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In collaboration with Pohjola Insurance, part of OP Financial Group, the project team from Aalto University School of Business produced a portfolio of data-use cases to improve understanding of data needs for different business cases and created a basis for further requirements analysis.

The project team consisted of Aku Raunio and Vilho Tuomisto (both from the Master’s Programme in Information and Service Management), and Elias Takala (Master’s Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management). Associate Professor Esko Penttinen from the School of Business led the project as the academic supervisor.  The project was coordinated by Sujit Wings and Pasi Pikkarainen from Pohjola Insurance

The project addressed the growing complexities of managing and utilizing data in business processes. By mapping out existing data-use scenarios, identifying gaps, and proposing a structured framework for ongoing updates, the team laid the groundwork for a more efficient and centralized data management system.

A strategic approach to data challenges

The students approached the project by analyzing existing data processes, conducting interviews with key stakeholders, and reviewing organizational documentation. Through these efforts, they identified challenges such as inconsistent data handling, limited scalability, and barriers to collaboration.

To address these, the team developed recommendations that focused on improving the organization’s approach to data management. By creating a structured framework, they aimed to enhance data accessibility, minimize inconsistencies, and establish a foundation for more efficient maintenance practices.

‘The project insights and the data-use case portfolio provide genuine value to Pohjola’s data management efforts,’ said Timo Tervo, Director, Data Capabilities at Pohjola Insurance. 

Insights leading to actionable recommendations

The project emphasized the need for ongoing updates, reliable maintenance, and thoughtful planning to streamline data management processes. The team proposed methods to enhance organization and efficiency of these processes, ensuring a more systematic approach to handling the data use-cases.

The findings and strategic insights were presented to project’s steering group offering a clear path forward based on the comprehensive analysis conducted during the collaboration.

Pasi Pikkarainen, IT Area Lead at Pohjola Insurance, highlighted the positive impact of the project. ‘Our stakeholders recognized the value of the project and actively took part in the interviews. The project enhanced our understanding of how data capabilities can support business cases among colleagues from different teams.’

Applying academic learning to real-world challenges

For the students, this project was an opportunity to apply their academic knowledge to a real-world business scenario. ‘From a curriculum perspective, it is important to provide students with opportunities to participate to these business projects. I saw many concrete learning outcomes from the project for the students related to the real-world challenges using data in analytics and simply to the practice of conducting expert interviews,’ stated Associate Professor Esko Penttinen. 

The students echoed this view adding that working closely with Pohjola Insurance provided firsthand insight into the complexities of data-driven business operations, from conducting stakeholder interviews to proposing a scalable framework for managing data use-cases.