Agile for participants of the InFLuencerzy program – agile ways of working in finance

The financial services market in Poland is undergoing a profound transformation, which was further accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today’s customers expect products, service processes, and changes to be delivered in a way that reflects their individual needs and is executed rapidly. In response to these challenges, the management of Santander Leasing set the strategic priority “Customer First,” recognizing that effective service delivery requires not only well-defined procedures but also efficient project management and the ability to develop innovative solutions. As a result, a need was identified to strengthen the project management competencies of key employees across critical departments, particularly in the area of project-based work and the implementation of agile methods. These capabilities were seen as essential to enabling faster responses to customer needs and more effective delivery of development initiatives.

The main challenge was to present the Agile philosophy in a practical and engaging way, enabling participants to realistically apply agile methods within their teams and offices. A key objective was to translate theory into concrete project experience, demonstrating how project roles interact in practice and fostering a sense of responsibility and awareness among participants. It was essential to show that Agile is not merely a set of tools, but a mindset and way of working that has a direct impact on the quality of customer service.

The process began with a needs analysis and an assessment of the organization’s Agile transformation maturity, which made it possible to tailor the program to real challenges and participants’ level of experience. Based on these insights, a two-day Agile workshop was designed and delivered in a highly practical, experiential format. Participants worked in groups of 4-6 people, taking on challenges within the Raven 13 rescue mission, where they had to collaborate under dynamic and changing conditions. The next stage involved a product development process based on the Scrum framework, allowing participants to step into specific project roles and experience their importance in practice. Through the workshop, employees were able to see how an agile approach improves project effectiveness, enhances teamwork, and enables faster and more efficient responses to customer needs. This format enabled not only the understanding of Agile principles, but also their direct application in the day-to-day work of teams.