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Use case · Core banking migration

Core banking system migration: cutover is won at the branch counter, on Monday morning.

New screens, new account numbers, new product codes: a core banking migration changes everything at once, on a fixed date, for thousands of employees. The system can be ready on Friday night; it is the teams that have to be ready on Monday.

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K-Studio
Exercise 2 of 8Score 100%
Simulation
CodeProductHolders
ex-CC01Personal current account1
ex-CJ02Joint account2
ex-LA10Savings account1
ex-PR05Business account1
Joint account · Case 48213Approve case
Holder 1Claire MartinHolder 2Paul MartinParts2 of 2 checkedFormer number0451-221, carried over automatically
iYour turnOpen a joint account for Claire and Paul Martin.!AlmostTwo holders: that’s the joint account, formerly code CJ02.✓Well doneRight product. Now check the holders.
65 000Crédit Agricole employees prepared for the new system of its 39 regional banks
10 000HSBC employees trained on 200 processes before the HUB portal went live
230Banque Française Mutualiste users guided in their new core banking system
The short answer

How do you prepare staff for a core banking migration?

By treating cutover as a human event as much as a technical one, at three points in time.

Before cutover · K-STUDIO

Rehearse on a replica of the new system

Each user group replays its everyday transactions, without touching production data.

On cutover day · K-NOW

Guide the first live case

Help appears on the new screen, at the moment the adviser hesitates.

After cutover · K-VALUE

Measure the return to normal

Screens where people get stuck, abandoned journeys, branches falling behind.

The problem

The programme prepares the system. Nobody rehearses the task.

A core banking migration puts hundreds of people on data migration, interfaces and testing. Employees, meanwhile, often see the screens in a classroom a few weeks before, then in production on cutover day.

×Cutover endured
  • A classroom demo weeks before cutover, forgotten by the day itself.
  • Numbers and product codes that change with no link between old and new.
  • A support desk swamped as soon as branches open on day one.
  • Printed procedures sitting next to the screen for weeks.
✓Cutover prepared
  • Exercises on a replica of the new portal: 250 modules for Crédit Agricole’s 65,000 employees.
  • Preparation by role: HSBC built 200 processes for 70 user groups.
  • Guidance on the new screens on cutover day, installed on premises at BFM.
  • Usage tracking to see where more support is needed, branch by branch.
What the numbers say

A failed migration costs months, not days.

5.2mTSB customers affected by the migration to its new platform in April 2018. Getting back to normal took until December.FCA and PRA, decision of 20 December 2022
£48.65mfine imposed on TSB by UK regulators, on top of £32.7m paid to customers in redress.FCA and PRA, decision of 20 December 2022
70 %of digital transformations exceed their original budget; 7% cost more than double.McKinsey, 2023 (study with Oxford Global Projects, 2001–2021)
In the branch

BFM guides its teams in its new core banking system.

Banque Française Mutualiste is moving to a new system made up of several applications, including Sopra Banking Software. On the recommendation of Deloitte’s Change team, K-NOW is installed on premises to guide users on the new screens.

230 users

Every employee affected by the system change.

1 on-premises installation

Inside the bank’s own environment, with guidance co-produced by Deloitte and BFM.

CustomerskSTEP 1 / 3Open the account opening case.AccountsTransactionsTransfersPermissions
Account opening · 48213Approve
CustomerClaire MartinFormer customer no.0451-221Account typekSTEP 2 / 3Choose the account type: the codes have changed.kSTEP 3 / 3Check the documents before approving.Supporting documentsTo checkBranchHome branch
Crédit AgricoleProjet Nice65 000employees, 39 regional banks

250 modules to rehearse before cutover

Guided tours, gamified discovery and simulated exercises on the unified portal.

Read the success story → HSBCHUB portal10 000employees, 70 user groups

200 simulated processes after an IT merger

Each role rehearses its own tasks before go-live.

