Underwriting Platform Modernization for a Large European Insurance Brokerage Company

About Our Client

The Client is a long-standing Western European insurance brokerage company that provides a wide range of tailored insurance services to both individual and business customers. With decades of experience in the industry, the company has built a nationwide reputation for reliability and customer focus.

Low-Performing Underwriting Platform Was Holding Back Business

The Сlient was facing persistent issues with its proprietary underwriting platform: slow loading times, instability, and unreliable reports caused repeated workflow disruptions. Underneath these symptoms lay deeper systemic causes: the platform had been developed without a cohesive architecture, accumulated years of legacy code and technical debt, and ran on outdated platform components that introduced performance bottlenecks and security gaps. Several IT vendors sourced by the Client had attempted to address the issues but failed to establish effective communication or deliver timely fixes. After these setbacks, the company turned to ScienceSoft, seeking a partner proficient in the specifics of insurance software who would stabilize its performance and provide dependable long-term support.

From Audit to Action in Record Time

Within just five days, ScienceSoft reviewed the Client’s platform's code and infrastructure, spoke with stakeholders to pinpoint pressing problems, and provided advice on targeted improvements. Even without technical documentation for the software, ScienceSoft’s team was able to quickly assess the system’s critical functionality and challenges. The team’s speed, clarity, and business focus won over the Client, and the company contracted ScienceSoft for continuous maintenance and support of its underwriting platform.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting of the Underwriting Platform

ScienceSoft assembled a dedicated team of back-end engineers, a database engineer, a DevOps specialist, a business analyst, and a project manager to address the Client’s needs.

Application reengineering and documentation

When taking over the platform, ScienceSoft faced significant obstacles, including missing documentation and the lack of knowledge transfer from the previous IT vendor. To effectively maintain and modernize the platform in the long term, the team applied the following strategic approach:

• Reverse engineering of software requirements. Developers performed an exhaustive analysis of the existing codebase to decipher the underwriting platform's structure, logic, and functionality.
• Close collaboration with the Client’s stakeholders. The business analyst held a series of detailed meetings with the Client’s insurance professionals, who shared practical insights into the platform's use and requirements. This helped to bridge the knowledge gap and provided valuable business context for ScienceSoft’s technical team.
• Creation of comprehensive documentation. ScienceSoft documented all findings and insights, creating a detailed repository that became a critical knowledge source for ongoing maintenance and future development of the underwriting platform.

Ongoing maintenance of the underwriting platform

ScienceSoft’s maintenance efforts focused on:

• User-driven fixes and adjustments. The team resolved user-reported issues, such as errors in calculations, report inconsistencies, and errors in recording financial transactions. Daily morning calls with business representatives ensured priorities were aligned, and during the day users could report urgent issues via email for immediate attention.
• Proactive monitoring of the underwriting platform. ScienceSoft’s team continuously monitored server performance, database health, and platform responsiveness and resolved potential issues in the underwriting platform’s operations before they could reach users.

Underwriting Platform Evolution

ScienceSoft also added new functionality to the underwriting platform. Through regular meetings with the Client’s stakeholders, ScienceSoft identified and prioritized their requirements. For example, ScienceSoft refined how optional insurance features are handled, added new insurance calculations, streamlined reporting, and strengthened end-to-end financial transaction tracking,

Incremental System Revamp

ScienceSoft identified performance bottlenecks and operational risks and adopted an incremental improvement approach to deliver tangible results within business constraints:

• Code refactoring: Inefficient coding practices were addressed, and system architecture was gradually improved to enhance performance and security.
• Insurance product form optimization: Complex data-entry forms were restructured for faster loading, more reliable updates, and stronger security.

Structured Communication to Maintain Transparency Without Overreporting

Throughout the maintenance and evolution of the underwriting platform, ScienceSoft placed a strong emphasis on clear, structured, and concise communication with the Client.

From the outset, the teams established daily meetings to discuss ongoing tasks, address any emerging issues, and review new feature requests. These meetings served as a platform for collaborative decision-making and ensured that the Client's feedback was promptly incorporated into the maintenance and development activities.

The Client’s team also got full access to a dedicated project hub on Jira, allowing them to monitor project progress in real time, review task statuses, and offer direct input on developments. ScienceSoft maintained detailed and up-to-date Jira records to ensure that every change, update, and enhancement was fully documented and visible. Where it added real value, the team also prepared concise How-to guides to help the Client navigate new features and workflows with confidence.

Additionally, ScienceSoft delivered periodic progress reports that summarized key milestones, upcoming tasks, and any potential risks or delays. These reports were crafted by ScienceSoft’s project manager to be concise yet comprehensive, giving the Client a clear overview of the project's status without overwhelming them with unnecessary details.

Combined, these efforts ensured that all project stakeholders stayed aligned and informed at any point in time.

Underwriting Platform Upgrades Bring Higher Workflow Efficiency, Business Agility, and Peace of Mind for Insurance Broker

Over the course of two years of collaboration with ScienceSoft, the large European insurance broker saw software and IT infrastructure upgrades that made its underwriting platform more reliable, efficient, and user-friendly.

Underwriters now work more productively, no longer held back by errors and unstable performance of their software, and all employees benefit from faster enterprise workflows, timely issue resolution, and clear updates from the IT team.

Targeted improvements to the platform’s architecture and code quality have increased flexibility and simplified maintenance. Regular progress updates and transparent communication, consistently driven by ScienceSoft’s project manager, brought the Client greater operational certainty, smoother day-to-day processes, and lasting peace of mind.

Methodologies

Q&A sessions, business requirements analysis, document analysis, system analysis.

Technologies and Tools

PHP, WordPress, MySQL, Jira, Confluence.