’s look at what happens next.

Sprinting and the Daily Scrum

Once we’ve finished sprint planning and have a commitment, we are ready to start the sprint. This is a two-week time box in which the team creates a tranche of working, potentially deliverable software.

During a sprint the team will hold a daily scrum, a 15-minute meeting in front of the sprint backlog (a visual display of what needs to be done, usually in the form of a whiteboard covered in written-on Post-It notes). This provides an opportunity to synchronise as a team and talk about what we’ve done, what we plan to do and anything standing in our way.

The scrum master oversees the meeting and listens out for any problems that may have arisen that could cause a delay.  It’s their responsibility to remove impediments and mitigate any future risk.  The scrum master uses a number of charts and techniques to understand if the team is on track and, if it’s lost direction, how to get it back on track.

We encourage continual feedback, so outside of the daily scrum there are regular conversations within the team and with the product owner to ensure we’re on the right path. The sprint is finished at the end of two-week time box.

Keep an eye out for our next article on the ‘Sprint Review’.

Towergate Signs Multi-Year Contract With RDT

RDT is delighted to announce that its long-term customer Towergate has signed a multi-year contract to use our technology.

The agreement, signed on 1^st December, gives Towergate access to the latest version of RDT’s best-selling general insurance administration platform Landscape.

This is a great opportunity for Towergate to see all the benefits that the latest RDT insurtech can bring. And, following the recent additional long-term commitment from our Australian customer RAA, the new contract puts RDT in a very strong position.

Everyone here at RDT is very excited about entering this new phase in our long term partnership with Towergate and we look forward to forging a very productive future with them.

Employee Spotlight - Allan Wishart

My background is very much in insurance and IT. In previous jobs I have had numerous roles including Project Manager, Business Analyst, Underwriter, Broker. Now I have joined RDT as an Account Manager, where my background means I understand what is going on from both the view of the client and from the view of RDT.

I have had previous dealings with RDT from the client side. I was part of the team that selected Landscape as a solution at one of our current client sites. I was really impressed with the company and with the product. When the opportunity arose to join RDT I was happy to take it.

RDT is a great place to work, it’s full of wonderful people. There is a real culture of supporting innovative thinking and people here have pride in what they do.

Insurtech : everyone after a piece of the action

With the worldwide insurance market worth nearly £4trillion, and £2.1billion invested in insurtech last year alone, it’s not surprising that there’s a feeding frenzy going on among service providers. Because, as the latest Future of Insurance publication from Raconteur clearly reveals, everything is up for grabs.

Right across the value chain, from law firms and big data specialists, to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and fintech pathfinders, there is no shortage of hungry businesses ready and able to move into the insurance space – a fact clearly reflected in the advertisements in the Raconteur paper. Our analysis of its contents (see graphic above) reveals the wide range of players and the main areas of focus for insurtech. Consultancy services, software solutions and customer experience dominate, with a large number of new entrants and technology providers highlighting their skills as risk managers and data specialists. All are poised to disrupt the industry in the same way that fintech transformed banking.

Innovation and regulation – how RDT helps insurers and their customers

When we describe new technology as disruptive, it’s not only because it can bring dramatic improvements and shake up an industry. It’s also because it can challenge the legal and regulatory framework, and could undermine the rules and safeguards that protect consumers and businesses.

Such is the caveat with insurtech, whose breakthrough technologies include the internet of things, cloud computing, sophisticated analytics, telematics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. Collectively, allied to the power of big data, they provide new ways to identify, measure and control risks, which means we are now asking many questions about the boundary between public and private information.

Big data provides a very revealing and accurate picture for underwriters. Lawyers and regulators may contest the line between accuracy and intrusion, but there is no doubt that reliable data can protect and benefit consumers. As a data enrichment specialist, RDT is continually finding new ways to harness and process data to help insurers and their customers, and is working very closely with insurers and regulators to develop the full potential of new technology.

Getting to know you – how RDT uses data to build customer relationships

Most important attributes of customer experience compared with performance

Research from Accenture shows that 30 per cent of customers have a negative view of their insurance providers. The figure was quoted in a feature* in Raconteur’s ‘Future of Insurance’ supplement, distributed last month with The Times, and underlines the need for insurers to find out as much as possible about their customers so they can provide a more personal service. 

