Event-Driven Document Generation for Enterprise Benefits Platform
How BizTalk as a pub/sub hub consolidated manual processes into automated workflows for major UK employers
Client: Global insurance broker
Industry:Insurance & Benefits Solutions
Services:Architecture Advisory
Key results at a glance
The challenge
The Problem
A pensions and benefits administration platform serving major UK employers (including McDonald's) had document generation scattered across multiple manual processes.
The Situation
- Separated file feeds: Data arriving from different sources in different formats
- Console scripts: Manual execution of transformation processes
- Fragmented distribution: Separate paths for print services and email senders
- No coordination: Each step operated independently with manual handoffs
The platform was first-to-market in the benefits space (before competitors like PerkBox and PensionBee), but operational complexity was limiting scalability.
The Need
Consolidate disparate processes into a single automated workflow that could:
- Handle multiple data sources
- Transform data for document generation
- Coordinate distribution across channels
- Scale with enterprise client growth
The results
Key results
- Multiple manual processes consolidated into single automated workflow
- ~10 enterprise clients supported with white-label architecture
- BizTalk pub/sub hub coordinating document generation and distribution
- StreamServe integration for multi-format document output
- Less CSS JIT compilation enabling client-specific branding
Outcomes
Process Consolidation
- Multiple manual processes unified into single automated workflow
- File feeds, transformations, and distribution coordinated through BizTalk
- Eliminated manual handoffs between steps
Enterprise Scale
- ~10 enterprise clients supported in beta release
- Major UK employers including McDonald's served through the platform
- White-label architecture maintained code quality across all clients
Operational Efficiency
- Document generation automated end-to-end
- Distribution coordinated across print and email channels
- Scalable foundation for client growth
Quality Foundation
The platform operated within exemplary Scrum practices:
- BDD using SpecFlow required as definition of done
- Full story point scale (1-100) for genuine complexity estimation
- Enforced definitions of ready and done
This project marked the first substantial architecture leadership role, establishing patterns for distributed systems thinking applied in subsequent engagements.
The solution
Our Approach
We designed BizTalk as an event pub/sub hub to orchestrate the entire document generation pipeline.
Architecture Design
- Event-driven coordination: BizTalk acted as the central message broker
- Payload translation: Data transformed into StreamServe-specific contracts
- Unified distribution: Single workflow for print and email channels
- Automated orchestration: No manual intervention required
StreamServe Integration
StreamServe handled the actual document generation:
- Template-based document creation
- Multi-format output (print, PDF, email)
- Client-specific branding applied automatically
White-Label Support
The architecture supported approximately 10 enterprise clients with:
- Less CSS JIT compilation: Client-specific branding generated at runtime
- Feature toggles: Different functionality per client
- Document customisation: Branded templates per organisation
This was implemented before CSS variables existed, using Less CSS just-in-time compilation to generate client-specific stylesheets.
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