BW-EToken App

A mobility app for the German armed forces

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The ask

Help German soldiers travel more easily across Germany and reduce the amount of paperwork needed to do it.

The Solution

An eToken app that lets soldiers in uniform get train tickets anywhere, anytime.

Background

BWI GmbH - a leading German IT company - is the digitalization partner of the Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces), and works hand-in-hand with the Cyber Innovation Hub (CIHBw) to build the Bundeswehr’s innovation and digital products.

At the end 2019, the Bundeswehr and Deutsche Bahn (DB) signed an agreement to let German soldiers in uniform travel for free on national trains. However, the digital infrastructure around it did not allow for easy access to train tickets. A solution had to come out ASAP.

Man and woman in uniform standing before train

The Challenge

In early 2020, BWI reached out to MVP Factory to help create a software solution for Bundeswehr soldiers living in Germany. The solution had to be built quickly and meet the highest IT security standards.

The problem was that to book tickets, soldiers needed eTokens - digital access codes - which at the time were only available through the Bundeswehr’s intranet, using business devices not available to all soldiers.

This created lots of friction for the soldiers who needed easy access to eTokens from their own smartphones and private computers.

Our goal was to build an app that let soldiers redeem eTokens anywhere, at any time, while sticking to strict security protocols.

Process

What we did

Preparing a fast execution

We first sat down with BWI and CIHBw and started defining the technical requirements, focussing on their specific security and timeline needs. This helped us to design the eToken app in just a couple sessions.

We then planned the product backlog to make sure we could build it quickly and in a way that added value to users from round one.

Building, refining, and coaching

We ran a total of 8 one-week agile sprints and let the client and user feedback guide every step of the way. The use of weekly reviews and demos allowed us to refine the eToken app very quickly while maintaining the highest quality standards. Without this close collaboration, it would have been much tougher to meet the deadline. Once the app was ready for the market, we spent time with the client’s technical teams, making sure they had all the information needed to take over the app and run it at scale.

achiEvements

Value delivered

Thanks to close collaboration with BWI and CIHBw, we were able to manage changing priorities and deliver the eToken app within only 8 weeks from start to finish.

At the beginning of the project, the global COVID-19 pandemic exploded into all our lives. But due to our company DNA and experience with robust remote processes and agile project management, we kept all deadlines and delivered on time.

We did all this while meeting the highest security and privacy standards of the German Army and even successfully introduced new, state-of-the-art technology into their existing infrastructure.

Going the extra mile was well worth it because now the German Bundeswehr has a great user experience that works when they need it. But that’s not where we stopped.

To allow simple management of the eToken platform, we also developed a web app that let's admins adjust parts of the content of the mobile app and review usage in just a few clicks.

We are proud to have helped German soldiers travel across the country more easily and to have inspired their digital teams to apply user-centric and agile ways of working.