Read the success story → BFMSopra Banking230users supported

On-premises guidance in the new system

K-NOW takes over from training when the first live case arrives.

Read the success story →

See also:our definition of core banking (in French)

The cutover timeline

Three moments, three user groups, three different risks.

Before cutover, the whole network has to rehearse. Over the weekend, a few teams pick up the pending transactions. On Monday morning, every branch serves its first customers on brand-new screens. Each moment needs its own support.

The method

Four steps to prepare a core banking cutover.

Map what changes

Screens, numbers, product codes, permissions: by user group, like HSBC’s 70.

Rehearse before cutover

K-STUDIO exercises on a replica of the new system: see go-live training.

Guide the first weeks

K-NOW shows help on the new screens, including on premises.

Measure the return to normal

K-VALUE shows where people get stuck, screen by screen and branch by branch.

By software

Your core banking system is already covered.

The method doesn’t depend on the vendor. See what changes for each solution.

TemenosTemenosCore and digital banking, from retail to private banking.Temenos adoption → Sopra Banking SoftwareSopra BankingThe core of many French banks, including BFM.Sopra Banking adoption → AvaloqAvaloqCore banking for private banking and wealth management.Avaloq adoption →
The solutions

Before, during and after cutover.

K
K-STUDIOApplication simulator

Rehearse cutover before it happens.

A replica of the new system to replay account openings, transfers and everyday transactions, without touching real data.

Explore K-STUDIO→
  • Cloned screens, anonymized data
  • Journeys by user group
  • In the classroom or as e-learning
  • Assessment for each module
K
K-NOWDigital adoption platform

Guide the first live case.

Walkthroughs and messages shown on the new screens, with no change to the applications.

Explore K-NOW→
  • Contextual step-by-step guidance
  • Old-to-new code mapping on screen
  • Targeting by role and branch
  • On-premises installation available
K
K-VALUEDigital adoption analytics

Know when cutover is really over.

Indicators by branch and by role to steer the return to normal.

Explore K-VALUE→
  • Screen-by-screen usage
  • Abandoned journeys
  • Transaction time
  • Branch comparison
FAQ

Core banking migration: your questions.

What is a core banking migration?
It means replacing the central system that holds a bank’s accounts, transactions and products. For employees, everything changes at once and on a fixed date: screens, account numbers, product codes and journeys.
Why is cutover the riskiest moment?
Because it is massive and hard to reverse in the short term. In April 2018, TSB’s migration to its new platform hit a significant share of its 5.2 million customers; getting back to normal took until December, and UK regulators fined the bank £48.65m in 2022.
How do you prepare bank advisers for a new core system?
By having them rehearse their tasks on a replica before cutover. Crédit Agricole produced 250 K-STUDIO modules for the 65,000 employees of its 39 regional banks, used both in the classroom and as e-learning.
Does each role need its own preparation?
Yes. A loan officer, a savings adviser and a wealth manager do not open the same screens. HSBC built 200 simulated processes for 70 user groups before its HUB portal went live.
How do you support users on cutover day?
On the new screens, when the first live case arrives. K-NOW overlays walkthroughs and messages on the applications without changing them. BFM uses it in its new core banking system.
Can a digital adoption platform run on premises?
Yes. Banque Française Mutualiste installed K-NOW in its own environment rather than as a hosted service. The guidance was co-produced by Deloitte and BFM.
How do you know cutover has worked for users?
By measuring usage rather than counting support calls: screens where people get stuck, abandoned journeys, transaction times, branches falling behind. K-VALUE shows it screen by screen.
What should a core banking transformation plan include for staff?
Three user milestones alongside the technical cutover: rehearsal on a replica of the new system for every user group, in-app guidance for the first weeks in production, and usage tracking by branch until transaction times are back to normal.
Your core banking migration

Show us a transaction, we’ll show you how to rehearse it.

An account opening, a transfer, a back-office task: we start from a real journey in your future system to show you its simulation and its guidance.

Book a demo