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Rolling Out SharePoint for Claims Management in UK Insurance: Lessons Learned

· 3 min read
SharePoint Insurance Workflow

By James Turner, Software Developer, London, 2013

In 2013, I was part of a team tasked with replacing a patchwork of Excel trackers and old Access databases with a single, unified claims management platform at a major insurance provider in London. The chosen tool: Microsoft SharePoint 2013. I’d worked with SharePoint before, but never as the core workflow engine for a business-critical system.

Why SharePoint?​

The business wanted:

  • A web-based platform for requests, approvals, and document management.
  • Integration with Active Directory and Outlook.
  • Customizable workflows and security, but “easy” for non-IT staff to update forms and lists.

On paper, SharePoint ticked all the boxes. But the reality was more complex.

Key Challenges​

1. Workflow Complexity​

Insurance claims sound simple—customer submits, agent reviews, manager approves. But in practice, dozens of exceptions, escalations, and compliance checks exist. SharePoint Designer workflows quickly became a web of “if-else” logic, parallel approvals, and loops.

  • Debugging workflows was time-consuming: even minor changes sometimes broke the whole process.
  • Approval tasks often stalled in users’ mailboxes, or were missed if permissions weren’t set just right.

2. Custom Forms & Integration​

SharePoint’s built-in forms are… basic. We needed:

  • Custom InfoPath forms for dynamic fields and conditional logic.
  • Integration with our mainframe for pulling client data — which meant wrestling with web services, authentication, and legacy formats.
  • File uploads, versioning, and strict audit trails for compliance.

InfoPath looked promising at first, but custom rules often conflicted with SharePoint’s validation, leading to cryptic errors and unhappy users.

3. User Training & Change Management​

Non-IT staff struggled with SharePoint’s interface, especially permissions, document libraries, and workflow notifications.

  • Mistakes with permissions sometimes exposed sensitive cases.
  • Training had to be ongoing: every new process, every update, meant retraining.

4. Performance & Scalability​

SharePoint can be fast—until too many workflows and attachments accumulate.

  • We faced slow page loads, search indexing delays, and even occasional data corruption in custom lists.
  • Our IT team had to optimize SQL databases and set up regular clean-ups for old workflow history.

What Worked Well​

  • Integration with Active Directory meant instant user provisioning and role management.
  • Document versioning and audit trails improved compliance.
  • Once users adapted, email notifications and task lists helped keep processes moving.

If I Had to Do It Again​

  • Keep workflows as simple as possible. Push exceptions outside SharePoint, or handle them manually.
  • Invest in training and user support from day one, not as an afterthought.
  • Use custom development (Visual Studio workflows, web parts) only where truly necessary.
  • Plan for maintenance: SharePoint projects never really “end”.

Conclusion​

SharePoint can be a powerful platform for claims management, but it’s not “plug and play” — especially for complex insurance workflows.
Success comes from balancing the business’s desire for flexibility with the technical realities (and quirks) of SharePoint.

Sources:

  • Project documentation, London insurance company, 2013
  • SharePoint/InfoPath logs and deployment notes
  • User feedback and training materials from the rollout