Document Management System

Document Management System

Collaborative Workplace at Hannover Re

Hannover Re is one of the five largest reinsurance groups in the world. It has introduced an IT strategy where all relevant applications and information for the reinsurance business are made accessible to all users from a single location: the Collaborative Workplace. This strategy is particularly useful to Hannover Re as an international company because corporate-wide collaboration between its global locations and more than 1,500 employees (with a large proportion of information workers) is essential. The aim of the Collaborative Workplace is to give users access to business-relevant documents, applications and data and enable them to process these through a common user interface. Therefore as well improving the quality and availability – wherever possible also to employees on the road – of documents, applications and data at all locations, Hannover Re also ensured that they supported all the operational and control aspects of the

reinsurance business.

CASE STUDY

Sector: Country Technology Financial services Germany SharePoint Portal Server Team Solution Hannover Re & Avanade Collaborative Workplace / Document Management System Timeline 2002 - 2005

Initial situation: document management at Hannover Re

The implementation of the comprehensive Collaborative Workplace strategy covered different areas. In the first phase, attention was focused on document management. This was important because during the negotiation and conclusion of reinsurance

contracts many different documents are generated and exchanged with external business partners on a daily basis. In recent years, the quantity of electronic documents (e.g. email) has continuously increased. To the extent that in some areas up to 80% of written communications are now handled electronically. This means that, besides paper-based files, many electronic documents also exist, for instance, in file and mail systems. This disparity in media has resulted in the creation of many different filing structures and storage locations and has produced vast quantities of documents and attachments in a variety of technical formats. One particular challenge – besides locating and processing documents – is access from other departments and locations. And when other corporate divisions are forced to use hardcopies because of the lack of acceptable alternatives, the risk of working with out-of-date or incomplete files continuously increases.

The solution

Hannover Re’s Collaborative Workplace will enable integrated access to all reinsurance applications, contract-relevant documents and the electronic archive that is vital to the core business of reinsurance. (The “second pillar” being put in place alongside the implementation of the DMS – Document Management System – and archive solution will involve the replacement of reinsurance applications with new solutions and incorporate them into a portal using e-desk. This is happening as part of the implementation of a major business project.)

The e-desk (DMS / archive) is to be introduced in several phases (see the timeline), with the first phase seeing the implementation of document management based on the SharePoint Portal Server (SPS).

DMS timeline for the

Collaborative Workplace

From summer 2002

Requirement analysis

From November 2002

Planning, design, implementation and provision of SPS 2001

(including SAN interfacing)

June 2003 to middle of-2004

SPS 2001 rollout in specialist departments

From January 2004

SPS 2003 evaluation in regard to Hannover Re’s

requirements, planning and design

From June 2004 to

September 2004

Implementation and provision of SPS2003 (maxim: well

planned – half implemented)

Since October 2004

SPS 2003 rollout in departments (“going online”)

Evaluation and pilot operation of the electronic archive

Experience has shown that most Collaborative Workplace projects fail because solutions are not integrated into the staff’s work sequences. This means that the collaboration strategy fails to be embraced by users. This lack of acceptance, additional training costs and productivity losses are often the result when employees are forced to change their entire way of working due to the introduction of a new tool. It is therefore more time-efficient and cost-effective to utilize employees’ familiarity with existing applications and use existing know-how and skills. In this project, special attention was paid to the integration of Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server. This combination permits information to be centrally stored, managed and retrieved from familiar Office processes. The use of open standards allows staff to access content – both central corporate knowledge and knowledge specific to their own team areas – without having to exit their Office applications. This is a huge benefit for users with the further advantage that it doesn’t necessitate any additional training.

The implementation

A joint project team consisting of staff from Hannover Re and consultants from Avanade first of all defined the project approach. They focused their attention on a quick-win scenario that would enable them to achieve the greatest benefits with the least effort.

“Three years ago, we came up with

a brave vision. And its gradual

implementation has been

successful – and still is. Our

approach was and is: think big,

start smart, scale fast!”

Hartmut Fuchs, Division Manager at Hannover Re

The first steps were to

identify the departments best suited for the project define the application scenarios

define a useful taxonomy in a joint pilot project with the specialist departments

determine the anticipated data volume

define a suitable architecture (in the first stage of SPS 2001) determine the requirements for functional enhancements.

Hannover Re deliberately chose not to use a general approach (Collaboration Everywhere) but decided to initially concentrate the project on the most important value-adding processes within “underwriting” (contract initiation, negotiation and conclusion) in its largest field of business (P&C).

Now that these processes have been adapted, the next process in the value-adding chain – contract administration and invoicing – is currently being integrated within a second phase. This process has the aim of enabling staff to view contract files and supplement them with continuously generated new documents.

Having done this, the next step is the implementation of the target architecture in test environments and operations; the development and testing of functional enhancements and the rollout to specialist departments.

