Accelerating successful delivery of mission-critical financial systems
Financial institutions invest heavily in trading platforms, risk systems, and finance technology—yet implementations frequently overrun, delay, or fail post-go-live. Our implementation practice ensures on-time, on-budget delivery with minimal business disruption and operational readiness from day one.
Is this the challenge?
- ❌ Delayed implementations - Go-live dates repeatedly pushed back
- ❌ High post-go-live incidents - Production issues causing business impact
- ❌ Poor data readiness - Data migration issues discovered late
- ❌ Weak integration design - Systems don't communicate effectively
- ❌ Inadequate testing - Defects found in production, not UAT
- ❌ Lack of operational readiness - Business unprepared for new system
If these issues resonate, your organization needs expert systems implementation support.
What we deliver
System Architecture Diagrams
- Logical architecture - How components fit together conceptually
- Physical architecture - Actual system topology and infrastructure
- Integration patterns - API, messaging, file-based, real-time vs. batch
- Data flows - What data moves where, when, and how
Integration Design & Mapping
- Interface specifications - Source → target mapping for each integration
- Data transformation logic - How data is converted, enriched, validated
- Error handling - What happens when interfaces fail
- Reconciliation controls - How to validate data accuracy
Data Migration Strategy
- Migration approach - Big bang vs. phased, cutover strategy
- Data cleansing - Addressing quality issues before migration
- Transformation & mapping - Legacy to target system mapping
- Validation & reconciliation - Ensuring data integrity post-migration
Cutover Plans & Runbooks
- Cutover schedule - Minute-by-minute plan for go-live weekend
- Roles & responsibilities - Who does what, when
- Rollback procedures - How to revert if go-live fails
- Communication protocols - Escalation and status reporting
Testing Strategy (SIT, UAT, Regression)
- Test approach - SIT, UAT, performance, security testing
- Test scenarios - Business-critical scenarios and edge cases
- Test data - Representative, compliant data sets
- Defect management - Triage, prioritization, resolution tracking
Hypercare Support
- Post-go-live stabilization - 24/7 support for first 2-4 weeks
- Issue triage - Rapid assessment and resolution
- Workarounds - Temporary fixes to maintain business continuity
- Handover to BAU - Transition to steady-state support
Operational Runbooks & SOPs
- System operations - How to run, monitor, maintain the system
- Day-in-the-life procedures - End-user operational guides
- Incident response - How to handle system failures
- Standard operating procedures - Consistent, repeatable operations
What this solves
Delayed Implementations
Structured project governance, clear milestones, and risk management keep implementations on track.
High Post-Go-Live Incidents
Rigorous testing, cutover rehearsals, and hypercare minimize production issues.
Poor Data Readiness
Early data profiling, cleansing, and migration testing prevent last-minute surprises.
Weak Integration Design
Robust integration architecture and interface specifications ensure seamless system communication.
Deliverables
You receive Big 4 consulting quality implementation outputs:
✅ System Architecture Diagrams
✅ Integration Design & Interface Specifications
✅ Data Migration Strategy & Mapping
✅ Cutover Plans & Runbooks
✅ Testing Strategy & Test Scripts
✅ Hypercare Support Plans
✅ Operational Runbooks & SOPs
✅ Go-Live Readiness Assessments
All designed for enterprise-grade resilience and scalability.
Who this is for
- Investment Banks - Trading platforms (Murex, Calypso, Summit), risk systems (Numerix, RiskMetrics)
- Commercial Banks - Core banking (Temenos, FIS), payments hubs (ACI, FIS)
- Asset Managers - Order management (Charles River, Aladdin), fund accounting (SimCorp)
- Broker-Dealers - Trade processing, clearing, settlement platforms
- FinTechs - Building or replacing mission-critical systems
Typical engagement
Phase 1: Design & Preparation (Weeks 1-4)
- Architecture design
- Integration specifications
- Data migration strategy
- Test strategy
- Cutover planning
Phase 2: Build & Test (Weeks 5-12)
- Integration development support
- Data migration execution
- SIT coordination
- UAT support
- Performance testing
Phase 3: Go-Live & Hypercare (Weeks 13-16)
- Cutover execution
- Go-live support
- Hypercare (24/7)
- Issue resolution
- Handover to BAU
Pricing
Implementation Advisory: £45k - £120k
Duration: 10-16 weeks
Scope: Full implementation lifecycle support
Integration Design & Build: £25k - £65k
Duration: 6-10 weeks
Scope: Interface specifications and integration testing
Cutover & Hypercare: £18k - £35k
Duration: 4-6 weeks
Scope: Go-live execution and post-implementation stabilization
Implementation Resource (Day Rate): £950-£1,400/day
For embedded programme support
Real results
Tier-1 Investment Bank (Murex Trading Platform)
Challenge: 9-month delay, weak integration design, 300+ open defects pre-UAT
Delivered: Integration redesign, defect triage, cutover plan, hypercare
Result: Successful go-live 6 weeks later, <10 P1 incidents in first month
European Commercial Bank (Payments Hub - ACI)
Challenge: Data migration failed twice, regulatory deadline at risk
Delivered: Data cleansing strategy, migration tooling, reconciliation controls
Result: Clean migration, zero data issues, regulatory deadline met
Global Asset Manager (Charles River OMS)
Challenge: 12 global locations, complex integration to legacy systems
Delivered: Integration architecture, phased cutover, regional hypercare
Result: Smooth rollout across all locations, 98% uptime in month 1
Start here
Complimentary: Implementation Risk Review
Share your system implementation plans (scope, timelines, vendors). We'll provide a 15-minute executive assessment covering:
- High-risk areas (data, integration, cutover)
- Common pitfalls to avoid
- Quick wins to de-risk delivery
Consulting Engagements
Implementation Risk Assessment (£15k-£22k, 2-3 weeks)
- Programme health check
- Risk identification
- Mitigation recommendations
- Delivery roadmap refinement
Full Implementation Advisory (£45k-£120k, 10-16 weeks)
- Architecture & integration design
- Data migration strategy
- Testing approach
- Cutover planning & execution
- Hypercare support
- Operational handover
Cutover & Hypercare Package (£18k-£35k, 4-6 weeks)
- Cutover plan & rehearsal
- Go-live war room
- 24/7 hypercare support
- Post-go-live stabilization
Why partner with us
✅ Tier-1 bank experience - Delivered major platform implementations
✅ Vendor-agnostic - Murex, Calypso, Summit, Temenos, FIS, ACI, Charles River, SimCorp
✅ End-to-end capability - From design through hypercare
✅ Proven track record - Successful go-lives with minimal business disruption
✅ Risk-focused - Proactive identification and mitigation of delivery risks
What distinguishes successful implementations
Failed implementations:
- ❌ Weak integration design discovered late
- ❌ Data migration attempted without cleansing
- ❌ Inadequate testing (SIT/UAT rushed)
- ❌ No cutover rehearsal
- ❌ Insufficient post-go-live support
Successful implementations:
- ✅ Robust architecture and integration design up-front
- ✅ Data profiled, cleansed, and migrated with full reconciliation
- ✅ Comprehensive testing (SIT, UAT, performance, security)
- ✅ Cutover rehearsed multiple times
- ✅ 24/7 hypercare for first 2-4 weeks
- ✅ Operational runbooks and trained support teams
Next steps
- Complimentary Risk Review - Share your implementation plans
- Discovery Session - 45-minute discussion with our implementation leadership team
- Proposal - Tailored engagement with clear deliverables and success criteria
- Mobilization - Rapid programme startup within 2 weeks