The feature included a table compiled by KPMG of the most important attributes of customer experience compared with performance. This revealed that insurers are well behind digital exemplars such as Amazon and Google, and must become far more adept at extracting value from the huge amount of data available to financial services providers.

Accessibility, tailoring products and polices to customer needs, and more online access were listed as priorities to improve customer experience. While cost still remains the number one reason for closing or replacing a policy, customers cite poor communication and lack of speed, from quote through to renewals and claims, as the next major bugbear. And when it comes to communication, digital is clearly the preferred channel.

Redefining tomorrow: RDT and the future of insurance

The rise of insurtech is reflected in the amount of column inches devoted to new technology and its power to transform one of our most conservative industries. Not known for innovation, insurance is slow moving, labour intensive, bound by tradition and convention. But if the current media focus on disruption is anything to go by, insurance is on the threshold of big changes and is ready to embrace a digital future.

But who will help to make this happen, and how will insurers stay ahead of the growing wave of technology startups and challenger brands? The debate was joined in last month’s Raconteur Insurance supplement*, distributed with The Times, which provided a snapshot of the issues and players in a changing industry. In this article we comment on some of the trends covered in the supplement, and provide RDT’s vision for the future.

A key theme of the editorial was that although there is a wealth of data available, both structured and unstructured, and a host of digital resources and analytical tools that promise to turn straw into gold, insurers are struggling to find their way – a fact underlined by recent PwC research that found that while 74 per cent of insurers believe their business is at risk of disruption, 32 per cent are not yet engaging with technology firms on any level.

RDT are going to InsurTech Rising 2016!

RDT has been at the leading edge of general insurance software for 25 years. From the outset we’ve been pushing boundaries, producing disruptive solutions and investing in technology and people. We are fiercely proud of our achievements but we’re never satisfied, and constantly seek opportunities to accelerate our technology. Insurtech is transforming the industry and to stay competitive insurers must adopt new techniques and practices; innovation has become a strategically essential target. Collaboration is one of our guiding principles and we work closely with our clients to define tomorrow’s challenges and tackle them before they become problems.

We are delighted to announce that we are a sponsor of InsurTech Rising 2016, the leading InsurTech Showcase taking place from 14th - 16th November 2016 at The Crystal, Royal Victoria Dock, London.

InsurTech Rising will bring together over 400 key players shaping the InsurTech sector from insurers and entrepreneurs to VCs and solution providers.  With an exciting agenda built around business challenges and innovative solutions, gain insight into where the market is heading, what technologies insurers are looking for and the areas attracting most investment.

As one of our valued contacts, we would like to offer you an exclusive 20% discount from the delegate booking fee.

November 2016 Employee Spotlight - Felicia Asher

Felicia Asher - Business Analyst

I joined RDT five months ago to work as a Business Analyst.  Previously I used to work for larger insurance companies, so I was a little worried that RDT was a smaller organisation by comparison.  Any concerns I had were unfounded, though – RDT is a small company doing big things.  It’s amazing what work we’re putting out, and I feel triumphal here.

The location of the office is great, and there is a plenty of free parking, which I find very useful.  The office itself is modern and clean and a brilliant place to work.  Inside it’s very open which is useful for team communication and collaboration.

My team allows me to bring new ideas to foster innovation.  I feel I have the opportunity to prove myself and people are open minded to ideas that we all bring forward for discussion.

Collaborate and conquer

Insurtech can be a double-edged sword for insurers, a fact underlined in a report published in the Financial Times on October 14. The heading – ‘Insurance sector worried as insurtech startups cosy up to customers’ – reflects the growing threat posed by new technology as challenger brands move into space that was once the preserve of traditional insurers.

Research by the US investment bank Financial Technology Partners reveals that insurtech companies raised $2.6 billion last year – more than the five previous years combined – while PwC reported earlier this year that almost half of insurance companies believe they will lose 20 percent of their business to insurtech companies over the next five years.

Will the regulators prevent companies giving the best deals to new customers only?

