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CH · Insurance & InsurTechPartner since 2023
Helvetia ADOS Modernization with Software Engineering for Insurance
HQSwitzerland
IndustryInsurance & InsurTech
EngagementFull dedicated team, long-term

Helvetia ADOS Modernization with Software Engineering for Insurance

Helvetia partnered with Axon Active for software engineering for insurance, leveraging a dedicated software development team to redesign ADOS, its core system for managing insurance workflows, dossiers, and claims-related processes. A distributed team across Switzerland and Vietnam supports delivery under SAFe, focusing on simplifying architecture, improving integrations, and enhancing system maintainability and scalability to meet evolving operational needs.

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Software engineering for insurance supporting Helvetia ADOS system modernization and claims workflows
About the client

Who Helvetia is

Helvetia Baloise Group is a leading international Swiss insurance group that operates in a highly regulated, document-intensive environment. Efficient claims handling, policy management, and smooth customer communication are central to its daily operations.

To support these functions at scale, the company’s Baloise segment relies heavily on a core system known as ADOS (Auftrags- und Dossiersystem) to manage complex case workflows. A major ADOS Redesign modernized this legacy framework through custom insurance software development tailored to Helvetia’s regulated environment. It merged digital archives into a unified case-processing environment that ensures regulatory compliance and fast service delivery across its business units.

How we work together

Structured SAFe delivery and cross-team alignment

A dedicated software development team operates under SAFe with two-week sprints, working closely with Helvetia’s Product Owner and engineering teams. Each sprint follows a structured cycle — planning, daily standups, review demos, and retrospectives — ensuring regular visibility into progress.

A consistent overlap window enables synchronous collaboration for key discussions and decisions, while asynchronous communication supports focused work outside these hours. The stable team setup maintains continuity across sprints, supported by a Swiss-based account lead who coordinates governance for this Swiss insurance software partnership.

What we do

ADOS redesign through software engineering for insurance

The team leads end-to-end development of the ADOS redesign, from refining functional requirements to implementing backend services and APIs. As the insurance claims software at the core of Helvetia’s operations, ADOS supports claims processing, case tracking, and document lifecycle control. The redesign focuses on addressing long-standing challenges in usability, scalability, and system integration.

The initiative is guided by four key objectives:

  • Streamlining internal workflows, particularly in claims-related processes
  • Reducing technical debt through simplification of legacy components
  • Strengthening integrations with claims systems, automation tools, and external channels
  • Establishing a clear product vision and sustainable roadmap for ADOS

Looking ahead, the system is being shaped with a focus on improved observability, a simplified technical landscape, and well-defined, maintainable interfaces, strengthening policy management software capabilities as part of a broader digital insurance transformation.

Reliable backend services and API integration

Backend services are built using Java and Spring Boot, with deployments managed via Argo CD. This setup supports reliable performance and aligns with Helvetia’s requirements for high availability and maintainability. APIs expose core ADOS capabilities, enabling integration with downstream systems such as claims processing and reporting. This backend work is part of long-term software engineering for insurance, keeping ADOS reliable as it continues to evolve.

API development with Java and Spring Boot for Helvetia ADOS backend services

Software engineering for insurance backend architecture

Data is stored in PostgreSQL to ensure operational reliability, while Kafka enables asynchronous, event-driven communication across the system, together forming a reliable insurance data platform. The architecture is designed with a focus on query performance, data integrity, and ease of evolution, providing a stable foundation for ongoing enhancements.

Insurance data platform powered by PostgreSQL and Kafka for reliable data processing
Software engineering for insurance leveraging GitHub Copilot and Claude Code to improve development efficiency
AI-Augmented Development

AI-assisted engineering practices in daily development

Despite the absence of formalized usage standards, the team actively leverages AI tools such as GitHub Copilot and Claude Code in their daily workflows. These tools support code review, refactoring, and the generation of implementation for straightforward requirements, while also assisting in documenting and clarifying project structure. Learn more about how Axon Active governs AI in delivery.

Meet the team

Who sits on the engagement

Athena
Tech stack

AI-enhanced engineering

Technologies
JavaSpring BootREST APIsPostgreSQLKafka
DevOps & Delivery
Argo CDJenkins
AI Tools
GitHub CopilotClaude Code
Common questions

How this engagement works

How does software engineering for insurance modernize a complex legacy system like ADOS?

The modernization is approached incrementally rather than through a full rewrite. The team identifies high-impact areas—such as workflows, integrations, and bottlenecks—and refactors them step by step. This allows new capabilities to be introduced while keeping the system stable and operational throughout the transition.

How are integrations with multiple internal and external systems managed?

The system exposes core functionality through well-defined REST APIs, which are used by downstream systems such as claims and reporting tools. Kafka supports asynchronous communication where needed, allowing systems to exchange data without tight coupling. This helps maintain flexibility as integrations evolve.

How does the team balance new feature development with reducing technical debt?

Technical debt is addressed alongside feature delivery rather than as a separate initiative. During each sprint, the team allocates effort to simplify legacy components, improve code structure, and refine architecture. This helps avoid accumulating additional complexity while still delivering business value.

What ensures the system remains reliable under critical insurance workflows?

Reliability is supported through a combination of stable backend technologies (Java, Spring Boot), structured data management with PostgreSQL, and event-driven messaging with Kafka. The team also focuses on monitoring, error handling, and incremental improvements to ensure the system remains dependable in production.

How does SAFe impact day-to-day collaboration and delivery?

SAFe provides a structured framework for aligning multiple teams and stakeholders. For the engineers, this translates into clear sprint cycles, shared planning sessions, and regular demos. It helps maintain alignment across product, architecture, and delivery without significantly changing the day-to-day development practices.

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