Engagements · 2014–2025

Six engagements. One pattern.

Six engagements, three industries: ownership drives results. Each one told as background, process and result.

A product area for the core systems

Client: If Skadeforsikring
Role: Tribe lead
Year: 2024–2025

3 → 12

releases per year

6 mnd

to an established product area

120 / 13

people / teams

Background

Since 2020 If had used a product-oriented model for development across the Nordics. It became critical to organise the core systems — a key dependency for most new development — the same way: 120 people in Norway and Finland, six mainframe-based core systems and around 140 supporting systems. Many colleagues had 30 to 40 years in the organisation, and some systems dated back to the 1960s.

Process

Phase one was change management: anchoring with IT leadership for the domain, then in the line on both the IT and business side, with one consistent message about why. Then a pragmatic approach to frameworks, shared terminology with other product areas, and a step-by-step internal journey. The product area was established after six months with 13 teams, leadership roles in place and training completed for product owners, scrum masters and line managers.

Result

In the top third on most metrics after four months — higher than every comparable product area at the same point. All scores have risen since.

Core Solutions: a Nordic line organisation

Client: If Skadeforsikring
Role: Head of department, 45 employees
Year: 2021–2026

0 → 86

eNPS, April 2020 to April 2023

> 50 %

fewer unwanted incidents

countries — salaries calibrated in all

Background

Four country-based teams responsible for core systems were merged into one Nordic unit. The mission was to professionalise operations and lift satisfaction in an organisation that felt critical to both operations and new development, without being recognised for it.

Process

Recruited two managers, set a new name and mission with the leadership group, and established regular reporting on system operations to the rest of the organisation to change the story of “lots of errors”. Strengthened recruitment, calibrated salaries in four countries, secured cover where single-person dependency was greatest, and set up professional gatherings across the countries.

Result

In 2023 Core Solutions formally took ownership of the local core systems and key development streams such as a new pricing engine and real-time data. Unwanted incidents more than halved, with a matching drop in lost user hours.

If’s first external API: quoting and selling car insurance

Client: If Skadeforsikring
Role: Project manager
Year: 2019

Background

If was in the early stages of professionalising its API work: a developer portal, a process for new APIs and a joint organisation around it.

Process

Led the development of a new API for quoting and selling car insurance to external partners. Much of the work was establishing data structures through workshops with business and technology across several teams, and quality-assuring every data element so the structures could be reused across countries. Coordinated API architects, developers and a steering group of sales managers from the partner channels, and took the solution through If’s approval process for new software.

Result

The first API If launched to external consumers, and since then the model for similar APIs in If’s other countries. Adopted early internally, by finance partners and by partners such as finn.no.

Partner portal and support for car dealers

Client: If Mobility
Role: Line manager
Year: 2017–2019

750 → 35

orders in backlog

17 s

phone response time

~60

eNPS, with a smaller team

Background

Manager of the partner portal for car dealers, and from autumn 2018 also of dealer support with around 13 people.

Process

Won approval to grow the portal team from one developer and a part-time tester to three developers, a dedicated product owner and an attached designer. Strengthened automated processing and brought the order backlog down from around 750 to a steady 30–40. In support: ownership to the people who were the process experts, who drove improvements themselves and coached each other. Anchored the digital team with Mobility leadership as an independent value-creating team, not sales support.

Result

Recognised by partners and end users as the market-leading end-to-end solution; dealers at times preferred If’s solution when the customer’s own insurer caused trouble. The portal later became the template for If’s Nordic dealer portal.

Integrating Netaxept and DIBS

Client: Nets
Role: Product owner and subject-matter expert
Year: 2015

Background

Nets bought its competitor DIBS in autumn 2014 with a view to integrating it with its own online payment solution, Netaxept. That triggered a long piece of work planning one shared future solution.

Process

Made Netaxept’s technical advantages clear to project members from DIBS and to Nets’ senior management. Kept the focus on using each solution’s distinct strength: the technical platform in Netaxept, the market position in DIBS. Took an active part in the architecture discussions and carried them forward at the right level in business forums.

Result

From a working hypothesis of moving Netaxept customers to DIBS, via a hybrid, to one shared product on the Netaxept platform. DIBS as a standalone solution was retired in 2019.

The launch of Vipps

Client: Nets, med DNB
Role: Subject-matter expert, Netaxept
Year: 2014

10×

transaction volume Netaxept, 2012–2017

1 uke

ahead of Vipps’ own launch

Background

DNB was about to launch what is today Vipps. Netaxept solved the problem of charging users who did not bank with DNB.

Process

Point of contact for everything non-commercial in the integration project, coordinating with DNB’s programme management, architects and developers. Guided the payment flow where Netaxept already delivered, and coordinated custom adaptations with internal IT teams so they were generic enough to reuse. Heavily involved as subject-matter expert in Vipps’ own API work, together with their technical architect.

Result

Nets provided the payment solution when Vipps launched on 1 June 2014. Netaxept had the integration correctly in place a week before Vipps itself launched the API.

Do you have a core system that’s holding you back, or a product area to build?

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jorgen@emerslund.no · +47 98 49 18 44