Migration to SPS also gave rise to the possibility of further business enhancements that Hannover Re were anxious to expoit:

• A correspondence area was set up on the SPS for each function group, i.e. each team operating in the

reinsurance business. Among other things, this area provides an overview of all contracts being managed by the individual function groups. It is akin to an online filing cabinet for the function group. It maps the directory structure but – in contrast to conventional filing cabinets full of paper files – permits additional sorting, grouping and filtering. Sites may be set up and combined using Windows SharePoint Services where each function group

may be assigned full write access to its own files while other corporate departments are only awarded read-only rights. The File View function presents a structured file and document view with a corresponding sub-section for each contract containing all documents relevant to the contract – in other words the entire file. One other feature will in future accelerate data input: when contract numbers are searched, the input fields in new documents will be automatically filled out.

• All documents are subject to the standard corporate-wide reinsurance taxonomy. The defined classification makes it possible to create a key index for all documents (meta data including contract numbers, contract partners, year of validity and much more). It is the core of the application and was developed jointly by Hannover Re and Avanade

.

An integrated data model which has been structured to suit the most important aspects of reinsurance contracts and which aligns with the core operational applications was employed with this taxonomy. This means that the taxonomy does not stand “beside” the other operational applications but instead is a vital step in making the concept of the “Collaborative Workplace” a reality. Document filing is controlled with the SPS using the meta data. All documents also contain a full-text index, which allows searches both by full-text and meta data as well as combinations of both. The full-text index is particularly helpful in searches for specific key words in large documents – documents that would previously have to have been read. In addition, incorrect filing, which with paper files results in the “loss” of the documents, may consequently be reversed.

The document management system is already fully available to all underwriting departments in Hannover. Integration of the SPS with the archiving system will allow the system to be extended towards contract management and invoicing. Additional parallel activities during the project included:

• Support for MS-Office migration (91 -> XP) – object model change,

• Support for the required migration to Office applications,

• All project management measures, e.g. steering committees, project controlling, reporting and coordination of quality assurance as well as the continuous transfer of

know-how to staff at Hannover Re.

“Within this concept we have been

able to tie opportunities arising

from technological advances and

the ‘collaborative approach’ of

Microsoft’s products with the

company’s most important business

processes. We have been able to

apply them where they deliver the

greatest benefits to the company.

And we have achieved this by

talking and working with Avanade.”

The client benefit

The implementation of document management within the scope of the Collaborative Workplace creates the platform for the

document-bound exchange of information across the reinsurance business and constitutes the foundation for corporate-wide access to contract documents – both in the conclusion of contracts as well as in their processing (eg invoicing or claim settlements). The document management system already in place – for which developments continue – represents a first step away from paper-bound to electronic filing. It will eliminate difficulties caused by use of disparate media and the needs for related unproductive tasks such as printing, faxing, hole-punching, filing, copying etc. Each member of staff will be able to immediately determine the status of active documents in daily use.

The Collaborative Workplace / e-desk has also created the conditions required for the “flexible office” concept. This is a concept where workplaces are not specific to individuals thus allowing people to work from any location because the

routes to “their” filing cabinets have been abolished. This would make the utilization of existing office space considerably more flexible. And the implementation of the electronic archive in the next phase of the project from July 2005 will deliver a double benefit to Hannover Re. Pressures on archives will be relieved without any additional space being required in the building. A pilot

Hartmut Fuchs, Division Manager at Hannover Re

scheme for digitizing hardcopy materials is currently being evaluated where the meta data for each document is being collated by the responsible employees to then be saved with barcodes and consequently allowing the documents to be scanned and retrieved directly.

It is certainly possible that the transition from paper to electronic document management will temporarily create a greater workload due to duplicated processes but the general benefits in regard to processing speed, quality of information and the availability of documents will far outweigh such obstacles. Hannover Re is getting a reliable, appropriate and highly scalable solution – according to plan, within schedule and on budget.

“Within this concept we have been able to tie opportunities arising from technological advances and the ‘collaborative approach’ of Microsoft’s products with the company’s most important business processes. We have been able to apply them where they deliver the greatest benefits to the company. And we have achieved this by talking and working with Avanade. Three years ago, we came up with a brave vision. And its gradual implementation has been successful – and still is. Our approach was and is: think big, start smart, scale fast!” explained Hartmut Fuchs, Division Manager at Hannover Re. And he identifies one important factor in the project’s success: “From the start, the chemistry within our joint project team was great. A reliable partnership based on trust – to our mutual benefit!”

About Avanade

Avanade is a leading system integrator specializing in the conception, development and implementation of Microsoft technologies for large and mid-sized companies. As a joint venture by Accenture and Microsoft, Avanade participates early in the development of new Microsoft products. Avanade uses this specific expertise for the benefit of its customers and includes leading-edge technologies in its long-term strategy. Highly-trained employees experienced in the management of complex projects provide professional and custom solutions within tight time constraints.

Avanade is a global company with more than 3,000 employees in Europe, Asia, the United States and Australia engaged in providing solutions for well-known companies in these regions. The German branch office is located in Kronberg im Taunus.