Executive Summary

Vinícius Nascimento Garcia; Ana Carla Gasques

Summary prepared by the ResumeAI tool, an artificial intelligence solution developed by the Pecege Institute focused on synthesis and writing.

The state public development agency faced a scenario of reactive and fragmented development of its credit lines, characterized by low data usage and the absence of structured governance for product portfolio management. This context resulted in a high accumulation of demands in the technology area and low effectiveness of the digital journey for customers. Digital transformation in the public sector, driven by social demand for simpler and faster experiences, became a pressing need for the institution, which sought to modernize its operations and expand its impact.

Traditional financial institutions, such as development agencies, often operate with rigid structures and bureaucratic risk mitigation mechanisms, as pointed out by Armendáriz and Morduch (2010). This reality limited access to credit for vulnerable segments, such as peripheral entrepreneurs, pre-operational companies, and small rural producers, who faced difficulties in presenting collateral or credit history. The credit journey, even when 100% online, was long and complex, generating frustration and dropouts, which compromised the reach of public development policies.

The diagnosis of the current situation revealed that the development of financial products was predominantly reactive and lacked integration between areas, with decisions poorly based on data. There was no clear framework for deciding on the continuity or reformulation of credit lines, nor a culture of continuous testing and learning. The customer experience was particularly critical: less than 10% of system accesses proceeded to filling out the application, and only 1% resulted in effective disbursement, often because customers chose inadequate lines.

To deepen the analysis of the causes, the SWOT Matrix was used, which identified significant internal weaknesses. Among them were the limitation of consolidated historical data to support decisions, the absence of a product evolution model, and the lack of methodologies for controlling activities. The organizational culture, marked by an aversion to error, and the lack of adequate tools to track deliveries by value and impact were also critical points that contributed to low efficiency and innovation.

The identified external threats included intensified competition from digital financial institutions, the inherent regulatory rigidity of the public sector, and budgetary constraints for investments in technology and training. These threats, combined with internal weaknesses, created a cycle of low innovation and effectiveness. However, the agency possessed strengths such as institutional credibility, qualified personal service, and a diversified portfolio, in addition to opportunities like the advancement of digital transformation and the growing demand for more accessible financial solutions.

The stakeholder mapping complemented the diagnosis, revealing different degrees of engagement and resistance to change, especially among internal areas with a more traditional culture and strong risk control orientation. Areas such as Products, Information Technology, Sales, Planning, Risk Management, and Senior Management were identified as central actors. The analysis highlighted the fundamental role of leadership as a facilitator of change, going beyond the mere implementation of tools or methodologies.

The credit portfolio assessment, although limited by the absence of standardized historical data before January 2025, revealed a scenario of low governance. From that date onwards, the agency instituted a systematic process for registering and monitoring credit lines, integrating information from the ERP system, management reports, and qualitative inputs. This analysis allowed for the classification of the 33 active lines into lifecycle phases: introduction (6), growth (10), maturity (7), and decline (10), evidencing a concentration in products in growth and decline.

As part of the transformation, the agency was implementing a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, aiming to improve the customer experience, reduce eligibility errors, and increase the conversion rate of requests into disbursements. The inefficiency in handling errors and new developments was evident, with approximately 300 support tickets or development demands pending in the backlog as of January 2025, directly impacting response time and innovation capacity.

Faced with this complex scenario, three alternatives were considered to address the structural causes that limited efficiency in the development of credit products. The first, maintaining the current model, was discarded for perpetuating slowness, rework, and low innovation. The second, fully outsourcing technology activities, was rejected for only addressing the symptom of the backlog, without promoting cultural or process transformation. The third alternative, considered the most robust, proposed an integrated solution based on three structuring pillars.

The integrated solution consisted of Product Lifecycle Management, to establish governance and standardization; Agile Methodologies Implementation, to accelerate deliveries and reduce rework; and Leadership and Cultural Transformation, to sustain change and strengthen collaboration. A multi-criteria decision matrix, considering strategic impact, backlog reduction, institutional feasibility, cost-benefit, and sustainability, evaluated the alternatives. The integrated solution obtained the highest weighted result, with 4.8 points on a scale of 1 to 5, justifying its choice.

