20+
Million Customer Accounts
40%
Improvement in Delivery Time
100%
On-Time Compliance Deadlines
Client Background
A leading regional financial services institution with more than twenty million customer accounts was modernizing its digital channels and core banking systems. As a regulated enterprise that served customers across consumer banking, wealth management, and credit operations, the institution wanted a more reliable way to deliver digital enhancements while also meeting rising expectations from regulators and auditors.
Executives had invested in SAFe and several transformation efforts over the years, but they wanted guidance from a partner with a long record of success helping complex organizations achieve predictable outcomes. They chose ICON Agility Services because of its reputation as a trusted advisor within the financial services community and its history of success across some of the most regulated industries in the world.
The Problem
The institution confronted a familiar yet high stakes challenge. Regulatory updates related to KYC, AML, and consumer privacy continued to accumulate, and each delay increased operational risk. Digital banking teams were under pressure to deliver new customer experiences, yet they struggled to coordinate with risk, compliance, and back office groups.
Portfolio reporting was fragmented, often contradictory, and lacked the confidence needed for executive and board level conversations. Technical teams operated with different engineering standards, which led to delays in integration and uncertainty in production readiness. Work moved slowly because no single team had complete visibility into how regulatory tasks connected to digital customer journeys.
Leaders wanted a solution that respected the strict demands of financial regulations while enabling greater speed and clarity. They needed guidance from experts who understood both the complexity of regulated environments and the proven behaviors that drive consistent transformation results.
The Stakes: Fragmented reporting and disjointed teams were risking delays in critical KYC and AML regulatory updates.
The ICON Agility Approach
AI-Native Diagnostic
Using real data to identify flow breakdowns (Fact-based).
Value Stream Restructuring
Aligning compliance, risk, and digital teams around shared outcomes.
Engineering Excellence
Embedding coaches to improve automated testing and integration.
Transparency Tools
Implementing Broadcom Rally & Clarity for real-time strategic visibility.
ICON's Recommended Solution
ICON Agility Services began with an AI-Native Value Stream Diagnostic tailored specifically for regulated financial operations. This diagnostic provided objective evidence about where flow was breaking down. By showing leaders real data from their own environment, ICON established trust and reinforced that the change would be rooted in measurable facts rather than theory or opinion.
Once the organization saw the evidence, ICON helped restructure value streams around true customer and regulatory outcomes. Work related to compliance, risk remediation, and digital experiences was reorganized so that responsibility and ownership were clear. This realignment reinforced the principle of consistency, because teams could now make decisions based on a shared understanding of value.
Engineering excellence coaches were embedded with teams to improve automated testing for financial grade systems, enhance integration practices between digital and core platforms, and ensure that quality controls aligned with auditor expectations. These improvements not only reduced risk but also created a sense of reciprocity as teams realized that the investment in their capabilities made their work easier, faster, and more secure.
ICON also implemented Broadcom Rally and Clarity to provide transparent, real time views into all strategic work. This visibility strengthened leadership confidence, supported more reliable commitments, and created social proof as other areas of the business began requesting the same improvements for their own teams.
Throughout the engagement, ICON worked directly with senior business line leaders, technology executives, and compliance partners, guiding them through behaviors that sustained long term success. These relationships fostered a sense of liking and mutual trust, which accelerated alignment across the enterprise.
Measurable Outcomes
- Speed:
Delivery time improved by >40%; major compliance deadlines met. - Quality:
Significant decline in defects related to customer data and transactions. - Clarity:
Board-level reporting transformed from fragmented to seamless. - Culture:
Silos broken between Product, Engineering, and Compliance.
Within six months the institution experienced outcomes that reinforced every leadership expectation. Delivery time for regulatory updates improved by more than forty percent, making it possible to meet two major compliance deadlines that had previously been at risk. Defects related to customer data and financial transactions declined significantly as engineering practices became more consistent.
Portfolio reporting, once a source of stress and uncertainty, became a seamless and reliable activity. Leaders could see the exact status of AML enhancements, digital banking features, and risk remediation initiatives in minutes. This clarity strengthened board level discussions, improved relationships with regulators, and aligned executive decisions with measurable outcomes.
Customer facing teams also benefited. Digital banking releases moved with greater predictability, allowing the institution to deliver enhancements at a pace that strengthened customer loyalty.
Most importantly, a cultural shift took place. Product, engineering, compliance, and operations teams began working with shared purpose and a clear understanding of how their contributions improved safety, speed, and customer trust.
Client Testimonial
“ICON Agility helped us create one of the most reliable delivery engines we have ever had. Their experience in financial services, combined with their ability to guide behavior and decision making, made a profound difference. They earned our trust quickly by showing us real evidence, providing clear direction, and working in partnership with our teams. Delivery is faster, risk is lower, and we finally have the visibility and confidence that regulators and customers expect. ICON has been an outstanding partner and we look forward to continuing the journey with them.”