Faraz Uddin

At TIAA, I collaborated with two distinct Agile Scrum teams, each with their own unique structure and dedicated scrum teams.

MOD Team

Product Owner | Scrum Master

The MOD Team leveraged a comprehensive suite of TIAA's internal and external communication channels, including public websites, microsites, secure applications like myTIAA and PlanFocus, as well as legacy systems.
The MOD team oversees the investment screener tool and over 9,000 fund profile pages across various channels. Each profile page is uniquely designed with distinct features and components, providing users with in-depth insights into each fund. This comprehensive information enables users to conduct thorough analyses and make well-informed investment decisions.
The MOD team also contributed to our Brokerage platform by implementing feature enhancements.

PlanFocus Team

Business Analyst

The Planfocus app helps institutional retirement plan sponsors: These are typically human resources or benefits personnel within companies or organizations who are responsible for overseeing their organization's retirement plan.
The Planfocus app helps manage participant information allowing users to securely search and review participant data, ensuring accuracy and facilitating informed decision-making.
The Planfocus app helps enhance employee financial wellness. Plan sponsors can gain insights into plan performance and participant engagement, allowing data-driven strategies to improve employee financial well-being.

Key Roles and Responsiblities in Delivering Value

To achieve outstanding results in any business, it is essential to understand the dynamics of cross-functional teams, enabling the delivery of maximum value to stakeholders. Here is a list of the various roles at TIAA with which I collaborated to create this value to our end-users.

Role	Focus	Responsibilities
Scrum Master	Scrum Process	Ensures the team follows Scrum principles, facilitates ceremonies, removes roadblocks
Product Owner	Product Vision & Backlog	Represents stakeholders, prioritizes product backlog, defines user stories
Product Manager	Product Strategy & Lifecycle	Owns the overall product strategy, conducts market research, defines product roadmap
UX Designer	User Experience	Conducts user research, designs user interfaces, ensures usability
QA Tester	Quality Assurance	Tests functionality, identifies and reports bugs, creates automated testing scripts
Front-End UI Developer	User Interface	Develops the front-end of the application (what users see and interact with)
Back-End Developer	Server-Side Logic	Develops the back-end of the application (data storage, processing)
Dev/Tech Lead	Development Team	Leads the development team, estimates tasks, assigns work, ensures technical quality
RTE (Release Train Engineer)	Scaled Agile (SAFe) Delivery	Plans and executes product releases across multiple Agile teams, coordinates dependencies
Business Systems Analyst	Business Needs & Requirements	Analyzes business needs, elicits and documents requirements, bridges gap between business and development

Key Stakeholders in Delivering Value

This section identifies the key stakeholder groups who play a crucial role in delivering value to our end-users. By understanding their roles and collaborating effectively, we can ensure a successful product or service.

Stakeholder Group	Focus	Responsibilities
Business Stakeholders	Define business goals & vision	Provide funding and define business goals Prioritize features and offer feedback Offer strategic direction Allocate resources Approve contracts Set performance metrics Prioritize site performance goals
Legal & Compliance	Ensure adherence to laws & regulations Manage legal risks	Review contracts Oversee ethical conduct Conduct legal audits (as relevant to site performance regulations)
Cybersecurity	Protect data & systems Manage security incidents Maintain compliance	Develop security protocols Monitor for threats Implement access controls (as relevant to site security)
Accessibility	Champion inclusive design Ensure compliance with accessibility standards	Conduct accessibility audits (as relevant to site usability) Provide training Collaborate with development teams

MOD & Investment Performance User Personas

To gain insights into TIAA's Investment Performance MOD apps, it's crucial to delve into the diverse user personas who utilize these applications for research purposes and comprehend their respective objectives.

