Like many large organisations, Medibank wanted to improve its innovation capability so it could more quickly validate and test ideas and markets, as well as improve speed to market for new ideas.

DiUS was asked to partner with Medibank to leverage Lean and Agile approaches as part of the heathcare insurer’s desire to better utilise rapid prototyping and experimentation. As DiUS is experienced in helping organisations develop an accelerated ability to deliver their ideas, the technology company was a good fit for helping Medibank achieve its vision.

There was an aggressive deadline for the pilot project for this new way of developing a product prototype. The Digital Marketing team at Medibank wanted to validate whether consumers would value the ability to find, compare and book medical providers online through a new product called Healthcare Search.

Two DiUS consultants were embedded into Medibank’s cross-functional team that included a product owner, an iteration manager, a business analyst, a visual designer and a user experience designer. The team worked together to shape the idea into a lightweight version of a product that they could build and get to market quickly, and get feedback and data from real users.

“DiUS was instrumental in building the new Medibank healthcare search pilot from scratch in 6 weeks. They went above and beyond to ensure the pilot got up with a MVP, as well helping to upskill the project team.”

 

– Mark Alexander, Strategy Development Manager, Strategy & Innovation, Medibank

One of the keys to the success of this project was  an accelerated software development model. The DiUS team established a delivery model that uses a modern technology stack and development practices. Using Ruby on Rails and the cloud to minimise the development and infrastructure overhead, the team further streamlined development by automating testing and deployment. These technologies and practices were instrumental in allowing the team to be fluid and adapt to change as the project progressed.

Lean Product Development principles were also important to the project. Being diligent about what to include in the Minimum Viable Product allowed the team to quickly and inexpensively get to market where the product’s appeal could be validated.

The DiUS team also helped look for ways to reduce red tape and overcome obstacles. Weekly showcases of the project’s progress to a broad group including IT, hosting, legal and governance helped engage stakeholders early. It also allowed the team to gather important feedback and build confidence in the project.