How this landed on your desk

• When did you first notice sustained deposit outflows and what prompted you to investigate?
• Tell the story of the last quarterly report that flagged those outflows, who noticed it, and what the immediate reaction was.
• How many retail deposit accounts have closed or become inactive per month on average since the trend began? Options: Under 100, 100–500, 500–2,000, 2,000–10,000, Unsure
• Which customer segments are showing the largest net outflows, by dollars and by percent? Options: Everyday retail checking, High-yield savings, Small business / commercial, Wealth/private banking, Mortgage-related balances, Other
• Who on your leadership team feels the most heat from these trends and who will be the project sponsor if you move forward? Options: Head of Digital Banking, Chief Experience Officer, CIO / Head of Technology, Head of Retail Deposits, CFO, Other

Where the losses actually start

• What single customer friction in your digital account opening would convince you the channel is permanently losing relationships?
• Walk me through the last five digital account openings that failed on mobile, step by step—what broke and where did customers drop off?
• Which verification steps or document checks correlate most with abandonment in your analytics? Options: ID upload/validation, Address verification, Micro-deposit confirmation, Third-party identity provider challenge, Manual review hold, Other
• How long, on average, does it take a digital applicant to reach funding today compared with a branch-assisted account? Options: Under 24 hours, 1–3 days, 4–7 days, Over 7 days, We do not measure
• If you could fix only one step in the opening flow within 90 days, which step would you choose and why?

How your customers actually experience opening an account

• If a prospective depositor compared your mobile account opening to a national bank app, where would they be most likely to stop and leave?
• Describe the end-to-end mobile flow your customers see today, including entry point, identity checks, and funding paths.
• Name the teams that own the front-end experience and the teams responsible for core integrations, and explain how they coordinate releases.
• Select the integration method(s) your core provides for account creation, identity verification, and funds settlement. Options: REST APIs, SOAP / legacy services, Batch files / flat files, Prebuilt core connector, Manual or CSV-based processes, No programmatic interfaces / Unsure
• What monitoring or tracing do you have that links a failed account opening from the device UI through the integration endpoint to the core? Options: Full distributed tracing, Error logs with transaction IDs, Manual log review only, No end-to-end tracing, Unsure

What outcome will actually change behavior inside your bank

• Name the measurable change that would make your executive team declare this project a success within 90 days.
• List the pilot acceptance metrics you will require, and for each include a target for time-to-fund, abandonment rate, and conversion lift.
• Identify the required signatories for pilot acceptance and final purchase, and state each signatory's approval limits.
• Assuming pilot targets are met, what budget cycles, board approvals, or procurement steps could still delay contracting? Name them and approximate durations. Options: Immediate purchasing authority, Quarterly budget cycle, Board approval required, Procurement review 2–6 weeks, Longer executive approvals
• Name the person or role with authority to sign a statement of work and release budget the week the pilot proves the numbers.

What could stop this from moving forward

• Identify the integration or compliance risk most likely to make you pause this project right now.
• How many full time equivalent staff from IT and product can you commit to integration during a 3-month pilot? Options: 0, 1–2, 3–5, 6–10, More than 10, Unsure
• Please state the team that controls API credentials to the core and the typical lead time to provide test access in practice.
• Are there scheduled core vendor upgrades, data migrations, or maintenance windows in the next six months that would block integration work? Options: Yes - major upgrade planned, Yes - regular maintenance windows, No known upgrades, Unsure
• What regulatory approvals or compliance reviews are required before a live pilot with customer data can run, and how long do they typically take? Options: Privacy / data use review, Compliance review for KYC flows, Third-party vendor review, No additional approvals required, Other

