Management of a complex transformation program in the retail banking business of the association of savings banks

The association of savings banks was faced with the task of strategically revamping its entire merchant business. Market and competitive pressures had shown that many institutions were not exploiting their full potential and that the transition from the previous model to a modern brokerage approach was highly complex. Different structures, processes, products, and understandings of roles, as well as the large number of organizational units involved, led to a high level of coordination effort. The challenge was to develop a uniform, scalable process model and align the strategic goals for all parties involved.

The structured management of the overall program created a uniform target vision for the future merchant business in the savings bank association. The sub-projects delivered coordinated analyses, products, guidelines, and process descriptions that enable a consistent approach. Decision-making processes were accelerated, roles and responsibilities were more clearly defined, and cooperation between all participating units was significantly improved. The program laid the foundation for a scalable, market-oriented further development of the merchant business and strengthened the competitiveness of the association.