Aaron Kieboom

IT

Developing useful tools, both for customers and colleagues

"I joined ABN AMRO straight out of school. Following my diploma in computer science, I came to the bank through a secondment agency. I spent my first five years here as a temp, but now I'm a permanent employee in the Software Factory department of ABN AMRO Mortgage Group."

Building tools for mortgage providers

"Together with five other software developers, a scrum master and a product owner, we build all kinds of tools, programmes and websites for customers and colleagues at ABN AMRO. Two of our mortgage providers - Florius and Moneyou - have a ‘My environment’, a portal through which customers can log in to find all the information they need about their mortgage. We’re building this portal." 

"We’re also working on a tool which colleagues can use when they’re advising customers about mortgages. It takes the form of a programme which conveniently groups together all the key information about a mortgage, such as the term and amount. Our colleagues can then consult it when they are talking to customers." 
 
Learning from each other

"Our team works according to the agile approach, which means we deliver something every three weeks. As a result, any adjustments we make are visible to customers sooner. In the past, you’d spend a long time refining a finished product, and only then did you check that it met the customer's needs. Now we look to the short term, ensuring that projects are ready to go much faster. The agile approach is centred on customer satisfaction. Adopting this approach means we can serve them faster." 

"When I started work at the department, I was given the chance to learn many new things straightaway. We’re a diverse team with widely different backgrounds. Some of us come from web agencies; others are from a design environment. But they all bring their own knowledge and experience, so that we can learn a lot from each other. That’s what makes this job so enjoyable.” 

Room for constructive criticism

"I like the fact that we are critical of each other in the team. We all want to learn a lot, and constructive feedback helps with that. In a year's time, I want to look at a product I’ve made now and think: this can be better, more user-friendly, more efficient. This is partly also because my work field is constantly evolving. There are always new systems and technologies that we can apply in our work. And that allows me to keep on challenging myself. We really never stop innovating."

"We work well together as a team and know what to expect from each other. If a new idea or proposal comes in, we’ll all get down to work on it together. It starts with brainstorming, fleshing out ideas. Obviously, there's also time for fun next to all the hard work. During breaks we often go for a short walk, we always have lunch as a group on Fridays and we regularly have a few drinks together. We haven't of course been able to do any of that over the past 18 months, but fortunately things are gradually returning to normal." 

Many projects under my belt 

"Because I’ve been at ABN AMRO for quite some time now, I’ve been involved in many different projects. So I’m regularly asked for advice. Not only do I help colleagues with technical questions, I also assist customers who ask for a particular tool to be made more user-friendly."

"I really enjoy working for ABN AMRO Mortgage Group. I certainly want to grow and develop - preferably in this department!”