The other paths you're weighing

• List the alternative solutions you are currently evaluating, including staying with the incumbent, a point-solution stack, or an internal build. Options: Incumbent core vendor digital add-on, Point-solution account opening vendor, Internal build using existing teams, Full replacement of digital channel, Unsure / exploring
• For each alternative, what would have to be demonstrably true for you to keep the current channel instead of moving to a new platform?
• Has anyone on your team proposed building the capability internally, who would lead that effort, and what timeline were they estimating? Options: Yes - product/engineering lead, Yes - outsourced development, No internal build proposal, Unsure
• Please identify any contract clauses from vendors or the incumbent that you have already flagged as unacceptable, and explain why.
• Have you checked live references from institutions in your asset band that went live on similar platforms within the last 24 months? Options: Yes, multiple references checked, Yes, one or two checked, No references checked yet, We plan to request references

Are you operationally ready to run a meaningful pilot

• Imagine a hands-on pilot next month, which single dependency is most likely to fail in practice?
• Select the environments you can provide for a test pilot. Options: Dev sandbox with core test data, UAT environment, QA with synthetic data only, Production shadowing (read-only), No test environment available
• Is synthetic or production customer data available for testing, and who can sign the data use agreement? Options: Synthetic data only, Limited production data with masking, Full production data not allowed, Unsure who can sign
• Do you have a scheduled security and penetration testing window and an owner who can provide signed results within the pilot timeframe? Options: Yes, scheduled and owner assigned, Yes, but no owner yet, No scheduled testing window, Unsure
• Assuming pilot validation completes within four weeks after sandbox cutover, who in your organization can sign the production go decision?

If the pilot proves the numbers, how quickly and on what terms will you act

• Given pilot targets are met, what single outstanding issue would stop you from signing a contract that same week?
• Tell us which contractual elements require additional legal review or executive approval beyond standard terms. Options: Data residency and handling, Indemnity and liability caps, Service level and uptime guarantees, Termination and exit clauses, IP and customization ownership, Other
• Assign the owner role for governance and specify the cadence of recurring outcome reviews for the first year. Options: Monthly executive review, Quarterly outcomes review, Bi-weekly tactical review, Only on-demand
• Choose your preferred production cutover window after agreement is signed. Options: 4–8 weeks, 8–12 weeks, 3–6 months, 6+ months
• State the single SLA metric that matters most to you and explain why.
• Provide the named owners you want on the deployment RACI, including role and primary responsibilities.

• Solution Experience Session

• Confirm the current state and its cost to your team
• You confirm the demonstrated workflow removes the manual steps driving abandonment and permanent depositor loss.
• Deliver a tailored pilot plan within 5 business days that includes acceptance criteria, test cases, timelines, and a sample integration checklist.
• End-to-end account opening in your workflow on mobile
• You confirm the integration approach shown avoids bespoke middleware and is feasible given your core's constraints.
• Provide non-production test credentials for a representative core endpoint, a sample mobile workflow, and your current benchmarks for abandonment and time-to-fund.
• Core integration proof using a sample endpoint
• Pre-configure a demo instance that mirrors the provided workflow and two device profiles for the pilot run.
• You agree on pilot acceptance criteria (target abandonment rate, target time-to-fund, and core integration tests) and the next steps to run a pilot.
• Identify and confirm pilot stakeholders and approve the pilot schedule and acceptance gate owners.
• Compare measured outcomes to your benchmarks
• Validate this maps to what you need
• Agree next evidence and pilot acceptance gates

• Solution Experience Session
• Solution Experience Deck
• Solution Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Install API middleware and core connectors
• Deploy digital account opening flow
• Integrate ID verification and KYC engines
• Configure core account provisioning and funding integration
• Migrate customer and deposit records
• Deploy branded mobile and web interface
• Enable e-signature and document management
• Activate loan origination and underwriting workflows
• Configure commercial cash management features
• Setup ACH, wires, and external transfers integration
• Configure engagement engine for notifications and messaging
• Deliver admin console with role-based access
• Enable compliance logging and audit exports
• Provide operator training and hand-off documentation