The first pillar, Product Lifecycle Management, envisioned the formal implementation of a model that would track each credit line from conception to decline, using a four-phase framework: Introduction, Growth, Maturity, and Decline. Objective evaluation criteria, such as number of applications, disbursements, total value, and average ticket, would be combined with qualitative market data. This governance aimed to provide clarity on the performance of the lines, facilitating decisions on maintenance, reformulation, or discontinuation, and standardizing indicators for historical and comparative analyses.

The second pillar, the Implementation of Agile Methodologies, proposed the adoption of a hybrid framework based on Scrum and Kanban. Scrum, with its delivery cycles (sprints), defined roles, and ceremonies for planning, review, and retrospective, would ensure focus and cadence. Kanban, with its visual workflow management and work-in-progress (WIP) limits, would optimize continuous flow and provide transparency to demands. This combination would be initially applied in the Products and Technology areas to reduce the backlog of approximately 300 demands and increase efficiency in developing new solutions.

The agile structure envisioned the creation of multidisciplinary cells, called “squads”, with representatives from Product, IT, and business areas, promoting deliveries every 15 days and greater integration between areas. This approach would allow for the development, testing, and adjustment of new credit lines in short cycles, accelerating time-to-market and improving adherence to market needs. As part of this framework, the agency developed a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) simulator to test a new functionality, enhancing the customer experience and reducing friction in the application process.

The third pillar, Leadership and Cultural Transformation, emphasized the protagonism of leadership as an agent of change, actively working to break down silos and disseminate an agile mindset. Leadership should inspire, facilitate, and promote collaboration, focusing on results and continuous learning. A program of training and performance evaluations was proposed, in partnership with the People and Management area, involving the entire agency in training on agile methodologies, non-violent communication, and autonomous team management. This cultural change aimed to reinforce values such as transparency, experimentation, and trust, reducing the error aversion typical of the public sector.

Case studies of institutions such as BNDES, BRDE, and BDMG, cited by Oliveira (2020), reinforced the viability of applying agile practices in public environments, demonstrating positive results in operational efficiency and response time. The creation of interdisciplinary squads at BNDES, for example, accelerated the digitalization of programs and reduced bottlenecks between areas. These experiences validated that the application of agile methodologies and lifecycle governance can be successful with engaged leadership and a collaborative culture.

The absence of these structural measures would keep the backlog high, manual approval flows, slow response time, and high operational costs. The low digital conversion rate would persist, compromising the reach of the public credit policy. The lack of integration and active leadership would worsen the fragmentation between areas, reducing innovation capacity and the impact of promotion programs, weakening the agency’s institutional positioning against other institutions that are advancing in digital transformation and modern product management.

The objective goals established for a 12-month period included the institutionalization of the Product Lifecycle model with standardized indicators, the reduction in the number of declining products and in the total portfolio, and the increase in order entries through the simplification of the journey. It also included the launch of an MVP product, the reduction of the backlog by 70% with prioritization of high-value deliveries, the construction of a strategic product roadmap, and the training of 100% of the leaders in the involved areas to propagate the cultural change.

The evaluation of the results observed throughout 2025, the first implementation cycle, indicated relevant and measurable effects, despite the literature pointing out that the adoption processes of agile methodologies demand two to three years to reach high maturity. The implementation of the lifecycle model allowed for a structured view of the portfolio. In January 2025, the portfolio had 33 lines, with 10 in decline and 7 in maturation. In December 2025, the number of products in decline reduced to 6, while those in maturation increased to 11, and the total number of active lines rose to 30.

This qualitative evolution of the portfolio, with the reduction of declining products and the increase of those in maturation, reflected an active review of lines with low traction, either through discontinuation or strategic repositioning. Although the reduction in the total number of lines was moderate, from 33 to 30, this result was interpreted as a conscious governance choice, focused on portfolio qualification and the correction of historical asymmetries, rather than simple product elimination. The drop in lines classified as growth indicated more rigorous criteria and greater analytical realism.