Conservative Investor

Profile: Typically older, nearing or in retirement, with a low risk tolerance.
Goals: Preserve capital, generate stable income.
Behavior: Prefers low-risk investments like bonds, fixed-income securities, and dividend-paying stocks.
Challenges: Concerns about inflation eroding purchasing power, low yields in a low-interest-rate environment.
Needs: Reliable income streams, inflation protection, low volatility.

Growth-Oriented Investor

Profile: Middle-aged professionals with higher risk tolerance and a longer investment horizon.
Goals: Capital appreciation, long-term growth.
Behavior: Favors equities, growth stocks, and possibly some exposure to international markets and emerging sectors.
Challenges: Market volatility, balancing risk and return.
Needs: Diversified portfolio, performance tracking, market insights.

Income-Focused Investor

Profile: Investors of any age looking for regular income, often retirees or those nearing retirement.
Goals: Generate regular income, maintain a moderate level of risk.
Behavior: Prefers dividend-paying stocks, bonds, REITs, and income-generating mutual funds.
Challenges: Finding high-yield investments without excessive risk, managing income in a low-interest-rate environment.
Needs: Consistent income, risk management tools, tax-efficient investment options.

Socially Responsible Investor

Profile: Varied age group, with a strong preference for ethical and sustainable investing.
Goals: Achieve financial returns while supporting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles.
Behavior: Invests in companies with strong ESG ratings, avoids industries like tobacco, fossil fuels, and arms manufacturing.
Challenges: Balancing ESG criteria with financial performance, limited selection of high-performing ethical investments.
Needs: ESG performance metrics, sustainable investment options, impact reporting.

Tech-Savvy Investor

Profile: Younger, tech-oriented individuals comfortable with digital platforms and tools.
Goals: Rapid growth, exploring new investment opportunities.
Behavior: Invests in tech stocks, startups, and cryptocurrencies, uses robo-advisors and trading apps.
Challenges: High market volatility, managing speculative risks.
Needs: Access to real-time data, advanced analytics, innovative investment products.

DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Investor

Profile: Individual investors who prefer managing their own portfolios.
Goals: Maximize returns, minimize costs, maintain control over investment decisions.
Behavior: Conducts personal research, uses online brokerage platforms, trades stocks, ETFs, and other securities.
Challenges: Keeping up with market trends, avoiding emotional decision-making, understanding complex investment products.
Needs: Educational resources, market research tools, low-cost trading options.

High Net Worth Individual

Profile: Middle-aged, high-income professional, significant assets.
Goals: Wealth preservation, growth, legacy planning.
Behavior: Diversifies across various asset classes, engages in estate planning, uses tax-advantaged strategies.
Challenges: Navigating complex tax laws, managing large, diversified portfolios, ensuring wealth transfer to heirs.
Needs: Comprehensive wealth management, tax optimization strategies, estate planning services, personalized investment advice.

Income-Focused Retiree

Profile: Retired individual relying on investment income.
Goals: Maximize regular income, ensure financial stability.
Behavior: Invests in income-generating assets such as bonds, dividend stocks, and real estate investment trusts (REITs).
Challenges: Balancing income needs with inflation risks, managing healthcare costs, ensuring portfolio sustainability.
Needs: Steady income generation, healthcare cost planning, risk management.

Growth-Oriented Retiree

Profile: Recently retired or semi-retired, moderate risk tolerance, seeking to grow their retirement savings.
Goals: Achieve long-term growth, maintain lifestyle.
Behavior: Invests in a balanced portfolio with a mix of equities and fixed-income securities.
Challenges: Market volatility, balancing growth with income needs, longevity risk.
Needs: Growth-oriented investment options, risk mitigation strategies, financial planning for longevity.

Legacy-Minded Retiree

Profile: Retired individual focused on leaving a financial legacy for heirs or charities.
Goals: Wealth transfer, philanthropic giving.
Behavior: Engages in estate planning, sets up trusts, invests in stable, long-term assets.
Challenges: Navigating estate taxes, ensuring efficient wealth transfer, choosing the right charitable vehicles.
Needs: Estate planning services, tax-efficient strategies, philanthropic advisory.

