Replacing a bank’s legacy systems

Engagement Overview

A financial services client is replacing the bank’s legacy systems with a modern, robust and scalable core-banking platform. This investment in technology is central to the bank’s simplification and growth agenda, and will enable the business to deliver better, faster and more cost effective services through genuine interactions with customers.

This engagement involved the development and execution of a Business Support Model to underpin the implementation of the Unsecured Personal Loans (UPL) go-live.  The implementation commenced with an initial end-to-end test originating a select few UPL applications, followed by rollout to the customer contact centre and 3 Brisbane Central branches. This was followed by a national rollout by region across the remaining 160 branches.

This initiative is the largest business transformation program ever undertaken by the client with a combined budget of over $300M.

Scope of work

A key part of this engagement was the Business Support Model to underpin the implementation of release 1 (Unsecured Personal Loan Product) and extended to:

• Pre Go-live: User Acceptance Testing (UAT), System Testing carry over (pre UAT) and User Training;
• Release 1 Go-Live, National Rollout and Warranty Period
• Handover from Warranty to Business As Usual (BAU)

As part of the Business Support Model, a wide range of business stakeholders were engaged in order to identify key implementation milestones and related business activities (e.g. UAT, User Training, release 1 Go-live, release 1 National Rollout and release 1 National Upgrade).  The implementation phase ensured that all of the programs’ UPL users and support teams (e.g. Super Users, Bank Internal Support Teams) were appropriately trained in the system in a timely and effective manner.  Business procedures that were required to support end users were also delivered via this model.  Both User Acceptance Testing and Dress Rehearsals were planned and completed to meet all of the defined and agreed exit criteria.

As part of the implementation governance and go-live sign-off process, a total of 68 business stakeholders were engaged in order to agree to defined UAT exit criteria, delivery risks (including plans to mitigate/resolve) and any outstanding defects.  This included a full list of workarounds and plans to resolve delivered defects post go-live.

A go-live ‘Command Centre’ was designed and established to support and either resolve or workaround issues that arose both pre, during and post go-live.  A daily stand-up was facilitated, which included core support teams and any parties that were needed to resolve any current or outstanding issues, defects or queries.

Outcome

The implementation and go-live of release 1 of the program (Unsecured Personal Loans) was very well planned, rehearsed and executed, on-time with minimal disruption to customers.  All workarounds and associated procedure changes were delivered with a quick turnaround in order to overcome any shortfalls or defects.  All delivered risks were clearly identified, articulated and mitigated to the satisfaction of the business and industry regulators.