Strategic Vendor Partnership Framework: Balancing Security, Compliance, and Innovation

Led the modernization of RBC's legacy insurance illustration software serving 2,500 advisors. Developed a strategic framework to evaluate vendor partnerships, balancing security, compliance, and IP protection while delivering a cloud-enabled platform that eliminated offline constraints and brought RBC to competitive parity with modernized competitors.

Client

RBC Insurance

Date completed

December 2024

Role

Product Manager, RBC

RBC Illustrations Online - Modernized Insurance Quoting Interface

The Challenge

RBC's insurance illustration software served 2,500 advisors but had a legacy interface and fully offline architecture. This created competitive disadvantage against modernized competitors like IA and Manulife, while operational constraints prevented advisors from collaborating on complex illustrations, accessing work across devices, or recovering from device failures.

Through advisor interviews and usability testing, I identified critical pain points: inability to collaborate on complex cases, work trapped on individual devices, and perception that the outdated UI signaled less reliable tools compared to competitors. Advisors with remote work needs were particularly constrained by offline-only architecture.

Old insurance quote interface 1 Old insurance quote interface 2

Strategic Decision Framework

I developed a decision framework evaluating three strategic approaches for the Novinsoft collaboration. The analysis examined trade-offs across security risk, compliance requirements, ongoing maintenance, design consistency, future transferability, IP protection, sustainability, implementation speed, and scalability.

Novinsoft RIG Collaboration Options

Evaluation Criteria Option 1: Manual Code Download Option 2: Mirrored Repository Option 3: Novinsoft Components with RIG Styling
Security Risk HIGH
Requires legal approval, code sharing outside RBC domain
MEDIUM
Automated but involves external code repository, requires mirroring setup
LOW
No RBC code shared, vendor only accesses visual design specs
Compliance Requirements HIGH
Legal review, procurement amendments, monthly Sharepoint attestations
MEDIUM
Initial legal setup required, automated compliance monitoring required
LOW
Standard vendor agreement, no code sharing restrictions
Ongoing Maintenance HIGH
Manual file extraction and distribution for every RIG update that involves utilized components
HIGH
Still requires access management, updates need to be pushed to mirrored repo, Novinsoft would have to pull libraries periodically when library gets updated
LOW-MEDIUM
May require styling updates periodically
Design Consistency EXCELLENT
Uses actual RIG component
EXCELLENT
Uses actual RIG component
GOOD
Visual match achievable, may have minor differences in component behaviour
Future Transferability to RBC SEAMLESS
Built with RIG, can be directly integrated into RBC systems
SEAMLESS
Built with RIG, can be directly integrated into RBC systems
COMPLEX
Requires component replacement/refactoring for internal upgrades and maintenance
Intellectual Property Protection HIGH RISK
RBC code distributed externally
HIGH RISK
RBC code in external repository
LOW RISK
No proprietary code shared
Long-term Sustainability POOR
High maintenance overhead, manual processes
GOOD
Automated, but requires infrastructure maintenance
GOOD
Self-sustaining, vendor handles maintenance, already factored in the engagement
Setup Speed & Complexity MEDIUM
Medium speed, high complexity. Vendor must understand RIG architecture and dependencies. Should be straightforward once approved by legal
HIGH
Slow speed, high complexity. Does not currently exist. Requires infrastructure development, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD)
LOW
Fast speed, low complexity. Immediate access to styling once dev mode permission is granted
Scalability POOR
Manual process doesn't scale to multiple vendors
EXCELLENT
Can support multiple vendors
MEDIUM
Each vendor manages independently

After analyzing the options, I recommended "Novinsoft Components with RIG Styling" to business leadership. This approach balanced development speed with security by sharing only visual design specifications rather than proprietary code, while maintaining good design consistency and low compliance overhead. The recommendation prioritized fast implementation and IP protection over perfect design consistency, accepting that minor component behavior differences were an acceptable trade-off for reduced security risk and faster time-to-market.