Recent news shows that customers of the four largest energy companies in the UK have been barred from getting the best deals for gas and electricity.

New customers are able to take advantage of the best deals, while existing customers are offered deals which can mean they pay hundreds of pounds more per year.

The same is also true with insurance companies. Existing customers do not get the best prices offered to them at renewal time, and the best deals are offered to new customers.

RDT helps the FCA lift the lid on Big Data

In November 2015, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced that it would investigate the use of big data in general insurance (GI), focusing on private motor and home insurance, and would seek input from industry stakeholders and experts. As an insurtech specialist in the GI sector, RDT provided a written response to questions on data usage – and was the only technology company that the FCA named as a contributor.

The FCA’s questions covered data sources, data accuracy, and how the growing use of digital information might impact consumers and businesses. The aim was to see if big data would foster or constrain competition, whether some consumers might be marginalised because of an increasingly granular approach to underwriting, and whether the regulatory framework needs adjusting in light of advances in technology.

With the help of RDT’s insights, the FCA has concluded that big data is more friend than foe. In its Feedback Statement, published on 21 September, it said that big data is “producing a range of benefits for consumers in motor and home insurance, by transforming how consumers deal with retail GI firms, encouraging more innovation in products and services and streamlining parts of the customer journey.” The FCA said that because the use of data by insurance firms is “broadly working well”, it would not launch an in-depth market study.

ABI continue to highlight the impact of insurance fraud

A report by the ABI has highlighted the ingenuity of insurance fraudsters, along with the incredibly high cost to honest customers. From fake road accidents to false reports of loss, the cheats are costing the industry £25million a week and pushing up premiums. 

The clampdown on false whiplash claims a few years ago forced the fraudsters to become more resourceful. Many are caught quite easily – one woman made a claim for her lost wedding ring but sent her insurer a photo of the item that was dated the day after she lodged the claim. And another made a big injury claim after a fall, but CCTV film of the incident shows her staging her fall.

There are many stories like this, often ending with the criminals being handed stiff prison sentences. However not all fraudsters are incompetent and don’t get caught, making prevention the best option for insurers. Technology is a great tool in that area and RDT is one of the leading innovators of systems that detect both application and claims fraud. Our three core products – Landscape, Equator and Skyline – all have sophisticated analytics and use data enrichment to help expose fraud, and RDT is committed to continuous research and development to block new scams.  

RDT's role as an Insurtech accelerator

The importance of RDT’s role as an insurtech accelerator was highlighted this week in a speech given by PricewaterhouseCooopers’ insurtech consultant.

Speaking at the relaunch of global tech network Startupbootcamp’s insurtech programme on September 13 and reported in the Insurance Times, Kasia Kirkland discussed how partnerships between start-ups and accelerators will help the insurance industry.

Ms Kirkland, who has in the past written about the need for insurers to appear more trustworthy to consumers, said: ‘We see insurtech as a fantastic opportunity to try to improve the level of trust and the level of transparency. Some insurers are choosing in-house innovation, others are building their own start-ups. But the really wise ones are partnering with accelerators.’

RDT's Summer Interns 2016 - What Did They Think?

Our summer interns are in their last few weeks before they return to university and continue their journey into the IT industry. After asking them about their experience with us this summer, we gathered together their thoughts and opinions on what they have learnt since being with us, and whether they felt that it has been beneficial to their future.

August Employee Spotlight - Damini Singh

Hi, I’m Damini Singh, and I work for RDT as a product owner. I began working here just over five years ago, starting out as a business analyst.

I’ve spent my career working mostly in financial services and insurance, from credit card companies to life insurance, and now general insurance.  

The work at RDT ranges from regulatory compliance requirements resulting from CCD (consumer credit directive) and HM Sanctions, to implementing Landscape policy administration and claims modules for household and motor insurers. I have also been involved in website changes for our clients and also building new modules, such as campaign management, as web-based solutions.   

Right now I’m responsible for the integration of Landscape with Kofax, the new document output solution at RDT. This will replace Landscape’s current Word-based ‘standard letters’ solution.  I am also working on designing a product for household insurers using external enrichment sources for improved quote management and underwriting.

