Niklas sprints to future success

What does the typical Deutsche Bank employee wear? It will come as no surprise that formal attire still prevails - at least in the main financial districts. However, things are changing rapidly.

At Deutsche Bank’s Digital Factory in Eschborn you could mistake yourself for being in Silicon Valley. Here, software specialists, developers and project managers use agile methodologies to develop our most innovative banking products. Niklas is part of this young and dynamic team. He remembers with a smile: “I even came to my interview in casual – without suit and tie. And I got the job!”

The organizational structure is changing, too. “Hierarchies barely exist in the Digital Factory”, he explains. “We, the developers, decide which project will have a future. Not our managers.” How does this work? The team votes on a weekly basis.

Niklas and his colleagues know what’s new. They know what could be important for our clients. They evaluate, compare and prioritize the projects with a collaborative ‘game’. In Planning Poker they decide what will be developed and by whom, before commencing a series of sprints - time-bound iterations of a software solution.

“It’s quite busy here”, Niklas admits. Time is money – especially in a digital world. To clear his head he sometimes settles in one of the numerous quiet spaces of the building. Headphones and music help him to focus on his work and forget the rest.

More than 400 employees from 14 countries work in Eschborn and are driving Deutsche Bank’s digitalisation. German, English, Spanish, Russian and Hindu can be heard throughout the factory. “You have to switch quickly to different topics and languages.” It’s all part of the fun of the modern technology workplace.