JNA...

Policies Plus

Responsive Desktop Web Application

South Eastern US title insurance company, Policies Plus, envisioned a secured web application customized to the unique needs of their growing business. We were able to give them an authenticated responsive desktop web application that streamlined many of their in-house processes. We increased employee efficiency and boosted company performance and profit.

My Role: 
  • Create GUI
  • Utilize server-side and client-side languages
  • Coordinate and manage development team
  • Communicate with client
Date: 
MAR 2019 – JUN 2019
Project Goals: 
  • Automate policy generation
  • Combine data from various users to create DOCX and PDF policy files
  • Work within a strict budget
  • Relatively simple to use
  • Must be secure
discovery

Let’s talk insurance policy generation…oh wait, never mind

Did you know the first rule of insurance policy generation is that we can never talk about it? In all seriousness, this client necessitated a highly secured site and required the signing of an NDA before allowing me to hear the specifics. For this portfolio, I’ve been granted permission to describe the project in general terms.

My client provides insurance documents

Through a lengthy process that involves multiple parties, data is collected from dozens of sources and compiled to create a variety of policy documents.

I'm hired to streamline their process by…

  • speeding up general turn-around times by increasing efficiency
  • reducing the steps needed to generate a policy
  • providing customized tools to perform
    • requesting
    • editing
    • generating
    • sending

I wonder…

  • How does it start?
  • Who is involved?
  • What tools do they need?
notes turn into plans

I ask a lot of questions and take a ton of notes

I'm given the information needed to generate a complete policy. The comprehensive list included well over one hundred items.

I learned they wanted the capability to generate dozens of policy types, each with a unique combination of fields and rules. Undoubtedly, development would be complicated and time-consuming.

I reformat my notes

I prefer to handwrite face-to-face meeting notes, using abbreviations, summaries, and sketches as I scribe. Post-meeting, I reflect and consolidate items, working to turn my hastily written notes into a solid development plan that I can share with my client.

define

Lists and flow maps lead to reduced data redundancy

I listed the data entries needed and noted from whom or where to collect them. I designed a list of pages and fields in a hierarchy, visually illustrating item interdependence.

Next, I created flow maps for each section. I laid out the positioning of individual tools and determined the best way to divide sections. This process illustrated what tools users would and would not need to complete each step on the screen. This information proved invaluable, as there was an overwhelming number of variables.

Later, I refined user data collection by incorporating reusable entities. Because many policy documents required the same type of data, streamlining this process alleviated countless redundancies.

development

Development team receives individual assignments

I outlined each task, noting the estimated completion time and detailed instructions. I considered each developer’s strengths and current project calendar before assigning specific tasks. Once developers had their plans, I moved my focus to front-end work and maintained availability to answer project questions. I regularly checked in with developers, providing feedback and tracking collective task completion.

evaluate

High functionality without a high price tag

Although the application may not be seen as innovative from an aesthetic perspective, there is no denying its innovativeness regarding function. The web application fulfilled the following client wishes:

  • We used intuitive design to navigate users toward successful policy completion.
  • We reduced invalid policy numbers by building a system that notifies users of invalid or incorrectly entered fields in real time.
  • We amplified user efficiency by automating policy generation.

The application, accessible 24/7, has skyrocketed company performance and profit. Our client is thrilled and has subsequently added additional functionality to further decrease policy generation times.