CASE STUDY

Introduction:

Between 2018 and 2020, several leading UK banks embarked on an innovative initiative to incorporate AI-driven insights into their high-value credit decision-making processes. Their goal was to develop RepMet—a bespoke sentiment analysis tool designed to evaluate the reputational standing of corporate executives and board members through comprehensive online data analysis. By consolidating news articles and performing sentiment analysis, RepMet provided banks with reputation scores to help guide high-stakes credit approval decisions.

We Do IT Agile (formerly known as Proweso) was engaged to bring agility and Lean principles to RepMet’s development, streamlining delivery, aligning dispersed teams, and overcoming technical and organisational hurdles, including a major shift from monolithic to microservices-based architecture.

Objectives:

The primary objectives for the RepMet project included:

• Creating RepMet as a standalone product: Enable RepMet’s transition to a microservices architecture, supporting independent scaling and modular flexibility within Equifax’s legacy systems.
• Fostering cross-functional collaboration: Improve communication and alignment among five teams distributed across three locations (Leeds, Gandhinagar, and Mumbai), minimising silos and enhancing workflow.

Ensuring continuous delivery and uninterrupted operations: Maintain smooth business-as-usual functions during critical upgrades, such as the Java update and AWS migration, with a focus on resilience and reliability.

Solution: agile framework and Lean optimisation:

Establishing a tailored Scrum framework for distributed teams
Our team introduced a Scrum framework tailored to RepMet’s needs, enabling iterative, incremental delivery that accelerated value creation while managing dependencies effectively. Teams synchronised through two-week sprint cycles, holding key Scrum events like sprint planning, daily scrum, and retrospectives across all locations to promote alignment and accountability.

Building a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline
Maintaining uninterrupted operations was critical for RepMet, particularly during complex upgrades such as the Java update and AWS migration. We implemented a robust CI/CD pipeline with automated testing, which allowed teams to test, integrate, and deploy updates without disrupting live services. This setup safeguarded ongoing operations, supported a smooth migration, and promoted continuous improvement.

Lean coaching to enhance operational efficiency
To improve workflows and minimise waste, our agile coaches embedded Lean practices across teams. Through value stream mapping and Kanban-based task management, the teams could pinpoint and remove bottlenecks, achieving faster, more predictable deliveries. Regular retrospectives fostered continuous improvement, creating a culture of efficiency and adaptation.

Transitioning to microservices architecture
The shift to a microservices architecture enabled RepMet to scale its components independently, supporting agile goals of modularity and flexibility. Technical architects worked closely with development teams to execute this transition incrementally, reducing technical debt and enhancing system resilience over time.

Results and impact:

1. Accelerated sprint cycles for faster value delivery

• Impact: By shifting to two-week sprints, RepMet teams delivered iterative improvements and gathered feedback sooner, accelerating time-to-value and enabling banks to access RepMet’s insights faster.

2. Zero downtime during critical upgrades

• Impact: The CI/CD pipeline and automated testing enabled Java upgrades and the AWS migration to occur seamlessly, with no disruptions to critical business operations.

3. 30% reduction in feature release cycle times

• Impact: Lean practices, including Kanban task management and value stream mapping, reduced cycle times by 30%, allowing teams to respond rapidly to evolving requirements and keep RepMet’s features high-quality and relevant.

4. Improved cross-functional collaboration

• Impact: Consistent alignment across teams in Leeds, Gandhinagar, and Mumbai reduced project delays by 25%, fostering a cohesive, collaborative environment that supported timely feature delivery.

5. Broader agile adoption within Equifax

• Impact: The success of RepMet inspired Equifax to adopt agile practices across other projects, cultivating a culture of adaptability and continuous improvement organisation-wide.

Conclusion:

The RepMet project illustrates the transformative impact of agile and Lean principles in complex, multi-team environments. We Do IT Agile enabled Equifax to establish a structured Scrum framework, CI/CD pipelines, and Lean practices, achieving faster delivery cycles, uninterrupted operations, and creating a scalable microservices architecture. This agile transformation laid a strong foundation for Equifax’s future innovations, equipping them to deliver high-quality, AI-driven insights that support banks in making informed credit decisions.