Install API middleware and core connectors

• Do you have an existing integration gateway or do you require the platform's middleware installed? Options: We already have a gateway, Install platform middleware, Unsure — need assessment
• How many core banking systems need a connector (list each core by vendor type, e.g., core A, core B)?
• Which authentication method does your core support for API access (e.g., mutual TLS, OAuth2, basic)? Options: Mutual TLS, OAuth2 (token), Basic/Shared secret, Other / custom
• Who on your team will own firewall and IP allowlist changes required for connector testing?
• When do you have a non-production core environment available for connector certification? Options: Already available, Available within 2 weeks, Available in 2-8 weeks, Not available

Deploy digital account opening flow

• Which deposit products will the digital account opening flow support at launch (e.g., consumer checking, savings, business checking)? Options: Consumer checking, Consumer savings, Business checking, Other
• What device breakpoints must the flow meet for mobile responsiveness (e.g., Android Chrome, iOS Safari, tablet)? Options: iOS Safari, Android Chrome, Mobile web (other), Tablet
• What acceptance criteria will confirm the deployed account opening flow is approved for pilot (include target abandonment rate, time-to-fund, and mobile conversion thresholds)?
• Which consent and disclosures must appear inline during the flow (e.g., Electronic Fund Transfer Act disclosures, Truth in Savings summary)?
• Who is the product owner on your side that will run UX acceptance tests against the demo benchmarks?

Integrate ID verification and KYC engines

• Which identity verification providers, if any, do you require the platform to connect to (list provider categories, not brand names)? Options: Document-based ID verification, Biometric liveness check, Government ID database lookup, None / vendor default
• What Know Your Customer (KYC) rules must the engine evaluate on origination (e.g., CIP fields, risk score threshold, adverse media screening)?
• Which sanction and watchlist checks must run inline (e.g., OFAC screening, domestic PEP checks)? Options: OFAC screening, PEP (Politically Exposed Person) check, Adverse media, Other
• Who will provide API credentials and compliance contact for KYC provider onboarding?
• How should failed KYC results be routed in the UI or to operations (options: manual review queue, automatic decline, conditional hold)? Options: Manual review queue, Automatic decline, Conditional hold and customer challenge

Configure core account provisioning and funding integration

• Which provisioning actions must the connector support at minimum (e.g., create account record, post initial deposit, assign account number)? Options: Create account, Post initial deposit, Assign account number, Set product codes
• Which funding paths must be available at provisioning (e.g., ACH debit, micro-deposit verification, instant funding partner)? Options: ACH (Automated Clearing House) debit, Micro-deposits, Instant funding partner, Manual funding by branch
• What acceptance criteria will validate core provisioning and funding integration (include success rate %, end-to-end provisioning SLA in seconds/minutes, and reconciliation match rate)?
• Which core account fields must be mapped during provisioning (e.g., product code, branch ID, routing number, tax ID)?
• Who will run the first round of end-to-end provisioning tests in the non-production core environment?

Migrate customer and deposit records

• How many customer profiles and deposit accounts require migration (provide counts by retail and commercial segments)?
• What data fields must be preserved and validated during migration (e.g., account numbers, account opened date, balance, transaction history for last 12 months)?
• What acceptance criteria will confirm migration success (include completeness threshold %, data accuracy target, and reconciliation sample size)?
• Which export format will you provide for source data (e.g., CSV extracts, database dump, core system export)? Options: CSV / spreadsheet, Database export / SQL dump, Core system export format, Other
• Who is authorized to sign off on migration reconciliation and provide test samples?

