When quizzing banks about their projects it becomes apparent that there is hardly ever a rigorous post-implementation analysis. In many ways, it seems the effort of cutting over to the new system, then the workload that often follows to resolve issues, mean any good intentions to do an analysis of the benefits falls by the wayside. Some of the benefits are, anyway, difficult to quantify: How do you measure improved time to market for new products, for instance? Or improved management information and risk management?
Liechtensteinische Landesbank carried out a management survey after its core system cut-over but it is hard to find banks that have done a more sophisticated analysis. The danger is that lessons will be lost for future system projects.
On occasions, the new systems can open up entire business lines, such as treasury and trade finance at Equity Bank in Kenya. At Lagoon Home Savings and Loans in Nigeria, its new system allowed it to launch a mortgage offering, a lease account, a cash advance on salaries, and a variable rate savings account.
Most banks within this case studies series have built good relations with their suppliers. The issues have been worked through and all of the banks have come out the other side in reasonable states of satisfaction. Of course, not all stories have happy endings and there are still too many core system projects that go awry. There is a lot to be learned from the experiences of others, and this is one of the main aims of these case studies, to show what other banks did well, what they did less well, what they would do differently, and how they went about the complex and high-risk task of replacing their systems.