Working at RDT has been and continues to be an interesting journey. We are constantly looking at ways to improve the way we work, building new products, and encouraging innovation. The adoption of Agile methodology a few years back has completely changed the way we work. Working with development teams using agile/scrum processes in two week iterative sprints has improved our productivity and the quality of what gets done. As a product owner, it has enabled me to work more closely with our clients, as there is much more visibility during the entire process, leading to improved customer engagement.

Agile Sprint Planning

In our previous article on Agile meetings we discussed how we prepare user stories for the teams. Let’s look at what happens next.

Sprint Planning

Once a user story has been prepared and given priority in the product backlog the team will take this work into the sprint planning meeting. This session is where the team plans out what must be done to deliver it. This will include tasks around design, development and testing, including performance. Some of these sessions can get quite technical and detailed so we need to make sure it is facilitated well, which is the job of the scrum master. It’s likely that a lot of questions will crop up, so having the product owner at hand is recommended.

Global Insurtech attracts £1bn of venture investment in the first half of 2016

If proof were needed that insurance technology – or insurtech – is a growth industry, a glance at the latest Pulse of Fintech report will confirm it. KPMG International and CB Insight’s quarterly blog analysing global venture capital trends states that more than £1bn in venture capital was invested in insurtech in the first half of 2016. It also shows that while insurtech has surged, investment in fintech firms fell by nearly 50 per cent during the same period.

August Employee Spotlight - Neil Regan

Hi RDT User Group community.  I’m Neil Regan, RDT’s Project Portfolio Manager.

I joined RDT in July 2005 (11 years ago!) at which point we employed around 10 people.  As you are aware RDT has changed significantly in this time and we now employ over 100 employees in 3 locations.

Prior to joining RDT I had worked in various industries as a Software Engineer and then as a Project Manager.

I have a strong belief in continuous improvement and learning, which is why I’ve carried on earning qualifications during my working career. These include management qualifications, PRINCE2 and most recently DSDM Agile Project Management qualification.

My role at RDT allows me to provide a practical, experience-driven approach to applying program and project management methodologies within the project and program environment.  I have led a number of large projects through to successful delivery. 

Mini Boucher at RDT for the day

Today we were very lucky to have a little helper in the office! Sophia Boucher was here with her Dad (Michael Boucher, our Group Product Owner) for a school project!

Recruiter Spotlight - Emma Box

I started my role as recruiter at RDT in June, so I am still fairly new to the surroundings and the people, though I have loved every minute so far. I am in the recruitment team at Outset, a service business that works closely with RDT, so when they needed assistance with some vacancy projects, my 15 years in the recruitment sector came in handy.

RDT's new and improved employee benefits are announced

Today our staff have been hearing about the enhanced employee benefits that they now have access to.

They include a cycle to work scheme, with assistance to buy bicycles - and this will also help to keep us fit! - a dental insurance scheme, access to even better healthcare benefits.  We also have options to help us to reduce our household bills and outgoings and much more besides.

The information provided at the sessions has been well received by RDT's staff, who have been able to learn about the benefits in small groups as sessions have been held throughout the day.

RDT company meeting

Today at our Kings Hill office we hosted a company 'town hall' meeting. In this instance, all of our directing executives and our CEO left the building to allow all staff to speak freely about any constructive points they feel will benefit the company.

The session started off with a game hosted by Scrum Master Ian, whereby staff members had to choose 'heads' or 'tails' as an answer to a fact question. As you can imagine, this was a brilliant photo opportunity!

Insurtech Wake-Up Call

A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers about technology in the global finance and insurance sectors is a clear wake-up call to insurers who are still not making use of the latest technology. Last month’s report, ‘How InsurTech is reshaping insurance’, reveals that 48 per cent of insurers fear that as much as a fifth of their business could, in the next five years, be lost to new fintech companies.

PwC’s global insurance leader Stephen O'Hearn said: ‘Insurers need to encourage a culture of innovation and creativity within their organisations to ensure that the progress being made is not squandered. There is a risk of missing an opportunity to deliver customers a similar experience to one they already receive from retail and technology companies. One size simply does not fit all in insurance anymore and, by working alongside insurtech companies, insurers can begin to reposition themselves at the cutting edge of customer interaction.’