Deploy branded mobile and web interface

• Provide the primary branding artifacts you will supply (logo files, color hex codes, fonts, app store descriptors).
• Which supported browsers and OS versions must the interface support at launch (list minimum supported versions)?
• Describe any custom UX flows that deviate from the standard account opening or loan application templates (e.g., joint accounts, commercial onboarding steps).
• What accessibility standards must the UI meet (e.g., Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.1 level AA)? Options: WCAG 2.1 AA, WCAG 2.0 AA, Internal standards only, No specific requirement
• Who will provide localized content or alternate languages for the interface, if required? Options: We provide localization, Seller provides localization, Not required

Enable e-signature and document management

• Which document types must be available for e-signature at origination (e.g., account agreements, truth-in-savings, loan disclosures)?
• Which evidence of signature storage do regulators require for your institution (e.g., signed PDF, auditable event log, certificate of completion)? Options: Signed PDF, Audit trail with timestamp, Certificate of completion, Other
• Specify retention and export requirements for signed documents (e.g., retention period in years, SFTP export schedule).
• How should signed documents be linked to the core record (e.g., document ID stored in core field, document repository URL)? Options: Document ID in core, Repository URL, Both, Other
• Who is your compliance contact for reviewing e-signature workflows and disclosure language?

Activate loan origination and underwriting workflows

• Which loan products will be included in the initial workflow (e.g., consumer unsecured, mortgage, commercial lines)? Options: Consumer unsecured, Mortgage, Commercial loan, SBA or government-backed
• What underwriting decision inputs must be automated (e.g., credit bureau score, debt-to-income calculation, collateral valuation)?
• Describe escalation paths for exceptions in underwriting (e.g., manual underwriter review, referral to credit committee).
• Which document sets must be captured in the loan file before funding (e.g., signed promissory note, lien search results, collateral documents)?
• Who on your lending operations team will certify the loan decision rules and sign off on pilot approvals?

Configure commercial cash management features

• Which commercial features are required at launch (e.g., ACH origination, positive pay, remote deposit capture)? Options: ACH origination, Positive pay, Remote deposit capture, Sweep/zero balance
• What user roles and entitlements are needed for commercial users (e.g., maker/checker, approver, view-only)?
• How should cash management transaction limits be enforced (e.g., per-user limits, per-transaction thresholds, dual-approval)? Options: Per-user limits, Per-transaction thresholds, Dual-approval workflows, Other
• Which reporting exports must be provided for treasury reconciliation (e.g., NACHA file detail, custom CSV, ISO 20022 ready)? Options: NACHA-ready, CSV export, ISO 20022 format, Other
• Who will own commercial feature acceptance and provide sample treasury files for testing?

Setup ACH, wires, and external transfers integration

• Which transfer rails do you require at go-live (e.g., ACH (Automated Clearing House), same-day ACH, wire transfers)? Options: ACH, Same-day ACH, Wires, External account transfers
• Which NACHA rules or file formats must your ACH originations comply with?
• Specify fraud and transaction screening requirements for outbound transfers (e.g., velocity checks, beneficiary name matching).
• Which settlement windows and posting behavior must the integration honor (e.g., next-business-day posting, same-day daylight cutoff)?
• Who will provide test accounts and sample wire/ACH files for integration certification?

Configure engagement engine for notifications and messaging

• Which event triggers must generate customer notifications (e.g., account opened, deposit posted, loan decision)?
• Which channels must be supported for notifications at launch (e.g., email, SMS, in-app push)? Options: Email, SMS, In-app push, Secure message in portal
• What regulatory or consent constraints apply to outbound customer messages (e.g., TCPA consent for SMS, transactional vs. promotional)?
• Who will maintain message templates and legal-approved disclosure text for notifications?
• How will you measure messaging effectiveness during pilot (e.g., open rate, click-through, conversion uplift)?

Deliver admin console with role-based access

• How many administrative roles will you require initially (provide role names and high-level permissions)?
• Which audit actions must the admin console record for each role (e.g., user creation, privilege change, transaction override)?
• Specify password and session policies the console must enforce (e.g., 90-day rotation, multi-factor authentication MFA requirement). Options: 90-day rotation, MFA required, Single sign-on SSO, Custom policy
• Who will act as your admin console super-user(s) for initial configuration and post-launch governance?
• When do you plan to seed the admin console with test users for role verification? Options: Immediately, Within 2 weeks, During pilot phase, Not yet scheduled