Requirements & Architecture

I documented comprehensive requirements spanning functional capabilities, technical standards, and cloud transformation architecture to guide development:

Functional Requirements
Product Selection
  • Select between life, disability, and critical illness insurance products
  • Compare multiple products simultaneously
  • Access product information and features
Client Information Input
  • Capture client demographic details (age, sex, smoking status, province)
  • Include fields for income, occupation, and coverage needs
  • Save client profiles for future reference
Customizable Coverage
  • Input for coverage amount, term duration, riders
  • Optional bundled coverage quotes (combining term + illness policies)
  • Flexible scenario modeling
Instant Quote Generation
  • Display real-time premium estimates with breakdowns (monthly/annual)
  • Highlight price differences between options
  • Show whole life options if applicable
Multi-Scenarios
  • Allow advisors to generate multiple quotes for different scenarios
  • Option to save scenarios for future reference or email to clients
Compliance & Regulatory
  • Automatically factor in provincial and federal regulations
  • Display applicable underwriting treatment details for premiums and benefits
Application Integration
  • Directly link quotes to insurance applications for advisors to proceed with submission
  • Auto-fill forms with client data from the quote
Export & Reporting
  • Generate PDF or email-friendly formats of quotes
  • Integration with Salesforce client management
  • Track tool usage and quoting activity
Non-Functional Requirements
Performance
Fast response time: quotes generated within < 2 seconds
Handle high concurrent usage during peak business hours without performance degradation
Data Security & Privacy
Comply with PIPEDA and other Canadian privacy laws
Encrypt sensitive client data both in transit and at rest
Role-based access control for authorized users only
Audit trail for compliance purposes
User Experience
Intuitive design optimized for advisors working on-the-go
Simplified interface for advisors with varying technical skill levels
Mobile responsiveness for advisors working on tablets
Accessibility compliance WCAG 2.1 AA
Reliability
System uptime: 99.9% to minimize disruptions
Daily backups to prevent data loss
Backup & recovery capabilities
Maintainability
Modular architecture for easy updates to product rates, terms, or features
Flexible API integrations for pricing engines and CRM systems
Localization
Adjust product rules or details based on the client's province
Local currency and tax considerations
English and French support (critical for Canadian market)
Legal & Compliance
Adhere to Canadian life insurance regulations and advisor disclosure requirements
Maintain detailed records of quotes generated for regulatory audits
Audit-ready records
Error Handling
Clear error messages when inputs are invalid
Graceful degradation if system issues arise

Cloud Transformation Architecture

Persistent Cloud Storage Advisors can save and access illustrations from any device, eliminating work trapped on individual computers
Multi-Device Access Start an illustration in the office, complete it at a client site with seamless workflow continuity
Real-Time Collaboration Multiple advisors can work on complex illustrations together, enabling senior-junior mentorship
Automatic Backup & Recovery Eliminates risk of lost work due to device failure, with daily backups of all illustrations
Design System Integration RBC design tokens exported through Storybook and Artifactory for visual consistency
Future-Ready Integration Architecture enables seamless connection to RBC's digital ecosystem for enhanced workflows

The Solution

The modernized platform delivered a contemporary interface with cloud-based functionality, bringing RBC to competitive parity while enabling workflows previously impossible with offline architecture. Key improvements included clean design aligned with RBC's design system, multi-device access allowing advisors to start quotes in office and complete at client sites, scenario comparison tools for presenting options to clients, and seamless quote-to-application workflow.

Modernized insurance quote interface 1 Modernized insurance quote interface 2

Delivery Management

Over 4 months, I managed delivery across multiple teams: internal QA, internal design, Novinsoft development team, and vendor technical experts. I coordinated requirements delivery, design asset handoff, and integration between the new cloud-enabled software and existing RBC systems, ensuring alignment across internal stakeholders and external development partners.

Impact & Learnings

Quantitative Results

2,500
Insurance Advisors
Deployed across RBC Insurance
4.3/5
User Satisfaction
Likert scale rating
6.3/7
Ease of Use
For most illustration types

Operational Improvements

  • Advisors gained multi-device access and cloud storage
  • Enabled team collaboration on complex cases
  • Eliminated risk of lost work from device failures
  • Brought RBC to competitive parity with modernized competitors

Product Learnings

Post-launch research revealed areas for future iteration. Third-party advisors struggled to find software upgrade links, and bugs in updates occasionally impacted quote generation. DI and Universal Life products remained more complex, contributing to lower satisfaction scores. Advisors showed split preferences between web-based and desktop versions, with web users valuing always-updated rates while desktop users preferred offline capability.

Feature requests captured included direct links from quoting tool to software updates, tooltips explaining product differences, enhanced occupation lookup, improved DI discount information, save and resume functionality, and better reporting options. These findings informed the product roadmap for subsequent releases, prioritizing highest-impact improvements based on request frequency and business alignment.