The construction of an annual product roadmap, with initiatives distributed by quarter and aligned with strategic priorities, contributed significantly to portfolio improvement. By the end of 2025, approximately 70% of the planned initiatives were effectively delivered, while 30% were replanned or not executed. This result demonstrated the practical application of agile principles, where planning is continuously revisited and adapted to changes in context and continuous learning, evidencing the beginning of the consolidation of a more adaptive management logic.

Regarding the adoption of agile methodologies, one of the most relevant results was the transformation of backlog management. In January 2025, the agency had accumulated around 300 pending demands, some dating back to 2022, without clear prioritization. Throughout the year, this backlog was fully reviewed, eliminating obsolete and misaligned demands. A new backlog, divided by squads, was established, prioritized in bi-weekly sprint cycles and continuously reviewed with business areas, resulting in a qualitative change in how demands are managed, focusing on value, feasibility, and institutional impact.

The simplification of the digital journey and the launch of the unified credit simulator MVP were important milestones in the customer experience. The MVP, launched in July 2025, replaced the previous model, where each line had its own simulator. The objective was to test the hypothesis that the customer was unaware of the best credit line for their needs, given the diversity of the agency’s portfolio. Data from the use of the unified simulator showed high adherence, with 1,907 simulations performed and 1,652 completed, of which 653 line suggestions were accepted by users.

The automatic filtering of ineligible profiles by the simulator contributed to reducing rework and increasing the efficiency of the entry funnel. Unidentified simulations were incorporated as qualified input for product evolution, reinforcing the incremental and learning-oriented nature of the MVP. Subsequently, the simulator evolved into an official solution, improving the customer experience and reducing the number of requests with framing errors. Another action was the insertion of a WhatsApp button for contacting attendants during the online flow, which was previously only available on the main page.

The comparative analysis between 2024 and 2025 demonstrated significant growth in request entries in the two existing credit pipelines: digital and judgmental. The judgmental pipeline registered a 94% increase, going from 6,195 to 12,020 requests, while the digital pipeline grew 41%, from 36,191 to 55,907. The growth in the digital pipeline evidenced the impact of the simplified journey and the improvement of customer guidance mechanisms, while the increase in the judgmental pipeline was directly associated with the creation of the Simplified Investment Line, launched in the second half of 2025.

The Simplified Investment Line was designed as an intermediate solution, with less complex human analyses and greater operational agility, limiting the maximum credit value to R$ 700,000. This strategy allowed for risk mitigation and faster analysis, without compromising the principles of governance and credit security. The growth in inflows in both streams indicated an alignment between the adopted product strategy and a pent-up demand for less complex financing solutions, especially for entrepreneurs and companies that faced excessive barriers in traditional models.

The cultural and leadership dimension, although slower and more complex, showed important advances. The training program reached 100% of the leaders in the involved areas, in partnership with the People and Management area. Significant progress was observed in leadership engagement, including greater participation of the Executive Board in follow-up forums, roadmap reviews, and results evaluations. This movement is fundamental for the sustainability of the transformation, consolidating leadership as an active agent of change and not just a formal sponsor.

In conclusion, the integrated application of product lifecycle management, agile methodologies, and active leadership proved to be a viable, consistent, and context-adherent solution for the public development agency. The results achieved in the first year of implementation, although representing only the beginning of a maturation process, have established solid foundations for future cycles. The initiative has the potential to expand gains in operational efficiency, social impact, and long-term sustainability of public credit policy, reinforcing the premise that the modernization of the public financial sector is possible when conducted in a structured, data-driven manner and supported by active and engaged leadership.

Bibliographic References:

ARMENDÁRIZ, B.; MORDUCH, J. The economics of microfinance. 2. ed. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2010. Disponível em: https://www.ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/5887/1/23%20.%20Beatriz_Armend%C3%A1riz%2C.pdf. Acesso em: 21 nov. 2025.

OLIVEIRA, S. F. et al. Metodologia ágil como vetor da transformação digital em um banco federal brasileiro. Revista FSA, Teresina, v. 17, n. 4, p. 1–19, 2020. Disponível em: http://www4.unifsa.com.br/revista/index.php/fsa/article/view/2776. Acesso em: 21 out. 2025.

Executive summary from the Final Course Work of the Specialization in Executive Leadership and Management of the MBA USP/Esalq

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