Guidewire Policycenter tutorial pdf

Guidewire PolicyCenter Tutorial PDF


(not official)

What is PolicyCenter?

At its core, PolicyCenter stores information about a policy and manages a set of processes that, if completed successfully, result in changes to the policy. Examples of policy changes are: creation of a new policy, renewal of a policy for a new term, or cancellation of a policy. As a result of each policy transaction (such as adding an additional driver to an auto policy), the system determines the price of the transaction. If successfully completed, PolicyCenter forwards this pricing information to a billing system. The pricing information is also important for reporting to regulators.

PolicyCenter Demystified:

PolicyCenter allows you to tailor your products. Before you can use PolicyCenter to manage policies, you must first define your product line. In other words, what products are you going to offer? The first level of the product model hierarchy are products. Carriers or agents sell these products (such as personal auto or workers’ compensation policies) to customers. Each individual policy is an instance of a product. Therefore, personal auto, business owners, and workers’ compensation are all products. 

    While PolicyCenter comes with certain lines of business, its real power is in its flexibility. You can customize the default lines of business to meet your business needs. You can also create your own lines of business using Guidewire Studio. (PolicyCenter includes Studio.)

How do you configure PolicyCenter? 

Use Guidewire Studio as the integrated development environment (IDE) to configure PolicyCenter to meet your business needs. Studio contains various editors that allow you to control workflow, jobs, PCF screens, typelists, rules, and Gosu.

See the following guides to learn more about configuring, creating rules, and using Gosu:

• PolicyCenter Configuration Guide

• PolicyCenter Rules Guide

• Gosu Reference Guide

How are lines different from products? 

For example, general liability and commercial property are both lines. If you represent a business, you can buy a general liability product, which just includes the general liability line. Then you can buy a commercial property product, which includes just the commercial property line. However, you can also buy a commercial package product, which may include both the general liability and commercial property lines. This is a multi-line product, as opposed to a mono line product. Conversely, an insurer can sell multiple products, each of which includes the same line or lines. This means that a product can be targeted to a particular group. For example, an insurer can offer a commercial package for shopping centers, one for hotels, and one for universities. 

How do you manage policies? 

You create and manage policies through a web interface. On this virtual Desktop, you create work orders (or jobs) which process policies in various ways. Types of jobs include: submission, issuance, policy change, renewal, cancellation, reinstate, rewrite, and audit.

Logging into PolicyCenter

To log into PolicyCenter, you need:

• The Internet Explorer web browser. Guidewire currently supports Internet Explorer version 6.0 and higher.

• The URL (web address) for connecting to PolicyCenter. See the PolicyCenter Installation Guide for details on installation and the web address to use. You can set up a Favorite link to the URL or a create a shortcut on your computer desktop that starts Internet Explorer with that URL.

• A user name and password.

1. Launch PolicyCenter by opening up an instance of Internet Explorer using the appropriate web address, 

               such as: http://localhost:8180/pc/PolicyCenter.do

2. Enter your User Name and Password on the login screen.

      If you check the Keep me logged in field and log in, you are logged in automatically for the next seven days whenever you navigate to the login page. (The application must be hosted by the same application server.) If you Log Out of PolicyCenter, then you will need to log in the next time you navigate to the login page.

     When you select Keep me logged in, PolicyCenter writes a cookie to your machine. As is the case with all Internet Explorer cookies, this can expose a security risk if other people get access to the cookie. (For example,someone could copy the cookie to another machine and then be able to log in without entering a user name or password.) If this is a concern, then you can remove this field from the login page in your PolicyCenter implementation. 

     When you log in, PolicyCenter displays your startup view (or landing page).

Note: Since PolicyCenter generates screens dynamically:

- You cannot create Favorites to screens other than the login screen.

- The Back button (pointed out by the arrow) is not supported.

In the default configuration, PolicyCenter opens to the My Activities screen on the Desktop tab. This screen lists all open activities that have been assigned to you.

Changing Your Startup View

1. Change your startup view by clicking Preferences located in the upper right corner of the application. The Preferences worksheet appears.

2. Select a different Startup Page.

In the Preferences worksheet, you can also:

• Change your password.

• Have email notification of an activity sent to you. This must be configured.

• Determine how many recent accounts, policies, and jobs to display.

Common Areas in the PolicyCenter User Interface

The PolicyCenter main user interface contains the following areas:

Area Description:

 1. The Tab Bar contains:

                      • Tabs

                      • QuickJump box. This is the white text box that displays Go to (Alt-/). For more                                            information, see “The QuickJump Box”.                                             

                      • Unsaved Work menu. For more information, see “Saving Your Work”.

                      • Links to Help, About, Preferences, and Log Out.

 2. The Info Bar contains relevant information that pertains to your immediate task as seen  in the main screen area (#4). It is not always visible, and in the default configuration, it is visible only on the Account and Policy tabs. There can be links which allow you to navigate up a level, such as from a policy to an account.

3. The Sidebar contains menu links and the Actions menu. Use the Sidebar menu links to navigate to different pages. The items in the Sidebar are contextual and change depending on the policy object.

