Falk Kohlmann

Aligning Service Maps - A Methodological Approach from the Financial Industry

Service-orientation is commonly recognized as an important enabler for improved efficiency and flexibility of transformation processes in business. The ability to flexibly bundle heterogeneous services in a homogeneous cross-organizational business process is a key requirement. Shared service models may be one approach to overcome the restrictions of existing approaches which are either business process centric or application centric. Nevertheless applying different design approaches increases the risk of the emergence of service-oriented-architectures (SOA) implying heterogeneous service maps. Especially the design of service maps on different layers leads to significant integration efforts in practice. This paper presents an approach how service maps that differ in scope, granularity and design may be integrated. A case of a Swiss bank has been chosen to demonstrate the applicability of the suggested model.

Redesigning business networks: reference process, network and service map

Driven by factors like globalization, increased competition, and declining customer loyalty, the financial industry is facing a structural transformation. Operating in a changing market, the (re)design of business models and thus also the business network is a mayor challenge for financial institutions. One way of succeeding in this endeavor is to focus on core competencies. Banks therefore adjust their business models in order to reduce their degree of vertical integration by outsourcing complementary activities. This business redesign requires an integrated approach to align the future business model with the involved processes and information systems while also taking the surrounding conditions of the company and its market into account. Present approaches show a restricted usability as they focus either on strategic aspects or process-efficiency only. Moreover, these procedures often lack methodological support so that they are rarely applicable in practice. This paper introduces an integrated approach of business network redesign for the financial industry that covers the layers strategy, process and systems. The methodology considers the necessity for a common understanding of the underlying processes when reshaping the business model / network. Since research is still in progress, this paper concentrates on the basic instruments which are used to describe a distinct business environment: a reference network and a reference service map both derived from a reference process. As the research focuses on the financial services sector, the paper exemplifies these reference models for the investment process from a banks point of view. Finally, the instruments are applied to a case study to verify their content and examine their applicability.

Vernetzung durch Serviceorientierung

Losungen von Standardsoftwareanbietern setzen sich zunehmend auch im Bankenumfeld durch und losen proprietare Eigenentwicklungen ab. Beispiele hierfur sind die Kernbankenplattformen Avaloq, Finnova und IBIS in der Schweiz oder Kordoba und SAP in Deutschland. Dennoch sind die IT-Landschaften der Banken keinesfalls homogen, vielmehr kommen neben den Kernbankenlosungen spezialisierte Anwendungen zum Einsatz, etwa zum Electronic Banking, dem Portfoliomanagement, der Finanzplanung oder der Datenanalyse. Die zwischen den Systemen entstehenden Abhangigkeiten verursachen Wartungs- und Pflegeaufwand bei den Schnittstellen, der letztlich den fur die Transformation zur Verfugung stehenden Anteil am gesamten IT-Budget eines Unternehmens verringert. Die in Kapitel 1.1.2 skizzierten Rahmenbedingungen von Banken bezuglich Markt, Regulatorien, Kundenstruktur, Produktkomplexitat, Technologie sowie Kosten-/Ertragsdruck erfordern auf oberster Ebene neben der Transformation auch eine Flexibilitat der IT-Architektur. Informationstechnologische Strukturen und Ablaufe sollen die strategische Entwicklung einer Bank moglichst mit innovativen Kanalen, Produkten und Prozessen unterstutzen und die Handlungsalternativen nicht einschranken [Kagermann/Osterle 2006, 211f].

DZ Bank als Integrator im Netzwerk

Die DZ Bank mit Hauptsitz Frankfurt am Main wurde 1883 als Landwirtschaftliche Genossenschaftsbank der hessischen Darlehnskassenvereine gegrundet. Aus zahlreichen Fusionen und Ubernahmen ist die viertgrosste deutsche Bank, die heutige DZ Bank AG, entstanden. Innerhalb des deutschen genossenschaftlichen Bankensektors, auch Finanzverbund genannt, fungiert die DZ Bank AG (s. Bild 11-1) als eines von zwei Zentralinstituten fur mehr als 1.000 Genossenschaftsbanken mit mehr als 12.000 Bankstellen und als Geschaftsbank mit zunehmend internationaler, insbesondere europaischer Ausrichtung. Weiterhin koordiniert die DZ Bank als Holding alle Aktivitaten der sogenannten DZ Bank Gruppe, zu welcher neben der DZ Bank AG selbst zum Beispiel auch die Bausparkasse Schwabisch Hall, die R+V Versicherung und die Union Investment gehoren.

Instruments for an Integrated Business Network Redesign in the Financial Industry

Driven by factors like globalization, increased competition and declining customer loyalty the financial industry is facing a structural transformation. To focus on core competencies banks adjust their business models and reduce their degree of vertical integration by sourcing complementary activities. Operating in a changing market with regards to sourcing strategies, the (re)design of business model and thus also the business network is a main challenge for the financial institutions. This research paper introduces an integrated approach of business network redesign (BNR) for the financial industry that not only covers all three layers of business engineering – business model, process model and information systems – but also provides extensive methodological support. Present approaches either only partially cover these layers and thus show a restricted usability or lack methodological support so that they are merely applicable in practice. Since the research is still in progress, this paper concentrates on the core instruments used in the process of BNR. Thereby the redesign is discussed for the example of the investment process and thus presents the following fundamentals: a reference network, a reference process and a reference service map for investments.