Guides
Practical tools to help banks make smarter decisions.
Our guides are written for senior executives, transformation leaders, and operational decision–makers who need clarity before committing resources. Each guide is designed to move beyond theory and give you frameworks, checklists, and strategies that work in the real world.
Whether you’re exploring core banking upgrades, process optimization, or transformation planning, these guides support the critical thinking that happens between “we should” and “we’re ready.”
Available Guides
The Core Vendor Evaluation Playbook
Decision Intelligence for Core Banking Executives
The definitive playbook for choosing a core vendor without getting played.
Built from real-world evaluations, contract reviews, and failed vendor promises that cost banks millions.
Key Insights:
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Vendor selection is leverage.
Most banks give it away too early — the smart ones don’t.
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Demos mislead.
They’re scripted, polished, and omit what really breaks at scale.
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“Best fit” is fiction.
Trade-offs are inevitable — name them, plan for them, win with them.
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Contracts conceal risk.
Auto-renewals, vague SLAs, and lock-ins are standard — unless you know where to look.
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Go-live is Day 1.
The best banks govern the relationship, not just the system.
The Core Banking Starter Guide
The Readiness Advantage
Your bank’s core transformation starts before the RFP — with readiness.
This guide helps leaders build the foundations that determine project success
long before vendor demos or contract reviews.
Key Insights:
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Readiness gaps kill momentum.
Most delays aren’t technical — they’re operational, cultural, or strategic.
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RFPs are downstream.
If you wait until procurement to align stakeholders, map current-state pain, or define future-state priorities — you’re already behind.
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Transformation ≠ replacement.
A new core won’t fix broken processes. Execution-readiness beats tech-readiness every time.
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Sequencing matters.
The best banks phase the work — they don’t front-load everything into “go-live.”
More guides are in development, including:
Have a suggestion for a guide topic? Let us know at
contact@coresystempartners.com