• desired_state
• current_state
• stakeholders
• gaps
• success_criteria
• decision_readiness
• desired_state
• decision_readiness
• current_state
• success_criteria
• gaps
• stakeholders
• desired_state
• success_criteria
• stakeholders
• gaps
• current_state
• decision_readiness
• decision_readiness
• decision_readiness
• decision_readiness
• decision_readiness

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Subscription Order Form
• Service Level Agreement (SLA)
• Data Security & Compliance Addendum
• Acceptance Criteria & Sign-off
• Program Governance & Timeline Agreement
• Change Order Agreement
• Payment Schedule & Order Confirmation

• Go-live health check (weeks 1-4)
• First measurement review (weeks 4-10)
• Acceptance gate review (around day 90)
• Quarterly outcome review (operational cadence)
• Annual realization review

• Publish a prioritized enhancement list with expected delivery quarters for each item.
• Publish the acceptance decision document showing pass/fail per criterion and include evidence attachments.
• If criteria failed, create a remediation plan with test cases and target completion dates.
• Provide migration and archival reports that demonstrate the incumbent data state and retention plan.
• Trend review for named metrics
• Confirm the trajectory of account opening conversion rate and time-to-fund relative to Solution Scope targets.
• Reduce the high-priority incident backlog or document a clear remediation timetable.
• Prioritize the top three enhancement requests or experiments for the next quarter with due dates.
• Re-confirm success criteria and ownership
• Provide a weekly dashboard export for the two named metrics for operational monitoring.
• Create tickets for agreed short-term experiments with success criteria and measurement windows.
• Year-to-date performance vs targets
• Validate that annual performance for the named metrics meets the program expectations recorded in Solution Scope or document the gap and causes.
• Confirm the status of any long-term blockers and produce a closure roadmap for the coming year.
• Ensure operational contacts and SLA commitments remain current and documented for the next 12 months.
• Deliver an annual performance report linking deposit flow changes to digital channel metrics.
• Publish a closure roadmap for any persistent blockers with quarterly milestones.
• Update and circulate the SLA and escalation contact list for the upcoming year.
• Confirm production environments, integrations, and data access are functioning as required for normal use.
• Identify and document the top three operational blockers with resolution windows.
• Schedule the First Measurement Review and confirm what data extracts will be available for it.
• Provide the export of go-live logs and a short incident report covering the first 7 days.
• Deliver a checklist of environment access and API endpoint test results for the buyer to verify.
• Publish the agreed 30-day remediation plan with target dates for each high-priority issue.
• Present first-period results for core metrics
• Determine whether time-to-fund and account opening abandonment rate are moving toward targets recorded in Solution Scope.
• Agree the top three root causes for any metric gaps and produce a dated remediation plan.
• Confirm which technical fixes require a hotfix versus a queued enhancement and the expected deployment windows.
• Deliver a device-by-step funnel export showing drop rates at each form step for the last 30 days.
• Provide API error and retry logs for core posting flows covering the review period.
• Create remediation tickets for the agreed fixes and publish target completion dates for each ticket.
• Restate acceptance criteria and numeric targets
• Produce a documented pass or fail for each acceptance criterion recorded in Solution Scope, with the formal acceptance decision captured.
• Verify the incumbent system is either decommissioned or formally retained read-only with archived data verified.
• Agree remediation items and firm resolution dates for any failed criteria so the project can close the loop.
• Incident and SLA review
• Net depositor flow attribution
• Present outcome data against each criterion
• Funnel and segmentation diagnosis
• Deployment and migration validation
• Enhancement request and backlog triage
• Document pass/fail per criterion and formal acceptance decision
• Persistent issues and backlog status
• Root-cause identification and impact assessment
• Early adoption signals and usage patterns
• Operational readiness and SLA review
• Blockers and open issues
• Corrective actions and timeline to acceptance gate
• Operational actions and short-term experiments
• Incumbent system wind-down verification
• Agree immediate remediation actions
• Agree remediation plan and resolution deadlines for any failed criteria