The Underwriter's Journey¶
Before configuring anything, it is worth understanding what an underwriter actually sees and does in Workbench from day to day. This page walks through a standard Open Market risk from login to binding. No configuration knowledge is needed — this is purely the user experience.
Logging in: the dashboard¶
When a user logs in, they land on the dashboard — a Kanban board showing all in-flight risks. Risks are displayed as cards organised into columns by their processing status.
The columns correspond to the risk lifecycle: LOGGED → WORK IN PROGRESS → QUOTING → BOUND. Risks move between columns as the underwriter progresses them.
At the top of the dashboard, tabs allow the user to switch between views — for example, between Open Market risks and DUA contracts. Each tab can have its own columns and default filters.
Finding and filtering risks¶
Risks can be found by scrolling the board, using the search bar, or applying filters. Filters can be combined (e.g. by underwriter, by class, by date range) and saved for future use.
Each risk card shows configurable fields — typically the insured name, class, underwriter, and inception date countdown.
Creating a new risk¶
Clicking the + button opens the submission form — a multi-step wizard. The underwriter fills in:
- The insured's details (name, address, party lookup)
- The class of business and placing type
- The inception and expiry dates
- Broker information
- Any other fields configured for this product
On submission, the risk appears in the LOGGED column and the initial workflow begins automatically (any configured initial pipelines fire).
Working through risk actions¶
Opening a risk card reveals the risk record — the full detail view for that risk. On the left-hand side is a list of risk actions: the steps the underwriter needs to complete.
Actions are ordered and can have prerequisites. A typical Open Market workflow:
| Step | Action | What the underwriter does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Appetite Check | Answers structured questions to confirm the risk is within appetite |
| 2 | Risk Structure | Documents the risk structure and reserve references |
| 3 | Structured Quote | Prices the risk — fills in premium, limits, commission, and policy structure |
| 4 | Document Creation | Selects clauses, previews the quote document, and generates the final PDF |
| 5 | Structured Broker Response | Issues the quote response to the broker |
| 6 | Contract Certainty | Confirms contract certainty |
| 7 | Confirm Bind in PAS | Records the final binding in the Policy Administration System |
Each action is a button. Clicking it opens a pop-up with a form. The underwriter fills in the form and saves/submits — which triggers any configured pipelines (e.g. rules engine validation, data sync to an external system).
Viewing and downloading documents¶
Generated documents appear in the Documents tab on the risk record. The underwriter can preview, download, and share documents from this tab.
MTAs, renewals, and tasks¶
- MTA (Mid-Term Adjustment) — an amendment to a bound risk. Creates a new version linked to the original.
- Renewal — appears on the dashboard 90 days before expiry. Once processed, becomes a new risk in
LOGGEDstatus. - Tasks — assignable work items attached to a risk (e.g. "Chase broker for signed slip"). Separate from risk actions.
Smart Submissions (if configured)¶
If Smart Submissions is enabled, there is a separate Smart Submissions tab on the dashboard. Inbound submission emails appear here with AI-extracted field suggestions highlighted in green. The underwriter reviews the suggestions, corrects any errors, and clicks New Risk to open the pre-populated submission form.
The DUA experience¶
For DUA (Delegated Underwriting), the flow is similar but there are additional concepts:
- Master risks appear in a separate tab. They are the framework contracts (binding authorities, lineslips).
- Declarations are child risks linked to a master. They can be created individually or uploaded as a bordereau spreadsheet.
- Certificates are auto-generated from bordereau processing — one per insured item in the spreadsheet.
- Exemptions allow ad hoc overrides to validation rules, subject to a governance approval workflow.
Now that you understand what users experience, you are ready to start building it. Head to Foundational Setup Order to understand the recommended sequence for a new implementation.