RDT can, and is, making this happen. It provides the perfect blend of partnership and innovation leadership that insurance companies need today. The PwC report claims that ‘the insurance sector has not yet worked out a consistent approach to disruption… insurtech can be the facilitator, yet if not incorporated into core strategies, it might emerge as a serious standalone competitor, putting at least some of insurers' business at risk’.

July Employee Spotlight - Ellen Barnes

Ellen Barnes - Administration Assistant

I was close to finishing university when I applied for RDT’s apprenticeship role. I was soon contacted and they asked if I would be willing to attend an interview. My issue at that moment was that I was still in Newcastle finishing my studies, so travelling down to Kent was difficult.

RDT were nice enough to work around my needs and we arranged a Skype interview. It went really well, and then after finishing university I was invited to the office for a second interview. I spent a few hours meeting people from all the departments that I would be working with and had the chance to really relax and be myself, which was great, and a few days later I had a call and was told that the job was mine!

Longest day golf challenge for Macmillan Cancer Support

Last year Macmillan Cancer Support launched a fund raising event, the Longest Day Golf Challenge, in which almost 2,000 teams across the country played 72 holes in one day. It was a huge success, raising more than £1million for people affected by cancer.

So we’re very proud to announce that four RDT staff took part in this year’s event, between them raising a whopping total of £2850. One team was made up of RDT developer Ciaran Rowe and three of his friends, and the other team had Zak Attaway from IT support, developer Jamie Hollyholmes and account manager Daniel Derham.

Tech & Innovation Awards

So happy to announce that we are now finalists for the Insurance Times Tech and Innovation Awards 2016! Our product 'Equator' has been shortlisted for the Technology Partnership of the Year award and we couldn't be more excited!

Equator is our award-wining data orchestration solution designed in collaboration with insurers which provides better and faster assessment of risks at the point of quote, drawing on data from third party information feeds to help calculate and price the risks. With Equator, insurers can manage their rates centrally and handle more than 20 million quotes a day.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Markerstudy's Risk Acceptance Further Refined By RDT Add-On

Motor insurer Markerstudy has adopted RDT's latest offering to further streamline its risk acceptance process. Quick Risk Score (QRS), a module of RDT's award-winning data orchestration system Equator, enables Markerstudy to make rapid decisions about the acceptability of a risk.

QRS is a software-as-a-service enquiry tool. Using data enrichment platforms to augment self-declared information, it provides a clear picture of an applicant and their vehicle. The data is analysed by the insurer and a risk score is sent to the broker.

Cloud-based and with a bold, simple graphical user interface, QRS was developed for brokers operating in the niche motor market. A risk's score is displayed as colour-coded rings of red, amber or green, with red being the highest risk. QRS is currently live with eight of Markerstudy's brokers and has proved so popular it's due to be rolled out to many more of the company's brokers in the coming months.

Summer internship assessment day at RDT

Yesterday we had seven candidates for our summer internship in the office with us. They each went through several interviews and activities that we had planned for them to assess them for the role.

Our summer internships give undergraduates experience in the software development and insurance industry and help prepare them for their future in employment, while also giving our staff some assistance throughout the busy summer period. 

Finalists For Computing Vendor Excellence Awards 2016

Well done to RDT for making it to the shortlist of the Vendor Excellence Awards. The winners will be announced during this afternoon's ceremony in Kensington, central London.

We're up for a Collaboration Product Award for our insurer hosted rating solution Equator, created in collaboration with our client Markerstudy!

June 2016 Employee Spotlight - Damian Murphy

Hello, my name is Damian Murphy and I am a test engineer at RDT. I joined in 2011 and after only a few days I broke my collarbone! This was not the start I expected but RDT stuck by me and, touch wood, I've not had any incidents recently.

Before RDT I spent 20 years in the Civil Service in IT, but was made redundant when the government decided to outsource its IT overseas. However I had never wanted to work in an office - at 16 I got a YTS apprenticeship in hydraulic engineering and machinery. After that I worked briefly as a builder, then started working at the Department for Education and Employment as a porter. I quickly progressed and would take on any extra responsibility and training that was offered, and eventually left to join the Radiocommunications Agency. Once there I became a super user for their IT system and finally transferred into the IT department as a tester.

