Pay Attention to the Bad News When Converting to a New Core System

This is an interesting article and proves up a couple points: 1. A Core changes is never “EASY” 2. Allow plenty of time for implementation and training.

Several years ago I made the mistake of saying a core change is “not has hard as it once was”, well that was a mistake. Like the article points out, it depends. It depends on the attitude of the Bank, management commitment and the quality of the conversion team from the vendor, just to name a few.

If you’re a “old school” guy like me it’s not as hard as it once was but it’s still not “EASY”.

I have not been involved in a single conversion, core or otherwise, where there were not hurdles to overcome. No change is easy, whether it be technical, professional, or personal; from changing core vendors to changing job duties to changing eating habbits, all deviation from the status quo requires planning, effort, and dedication. Change is never easy, but making a right change is worth the price you pay.

As far as vendors go, I feel really good when they tell me, with confidence, what they can and cannot do. I am much more comfortable with a vendor whose sales staff works closely with its tech staff so that sales does not promise something tech cannot deliver. Being told, “No, we cannot do that” makes me feel much better than hearing, “Yes, I think we can probably come up with a way to make that work.” In my experience, both answers are really “No”, it is just that the first one is immedate and the second one takes weeks or months to get to the same “No” answer.

Nice feedback, guys! You both bring up some great points. Hopefully more members will chime in with their personal experiences of what to look out for when undergoing a core conversion.