Healthcare-Conscious Retiree

Profile: Retired or nearing retirement, significant focus on healthcare needs.
Goals: Manage healthcare costs, ensure financial security.
Behavior: Prioritizes healthcare savings accounts, long-term care insurance, and healthcare-related investments.
Challenges: Rising healthcare costs, long-term care expenses, managing health insurance.
Needs: Healthcare cost planning, insurance products, financial advice on managing medical expenses.

Active Lifestyle Retiree

Profile: Recently retired, leading an active lifestyle, willing to take moderate risks.
Goals: Fund travel, hobbies, and activities, maintain an active lifestyle.
Behavior: Invests in a diversified portfolio, including some higher-risk assets for growth.
Challenges: Balancing spending with preserving retirement savings, managing health and activity-related expenses.
Needs: Flexible financial planning, growth-oriented investment options, budgeting for travel and activities.

PlanFocus User Personas

Outlined below are the primary PlanFocus user personas. While the specific personas may vary depending on the institution, the following represent some of the most common ones.

Plan Sponsor
Role: Oversees the retirement plan for employees.
Objectives: Ensure the plan meets regulatory requirements and provides valuable benefits to employees.

Plan Administrator
Role: Handles administrative tasks related to the retirement plan.
Objectives: Ensure smooth plan operation, accurate record-keeping, and participant communication.

Third Party Plan Consultant
Role: Provides expert advice on managing retirement plans.
Objectives: Optimize plan performance and minimize risks.

Director of Payroll
Role: Manages payroll operations.
Objectives: Ensure accurate payroll processing and compliance.

Benefits Administrator
Role: Manages employee benefits.
Objectives: Ensure employees receive comprehensive benefit packages.

Benefits Specialist
Role: Provides expertise on employee benefits.
Objectives: Assist in designing and implementing benefit programs.

Key Challenges in Delivering Value

Below are some of the challenges I faced during my tenure with TIAA.

Challenge	Description
Balancing Team Demands	Balancing demands from two distinct teams, each with its own set of stakeholders, requires effective time management to ensure meaningful contributions to both.
Time Zone Management	Working in geographically distributed teams necessitates adjustments to accommodate team members across different time zones. My experience includes collaborating with vendors in Denver, CO for MOD, as well as with both US-based and offshore resources for PlanFocus.
UAT & PROD Testing	During integration testing with TIAA's environment, we encountered challenges collaborating with our vendor. While we could successfully test component logic on both the vendor's side and our test environment using our "Jump Tool," ensuring correct rendering within TIAA's integrated environment required additional effort. This involved verifying that APIs and server logic interacted seamlessly with TIAA's design system.
Stakeholder Management	Managing stakeholder expectations is crucial. Addressing new requests while navigating potential conflicts with prioritized backlog items and preventing scope creep is essential. Temporary solutions can help maintain stakeholder satisfaction without compromising project goals.

Achievement	Description
Spearheaded a comprehensive rebranding initiative	During my tenure with the MOD team, I spearheaded a comprehensive rebranding initiative, overseeing the renaming and restructuring of various funds across all MOD applications. This involved extensive analysis of impacts across all channels, collaborating closely with our vendor partners to ensure thorough testing in UAT for a seamless checkout process.
Provided leadership for the MOD team ensuring uninterrupted operations	In the absence of my manager for four months due to paternity leave, I assumed leadership of the MOD team from a technical standpoint. I effectively addressed any roadblocks or incidents that arose, ensuring uninterrupted operations.
Redesign efforts for PF 1.0 to PF 2.0	With the PlanFocus team, I collaborated closely with our Product Owner to meticulously plan features and stories for a multi-quarter project aimed at revamping our entire platform from PF 1.0 to PF 2.0. This transformation resulted in significantly improved UX/UI for our end-users.