Eldon Links To MyLicence Hub Through RDT's Landscape Solution

Motor claims and insurance specialist Eldon Insurance Services has become one of the first businesses to take advantage of industry initiative MyLicence, thanks to insurance software provider RDT's upgrade of its administration platform Landscape.

MyLicence was created jointly by the DVLA, the Department for Transport, the Association of British Insurers(ABI) and the Motor Insurers' Bureau(MIB). One of its main purposes was to improve the customer experience by lowering premiums and making applying for insurance quicker and easier. Insurers who are connected to the MyLicence hub are able to obtain a customer's details from the DVLA when they supply their driving licence number. This data provides the insurer with key risk information, giving early adopters a competitive advantage as they are better able to tackle fraud and can price more competitively.

The initial task for insurers was having the technology required to connect to the MyLicence hub. RDT upgraded its Landscape solution last August and all its customers now have this capability. Eldon is the second of RDT's customers to make use of the connection following motor insurer Markerstudy, which connected last year.

RDT's ceo Mark Bates comments "We are pleased that the latest version of Landscape is enabling our clients to connect swiftly and easily to MyLicence, a transformative project for our industry and one that has gained good momentum since going live."

Ashton West, chief executive at the Motor Insurers' Bureau, added "Eldon joins a growing number of insurers using MyLicence as part of the application process for their customers buying insurance. This means that through the provision of quality data at the point of quote, sale and claim, these insurers are benefiting from more accurate pricing, are providing a better customer experience and combating insurance fraud."

Alzheimer's Society Cupcake Day - an update!

We're really pleased to announce that our Alzheimer's Society Cupcake Day has raised over £170 for the charity today.  Congratulations to our receptionist Marta who won this cake by having the closest guess at the number of sprinkles on the sheet.

Alzheimer's Society Cupcake Day

RDT’s staff love cake. They really, really love cake, to the point where sometimes cake just turns up randomly in the kitchen even when it isn’t anyone’s birthday. So we’re all very happy that today is Alzheimer’s Society’s Cupcake Day, so we can eat cake and give to charity at the same time! 

Our very own star baker, Jennie Myatt, took the day off work yesterday to create a huge selection of treats for us to enjoy. Our other prolific home baker, Elmaret Peters, also found time to knock up a batch of her famous Guinness cupcakes. 

The Alzheimer’s Society is particularly close to Jennie’s heart, as her grandmother, and consequently her whole family, was affected by dementia.  We will post later to let you know how much RDT has raised for this brilliant charity. 

June 2016 Employee Spotlight

Welcome back to our Employee Spotlight posts! Our blog is currently under refurbishment (exciting), but we wanted to start off this month with a new employee for you to read about!

Nick Bennion - Test Engineer, QA

After graduating from university, I spent brief spells as a radio DJ, textile dyeing assistant, music seller, and ferret handler. However, with a degree in music, and having spent years training as a classical cellist, the move into the insurance industry seemed a natural progression.

In 2001, I joined Provident Insurance (latterly Covéa Insurance), working as a senior claims negotiator. This provided exposure to most aspects of claims, including litigation, credit hire and fraud, in addition to the general claims handling. Then in 2007 I moved into the Electronic Trading department to head up a team focused on product implementation and maintenance, testing monthly pricing and underwriting changes in addition to EDI, documentation and project work. This involved travelling around the country, visiting large software houses and brokers, liaising with customers, and testing both the external systems and their internal system - RDT's Landscape solution.

I joined RDT in 2013, working in the Halifax office. I am responsible for the testing and quality assurance of everything that comes out of our scrum team, and have involvement throughout. During the two and a half years that I have been with RDT, the role and processes have constantly evolved, the most major change being around test automation. Working alongside the guys from nFocus, our team was heavily involved in the replacement of RDT's existing automation tool with the Odin Axe automated testing framework. This will greatly enhance our ability to test and deploy changes.

