#techcombank

I need to precise that the adoption of Agile frameworks (during execution) has been officially embedded as a part of the Project life cycle of the bank since early 2021 already, under the initiative of our previous Head of Transformation Timothy Kyle; which was a significant step! It has drastically evolved since then.

Today, the result is a solid way of working based on Scrum framework, using at scale components (Chapters, Scrum of Scrums, Joint events, Community of Practices…) which helps to drive the delivery and reach the expected business outcomes. The journey wasn’t easy at all to be honest, however it is now being recognized and endorsed by each foundational part of the bank as an absolutely enabler when it comes to implementation. Also meaning we have yet tackled Agile for discovery phase of a new business case, this should probably be the next big thing to tackle…

As a part of the Strategy & Transformation division, the dedicated Agile workforce have collaborated closely with Retail Detail Bank (+Digital Office & Marketing initiative), DNA (Data), IT (including Cloud Migration initiative), Business Banking... Each of them have embraced the Agile way of working, under Project Management Office and Agile Center of Excellence strong guidance. Since early 2022 our agile playbook is mandatory framework measured by clear KPI when it comes to delivering a large initiative (successfully!!). Here are the major topics it is dealing with:

Agile Mindset

Agile Manifesto

Techcombank core value & Agile

People & Structure

Roadmap & Releases

Scrum & Kanban Framework

Backlog Structure & Workflow

Toolings & Practices

Performance measurement

By the end of 2023, a Kanban based version has also been developed for specific initiatives, equipping Business As Usual teams with proper agile mindset and tools. We already leveraging on this and propagate the usage of it as we have we started the Agile Journey with several business department with no technology component involved: the technology part are just enablers to reach the outcome expected.

Longtime due, but for now we are focusing on building a deeper and more targeted training: a 3 days course, including, 1 full day Agile fundamental, 1 full day of simulation activities for Scrum and / or for Kanban; 1 day of “hands on” sessions with the internal tools and practices - absolutely needed for the current & future scrum masters. The main intent is to equip carefully selected candidates with new skills (which are not in their initial set of skills and experience).

Although it is collective effort, I am in charge of the design of the Scrum simulation, designing the serious games, the scenarios, the way to facilitate and enable the learning. For this exercise I need to collaborate with the pillars of our team :

Jatinder Datt (Director, Agile Transformation)

Andre Nguyen (Director, Agile Transformation)

Quang Ba (Agile Coach)

Nguyen Duc Hieu (Agile Coach)

Duong (Agile Academy)

It is obviously supervised by the head of Agile and I mostly need to absorb my colleagues feedback as much as I need to get their help: they will be running the 3 days sessions by their own, hence we definitely need to engineer this together!! A beautiful example of teamwork for a common objective! Can't wait to run it!

Note that this 3 days course is not an isolated training to equip seasonal scrum masters: these 3 days are just 1 component of the upskills program for existing teams member willing and qualified to become future scrum master, but let’s talk about this in another article!

This regional collaboration created another type of synergy between all offices, all relaying on the regional Hong Kong hub.

At Techcombank, the external forces are being consulted. Although the transformation roles are meant to be a perturbating roles (in a positive or negative way, depending in which part of the transformation you stand…), the agile coaches are a part of the Transformations Office which mainly focus on DELIVERING new capabilities to the bank more than transforming – to be honest! Basically understand agilist folks as soft force pushing for efficiencies and structured work... The Agile mindset is indeed a part of the mission, but yet an official mandate of the bank.

Why not official? All strategic initiatives - understand new pillar of bank  -  MUST apply Agile way of working, which mainly means applying Scrum or scrum at scale, but not a single KPI to leverage on in order to ensure it’s proper application…

For now, our Agile operating Model rely on an outdated McKinsey playbook which is only adapted for a team developing a lending product: most of the guidance is not an applicable or not even a replicable model for any type of initiative…

The good thing is the team is aware, the team is deeply aware of the gap and the need of synchronization, the need of creating common standards, common way delivering new capability to the bank and the customers of the bank, leveraging on the agile methodologies for it’s well known competitive advantages…

Let's continue the intensive transformation work and deliver new capabilities to our customers!

We also demonstrated a live demo on how our teams are conducting daily scrums between distributed teams from Ha Noi's headquarters and TCB's Saigon IT hub.  This Agile approach at scale empowers Techcombank to navigate the complexities of cloud migration efficiently and effectively, positioning them for continued success in the Vietnamese market.

Actually the partnership between TCB leveraging on AWS's capability has already yielded significant results:

Reduced Operational Costs: Techcombank has optimized its cloud usage, leading to a 20% reduction in Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) spend.

Faster Provisioning: Time to provision new environments has dropped from over a month to just five days.

Improved Collaboration: A shared cloud environment has fostered better communication and collaboration across Techcombank's teams.

As we speak the partnership between TCB & AWS remains ongoing, with both parties committed to continued collaboration and innovation.

For more information you can read AWS case study:  https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/techcombank-case-study/

Few words about Techcombank:  A Strong Contender in Vietnam's Banking Landscape.

Techcombank, Vietnam's leading private commercial bank, stands tall with a robust market position. Here's a quick snapshot:

Market Share: Holds the #2 position in terms of total assets and market capitalization in Vietnam's banking industry.

Financial Performance: Demonstrates consistent growth, boasting a net profit of over VND 12 trillion (USD 520 million) in 2023.

Digital Innovation: Recognized for its digital prowess, consistently ranking among the top digital banks in Vietnam.

Expansion Strategy: Actively expanding its branch network and digital footprint across the country.

Few words about UBS: UBS Bank's Asian Footprint - A Powerhouse in the Region.

UBS, a globally renowned Swiss bank, holds a significant presence in Asia:

Global Assets: Over USD 3.7 trillion as of Q3 2023.

Asian Presence: Over USD 368 billion invested in Asia Pacific, with strong regional leadership.

Strong Network: Operates branches and offices in key Asian markets like Singapore, China, Japan, and India.

Regional Hub: Established its regional headquarters in Hong Kong, serving clients across Asia Pacific.

Investment Focus: Actively invests in technology, healthcare, and consumer sectors across the region.

Commitment to Innovation: Supports startups and fosters collaboration within the Asian technology ecosystem.