Agile in Action: How I Delivered a Seamless Buy to Let Calculator for Aldermore Bank
Aldermore Bank, a retail bank serving UK SMEs since 2009, needed a smarter way to support landlords and intermediaries navigating Buy to Let mortgages. Following a full rebuild of their web estate in Umbraco, I was brought in to lead a focused, high-impact project: delivering a simple, user-friendly calculator that would improve SEO, reduce customer service noise, and increase conversions.
The Challenge:
Aldermore wanted to launch a Buy to Let calculator that would achieve multiple business goals:
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Increase Buy to Let mortgage applications
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Drive click-throughs to product pages from calculator results
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Reduce complaints and support queries
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Improve organic SEO performance for mortgage tools, an area with high search volume
But they didn’t just want the tool delivery, they wanted full transparency throughout. Aldermore was one of Rippleffect’s first fully Agile clients and embedded one of their own as Product Owner within my delivery team. The stakes were high: this tool had to work, be understood by non-technical users, and deliver tangible results fast.
The Strategy:
As Scrum Master, I led the project using a fully Agile approach. With an embedded Product Owner, I was able to focus on delivery quality while ensuring tight feedback loops and rapid iteration.
Here’s how I made it happen:
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User-first functionality was expressed through clear user stories like “As a user, I should be shown the maximum amount I can borrow.” These were easy for everyone to understand—developers, testers, stakeholders, and business teams alike.
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Technical layers were managed via JIRA, with API specs, acceptance criteria, and separation into high-level Epics (e.g. compliance, tracking, admin UX).
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Ongoing prioritisation was enabled via close collaboration with the Product Owner during backlog grooming and daily standups.
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Sprint reviews ensured that there were no big surprises—progress was continuously visible and feedback could be actioned in real time.
By removing ambiguity and documentation bloat, I helped the team focus on what mattered: delivering a high-quality, compliant product that met user needs and business objectives.
The Results:
Delivered on time and to budget, the calculator exceeded expectations:
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A clean, responsive two-step tool that simplified complex decisions for landlords and brokers
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An increase in Buy to Let mortgage applications through the new calculator pathway
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Higher engagement and product page traffic from calculator users
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Reduction in user enquiries and complaints due to clearer information and process
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Improved SEO performance for high-volume mortgage calculator terms
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Continuous stakeholder visibility and confidence through Agile ceremonies
The Aldermore Buy to Let Calculator wasn’t just a tech success—it was a business success, driven by agile delivery and clear communication. If you’re launching a digital tool in a regulated or complex space, I can help you move fast, iterate with confidence, and get results.
Let’s talk about how I can bring the same delivery clarity to your next product.
“Working with Ben has been an absolute pleasure. My experience reporting in to him is that he is a sea of calm, regardless of the prevailing challenges.” – Patrick Dwyer, Business Analyst
Aldermore Bank BTL Calculator FAQ
After delivering the Buy to Let Calculator for Aldermore Bank, several key themes consistently came up, especially around Agile delivery, technical management, and the business value of tools like this in regulated environments. Below, I’ve answered the most common questions to give you a clearer picture of how I led the project and why it worked so well.
For regulated industries like banking, technical and compliance alignment is critical. In the Aldermore Bank Buy to Let Calculator project, I structured the backlog around Epics covering all core domains: compliance, end-user functionality, admin access, and analytics.
Each ticket in JIRA had clear user stories with acceptance criteria, plus supporting technical details like API endpoints or validation rules. This meant developers and testers could work confidently, knowing they weren’t missing regulatory constraints or functional edge cases. Compliance teams could trace requirements from brief to release, and any required tweaks were actioned rapidly thanks to Agile ceremonies.
This structure gave Aldermore Bank peace of mind and a quality outcome. If you’re balancing compliance and speed, I can help you do both.
Aldermore Bank’s Buy to Let Calculator wasn’t just a convenience feature—it was a strategic asset. The business case behind the tool was focused on four clear objectives: driving more Buy to Let mortgage applications, increasing click-through rates to product pages, reducing support enquiries, and boosting SEO visibility for highly searched terms like “buy to let mortgage calculator.”
By simplifying the loan calculation process into two easy steps and building it on a fast, responsive platform, we created something users actually wanted to engage with. The results spoke for themselves: more applications, better search rankings, and fewer complaints.
If you’re building a calculator or digital tool with commercial goals in mind, I can help you turn it into something that drives results—just like I did for Aldermore Bank.
By using Agile delivery methods, I was able to keep the Aldermore Bank team fully in the loop throughout development. With their embedded Product Owner involved in backlog grooming and sprint ceremonies, there were no long waits for updates or ambiguous requirements. Every user story was written clearly, with acceptance criteria, so the entire team knew exactly what was being delivered and why.
The result was a calculator that met real business goals—fewer complaints, more engagement, and improved SEO, while ensuring no surprises. Sprint reviews every two weeks gave stakeholders immediate visibility of working product iterations, allowing for fast feedback and prioritisation. For Aldermore Bank, this Agile approach saved time, improved quality, and reduced project risk.
If you want the same clarity and results in your next digital delivery, let’s talk.