The work has been incredibly diverse, using innovative and cutting edge technologies. We have been involved in the delivery of new websites, financial processes and reports, and the integration of a new document production system, with changes to the underlying architecture. We also delivered the joint MIB and DVLA initiative, MyLicence, allowing access to accurate driving history data. This is now live with a number of existing clients.

I have always been fascinated with trying to break things, largely intentionally but occasionally by accident, and this is evident when I'm testing. I like the combination of a logical and methodical approach with a more creative side when creating test scenarios. The embedded agile process at RDT encourages self-organisation, ownership and collaboration within the scrum teams, and provides great freedom and real empowerment. Working in a satellite office does bring its own unique set of challenges, but I am lucky to be surrounded by special people.

I am passionate about my role and developing my skills, and this passion is evident throughout the company. RDT provides the opportunity to develop and experience new technologies, all in a fun, friendly and stimulating environment.

Stay tuned for our next Employee Spotlight!

PS. We are at TINtech on Tuesday! Who else is going to be there?

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Upcoming events

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TINdata and TINtech...

As you know, the staff at RDT aim to keep up with all the issues faced by the insurance industry today.

We will be attending two events in the coming months where we will listen to industry experts discuss all the latest hot topics.



- On 17th May we will be at TINdata
- On 14th June we will be at TINtech

Visit The Insurance Network website to find out more information.

If any of you are attending these events, please do visit our stand and say hello. It would be great to see you.

Contact us to find out more about our range of products.

All About Agile

April 14th, 2016

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Story Preparation...

Here at RDT we use scrum as our project management framework. Our teams work in two-week sprint cycles in which they have a number of key meetings. Let’s take a closer look at some of these key meetings.



We create “user stories” to represent our clients’ needs. This helps us focus on the target users and what they’ll need, and the value that will be achieved by delivering the particular tranche of work we’re about to start on. Product owners are the link between our development team and our clients, and they work with the clients to find out what they need, either on a one-to-one basis or through workshops, depending on the scale of what’s needed.

During the “story preparation” meeting the product owner takes what they’ve learned from the client to the team for discussion and analysis. The team will ask a number of questions to help understand how they are going to solve the user story. The ideal outcome of this meeting is that the team gets a clear picture of the client’s needs – referred to as “a well understood requirement”, that they will already have some design ideas for that can be taken to the sprint planning meeting. However if the requirement is not well understood we may have to go back to our client for further discussions.

The teams need a regular flow of work and so the process of story preparation is continual. Once we have agreed user stories, these form part of a prioritised product backlog.

Contact us to find out more about our range of products.

Strategic Claims Conference 2016

Feb 24th, 2016

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Don’t let tomorrow’s problems catch up with you...

At RDT we aim to keep abreast of all the issues the insurance industry faces today. We do this by keeping up with what’s in the press, talking to industry experts and attending conferences. That’s why a group of us will be at the Strategic Claims conference in London on March 3. Going to events like this helps us understand the issues that you, our clients, face. It means that we can better assist you by developing software that is tailored to suit your needs, and resolve the issues that you have faced in the past.

If any of you are attending this event please come to see us at our stand there, it would be great to see you.

www.the-insurance-network.co.uk/event/strategic-claims-conference-2016



Contact us to find out more about our range of products.

RDT Company Video

Feb 18th, 2016

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Check out our new company video...

...to find out a bit more about RDT, our fantastic people, and what makes them tick.


Contact us to find out more about our range of products.

Understanding Agile - Story Points

Jan 15th, 2016

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Teams use story points to forecast when work will be ready. Let’s take a closer look at what they are...

Story points are the way our teams forecast the time it takes to complete work. It is a measure of relativity rather than a direct correlation to a number of man days, but it does consider the effort involved in the work. We use a variation of the Fibonacci sequence (1,2,3,5,8,13,20,40,100) to give us a numbering system.



We then work out roughly how many story points a team can complete within a set time, and we call this the velocity. Using the velocity and the number of story points in a project, we can forecast a date that the work will be completed on. The product owner then tracks this on a burn down chart.

Velocity is variable depending on holidays, sick leave and the number of members in a team, but we have a good sample of data to be able to model patterns. Story points can be confusing as many people try to convert them to a number of days, but that’s not their purpose.

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