by Art Gillis

It’s that time again (every other year) when I conduct interviews with bankers so I can produce real-world impressions of what technology is doing for banks. These guys are on the job every day and they know what works and what doesn’t. So they tell the truth. Naturally, they want to tell their stories and that’s why the list is biased. I haven’t heard anyone start off with, “Oh man, did I screw up badly.” Here are some of the common characteristics from these success stories that I think you should know:

• All of them had top management approval, support, involvement and coaching.
• All projects were directed by an “owner” who solicited appropriate user involvement.
• Not a single prima donna in the bunch.
• Every case study included cost as a consideration. In the old days, cost didn’t play into recovery from “disasters.”
• Staff considerations were part of every tech decision. Cutting staff was fine, but adding staff was good too if it delivered desired results.
• Vendor support (timely, competent, willing, and delivered with joy) was critical in the success of projects.
• Every case study supports the idea that technology never ends and needs care and feeding.
• A new discovery that now gets more play - Let technology do the mechanical work while people focus on exceptions and thoughtful work.
• The word “partner” is now beginning to mean something as opposed to previous times when it appeared only as a buzz word in vendor brochures.
• Another new discovery. Post implementation used to be like a hangover. Fun last night but do I feel awful now. Bankers are finding value-add benefits that vendors never told them about during the “romancing” phase.

There were some interesting unique parts to these stories, but I wanted you to know what’s common these days. And the unique parts support my preaching. All banks aren’t the same and even a 10% uniqueness is why I recommend one vendor over another. On my most recent 13 assignments, I recommended 8 different solutions and told four banks to stick with their present vendor. I call it the proper fit, not best vendor.

Isn’t it nice to hear from the trenches instead of the ivory towers?

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