4 The Screen Area displays most of the business information. This is where you interact with it.

5 The Workspace Area can display information separate from the Screen Area, such as modifying your Preferences or viewing or adding a note.

PolicyCenter Tabs

In PolicyCenter, tabs group together logical functions. Tabs can also contain menus with shortcuts to screens on that tab. To see these menus, click the down arrow next to the tab name and select the link from the drop-down list. The following illustration shows the sub-menus of common tabs.

              PolicyCenter has by these main tabs:

                             • “The Desktop Tab” 

                             • “The Account Tab” 

                             • “The Policy Tab” 

                             • “The Search Tab” 

                             • “The Team Tab” 

                             • “The Administration Tab” 

The Desktop Tab

Think of the Desktop tab as the electronic desktop that organizes your main types of activities.

• My Activities displays activities that have been assigned to you. You can reassign an activity to another user, skip an activity which closes it, or mark an activity as complete.

• My Accounts displays accounts that you recently created or are working on. Click an account number link to go directly to that account’s Account File Summary screen in the Account tab.

• My Submissions displays submissions you recently created or are working on. Use the search drop-down menu to narrow your search criteria.

• My Renewals displays renewals you recently created or are working on. Use the search drop-down menu to filter the list of items.

• My Policy Changes displays policy changes you created or are working on. Use the search drop-down menu to filter the list of items.

• My Queues displays activities that have been assigned to groups you belong to, but have not been assigned to a specific individual. Click Assign Next to Me to assign the activity to yourself. This removes it from the queue.

The Account Tab

     From the Account tab, you can either create a new account or find an established one. If you select the tab directly, PolicyCenter remembers which account you last worked on and displays that account information in the Account File. The Account File includes information about the account itself, its contacts and locations, the policies held by the account, and policy transactions (such as submissions and renewals) for the account. 

     You can edit account information, or change the account holder to another person or company. To learn about managing account information, see “The Account File”.

The Policy Tab

Like the Account tab, the Policy tab remembers the last few policies you worked on. Clicking on Policy takes you directly to the policy file for the last policy you worked on. The policy file includes both the policy contract information and the policy tools information. The policy contract describes what the policy covers. The policy tools provide supporting information about the work done on the policy, such as notes, documents, work-plan, and risk analysis.

You can also do the following:

• Create a submission.

• Find a submission or policy.

To learn about the policy file, see “Policy File”.

The Search Tab

Use the Search tab to find:

• Policies

• Accounts

• Producer Codes

• Activities

• Contacts

Some fields on search screens are text fields. When you enter text into one of these fields, PolicyCenter searches for a match that starts with that text. For example, if you entered Jones into the last name field, then the search returns all last names that start with Jones. This would include: Jones, Jonesburg, or Jones-Smith.

You must enter an exact match in the Account Number and Policy Number fields.

During a search, PolicyCenter uses only those fields in the form in which data exists. For example, if you search for a Policy and enter a Last Name but not a Policy Number, PolicyCenter omits Policy Number from the search.

The search results returns accounts, policies, or work orders with link to view details. Accounts, policies, or work orders for which you do not have sufficient producer code permissions do not appear in the search results.

See also

• “Data-based Security for Accounts and Policies”

• “Configuring Search Functionality” in the Configuration Guide

Search Policies:

The Search Policies screen allows you to search for policies and work orders. The default setting is Policy. Using the Search For pull-down menu, you can search for the following work order types:

• Cancellation

• Final Audit

• Policy Change

• Premium Report

• Reinstatement

• Renewal

• Rewrite

• Submission

When you choose Final Audit or Premium Report, options appear that allow you to search by date. You can search by Audit period end date or Audit due date and specify a date range. This search finds audit jobs that have been started. The search does not find audit jobs with a status of Scheduled. Managers can use this search to find all final audits due between a set of dates. Then the manager can assign the audits.

Search Contacts:

The Search Contacts screen displays a list of matching contacts. Click the contact Name to display the Contact Details screen. This screen contains the following tabs:

• Contact Detail—displays basic information such as name, address, and official IDs.

• Addresses—displays all addresses associated with the contact.

• Accounts—displays all accounts associated with the contact.

• Policies—displays all policies associated with the contact that you have producer code permissions to view.

• Open Work Orders—displays all open work orders associated with the contact.

These tabs display the accounts, policies, and work orders for which you have sufficient producer code permissions.

The Team Tab

     In the PolicyCenter Team tab, supervisors and managers can manage their teams, obtain instant status information, monitor caseloads, identify backlogs, and reassign activities. In some respects, this tab serves as a reporting tool. For example, a supervisor can see real time summaries of activities based on groups, then navigate to view and manage a subordinate’s workload. 

To learn about team management, see “Team Management”.

Dynamic Product Model

The PolicyCenter product model is at the core of its line-of-business configuration. It defines the products that carriers offer through PolicyCenter. PolicyCenter stores these product definitions as patterns. PolicyCenter uses these patterns during the submission process to generate instances of policies or the sub components of policies. Use Guidewire Studio to create and manage your product model. 

