Short-term work plans: this is how Menora Mivtachim Insurance changed the rules of the game with Agile methodology.
The expression “time is money” takes on a whole new meaning when discussing work plans and the time they typically consume in most organizations. But Menora is not just any organization. In 2023, the company’s Head of Information Systems, Yaki Zino, set a new vision for the department: to adopt a work methodology focused on short-term planning (a quarterly plan). After review and management’s decision, they chose to shorten timelines further and establish a new plan every two months!
This decision is rooted in a prior process undertaken with the department: adopting the Agile methodology, working in sprints, and planning and executing tasks over the short term (instead of the annual approach).
Challenges
In a large financial institution like Menora Insurance, there are several business units, which naturally diversifies goals and objectives, making it challenging to create a new task plan every two months. To manage this process, key strategic focuses were defined, to which the entire department is committed and aligned. The business side consolidates and communicates the business requirements (in line with one or more of these focuses), and the Information Systems department analyzes and refines them, resulting in a focused, short-term work plan.
At the beginning of 2024, the department adopted a completely new perspective on the concept of “work plans”:
- The foundation of the new method: everyone plans for only two months ahead, no more (with all implications this entails).
- Centralized task management: all involved parties consolidate and manage information on tasks in one place (the Jira system), to ensure effective organization and management while also creating broad, holistic transparency.
- Closing gaps and plan approval: to approve the plan, every two months, a day is scehduled where all senior department leaders, including heads of divisions and departments, gather from morning until the afternoon. They resolve all conflicts, address challenges, and review relevant constraints to conclude the day with a finalized, approved plan.
- Communication and reflection: Adopting the new methodology, and especially implementing it successfully in practice, is a gradual process. However, department members, along with business partners, have learned through progress the value of mutual commitment to the process’s success. The business clients have realized that for the Information Systems department to meet tight timelines and deliver high-quality outcomes on time, the business side must provide clear, detailed requirement documents, maintain high availability for clarifications during development, and approve smaller deliverables.
- What happens when changes and adjustments are needed? Changes and adjustments are part of the business reality; flexibility is critical in a competitive market. To address this, a procedure was defined to assess the impact of any change on the overall implementation of the plan. If the change does not hinder the committed work plan, it proceeds. If there’s a risk of impact, management escalation is performed, but there’s always backup. The real value comes from the commitment and dedication of all parties involved in the process.
- Ongoing, close monitoring of the plan’s pace and progress in Jira provides a safety net, aiming to identify real-time risks that could delay the plan.
In conclusion: this change is possible. Nir Yaakov, the expert who led the project at Menora on behalf of Strauss Strategy, stated: “Even traditional organizations that have been accustomed to certain working methods for years can successfully adopt and implement new and different work methodologies, ones that create a significantly higher level of productivity than existing processes. However, it’s crucial to recognize the importance of senior management commitment. Without strong support from management, such a change cannot become a reality on the ground.”
Interested in learning more about adopting Agile processes? Curious to understand how to create short-term work plans?
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