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Agile Transformation & Legacy Modernization

BNP Paribas
2024-present
Product Owner & Scrum Master / Agile Coach

Context

BNP Paribas had 21 legacy applications (Angular, Java, SpringBoot) including Jira, Confluence, Clarity and internal apps, accumulating years of technical debt and non-compliant with the group's architectural standards. The business objective was to make these applications redistributable within the BNP information system. To achieve this, I was assigned a dual role: Product Owner for modernization backlog prioritization, and Scrum Master / Agile Coach for building and leading a team of 5 people (1 PO, 1 Tech Lead, 3 Developers).

Challenge

The major challenge was threefold: (1) Build a high-performing team from scratch with profiles of varying experiences, (2) Establish an Agile culture in a traditional banking environment used to waterfall methodology, (3) Maintain a high level of delivery on critical applications while massively reducing technical debt. Technical and functional evolution in parallel with technical debt management.

Approach

I structured the transformation along several axes. Product strategy: Impact Mapping to align technical and business objectives, quarterly OKRs to measure progress. Agile ceremonies: Daily standup, Sprint Planning (3-week sprints), Backlog Refinement, Sprint Review/Demo, Retrospectives, and regular Business workshops.

Results

  • 21 applications being modernized and redistributed (ongoing project)
  • 40% reduction in time-to-market for new features
  • 100% compliance with BNP architectural standards
  • Team velocity multiplied by 2.3x over the project duration
  • Team satisfaction score: 4.5/5
  • Technical debt reduced by 65% (measured via agentic AI)
  • Test coverage increased from 10% to 60%
  • Quarterly OKRs with 85% average achievement

Learnings

  • The dual PO/SM role is demanding but offers a holistic view of the project
  • Investment in team building and individual coaching pays off in the long term
  • Retrospectives are the engine of continuous improvement - never neglect them
  • Business/tech alignment through regular workshops prevents scope drift
  • Trust is built through transparency, consistency and regular demos