Envision the product model as a product configurator. You can equate it to a computer manufacturer’s web site that offers several models of laptop computers, each with different features to select from. Manufacturers typically design their product for a specific market. The manufacturer provides one laptop for consumers who travel and need a light weight laptop. They provide another for consumers who need a very fast computer with large amounts of RAM and the latest graphics card. The manufacturer figures out what consumers want and creates products that fill that need. You can configure PolicyCenter to meet your business needs. You can define a product, select a policy line, offer different coverages, and coverage terms. 

     PolicyCenter is dynamic—products can be defined, created, and implemented within weeks. For each product, the product model defines what can be covered for that product. For example, in an auto policy there would be information about collision coverage and uninsured motorist property damage coverage. The business logic can be configured in Studio. If a carrier wants to expand their product line, and they have a legacy mainframe system, it can take many months or even years to implement. In other words, Guidewire designed PolicyCenter so that users can introduce new products and quickly bring them to market.

Example:

Janet Jones, an Acme Insurance producer, has noticed many people driving the new hybrid auto (gas and electric). She has an idea that she thinks her manager will like. So she begins to research the idea of offering a new coverage that can bring more revenue to the company. Her extensive research indicates that more than 20% of new car drivers in three surrounding cities drive the new vehicle. Further research also indicates that the life span of the battery is about 80,000 miles. She proposes to her manager that Acme can be the first insurance company in their area to offer special coverage on the hybrid that would cover batteries. Her manager likes the proposal. Offering a new hybrid coverage can be implemented in PolicyCenter in weeks, instead of the years that it would take an IT department to make changes on a legacy system. This speed gives insurance companies the competitive edge to get to market quickly.

See the PolicyCenter Configuration Guide for details.

Lines of Business in the Base Application

The PolicyCenter base application contains several lines of business. Each line of business contains a reference implementation that you can use to accelerate your implementation. Each line of business includes reference implementations for jobs, policy file screens, sample rating rules, and may also contain sample eligibility/evaluation rules or forms logic. Each reference implementation also provides sample content, though the extent of this content varies by line of business.

PolicyCenter includes the following lines of business:

• Business Auto

• Businessowners

• Commercial Package (includes Commercial Property, Inland Marine, and General Liability)

• Commercial Property

• General Liability

• Inland Marine

• Personal Auto

• Workers’ Compensation

Note: The PolicyCenter default application is not a compliance system. Guidewire designed the product model so that you can maintain your lines of business within your jurisdictions, as necessary. For example, the system tables in the default application can accommodate multiple classifications per jurisdiction over time. Lines of business can accommodate many coverages and exclusions per jurisdiction over time. The default application contains a sample set of these classifications, coverages, and exclusions.

Policy Lifecycle

The core of PolicyCenter revolves around the policy. So it is helpful to understand the lifecycle of a policy, which includes jobs and transactions, within PolicyCenter.

Note: This diagram does not attempt to display all the details in each job, but rather provides a high level view. You can find detailed descriptions for each job in subsequent topics.

Submissions
The goal of the submission process is to create a policy and have the policyholder accept it. After entering the policyholder’s information, the producer gives a quote. If the policyholder agrees and accepts it, then the producer binds the policy and sends it out with the accompanying documentation. The producer also forwards the billing information to an external billing system (not shown in the diagram).

Policy Changes
Any changes to a policy can require additional evaluation on the part of an underwriter and result in a change to the premium. A typical change might include additions to the policy (such as adding drivers or cars) or changes to coverage limits and deductible amounts.

Renewals
The normal progression just before a policy expires is to renew it for another period of time—six to 12 months is typical. After PolicyCenter renews a policy, it returns the policy to maintenance mode until the policy changes,expires, cancels, or renews again.


Cancellations and Reinstatements
You can also cancel policies. Before the cancellation processes completes, a cancellation can be rescinded. An example is a producer mailing a cancellation notice for non-payment to a policyholder. If the policyholder corrects this by submitting payment before the cancellation date then the policy can be rescinded with no break in coverage.

Reinstatements
Reinstatements go hand in hand with cancellations and are a type of policy change that returns a canceled policy to in-force status. The policy is in-force as of the reinstatement date. The reinstatement removes the cancellation from the policy period since the period is no longer canceled. The expiration date remains the same.

Rewrites
When there are many errors are on a policy, it becomes necessary to rewrite it. Policies must first be canceled before being rewritten.

Audits
The audit job lets the carrier verify information about the policyholder so that they can determine the accuracy of premiums paid. The audit job provides final audit and premium reports.

PolicyCenter supports only final audit for the workers’ compensation line of business. You set up the method of final audit (physical, voluntary, or by phone) when you create the workers’ compensation policy.

With premium reports, the policyholder is billed for premium based on periodic requests for actual basis amounts, such as payroll. A deposit, usually a percentage of the estimated annual premium, is billed at the beginning of the policy. As each reporting period ends, the policyholder is billed based on the actual basis reported by them.