Teslar Insights 2026 - Flipbook - Page 3
SPONSORED
Why was your bank unable to achieve its objectives in adopting the technology?
Question only asked of respondents who indicated that a technology initiative had fallen
short of objectives set for it. Respondents were asked to select all that apply.
Source: Bank Director’s 2025 Technolog y Survey
CONTENT
structure, leading to the third hurdle banks
can face when implementing a tech project
— integration issues. Twenty-two percent
of respondents identified integration challenges as a reason a technology initiative
Insufficient vendor support or performance fell short
fell short of its objectives, according to
56%
Lack of employee adoption
Bank Director’s Technology Survey.
The age of the bank’s existing infra-
41%
structure doesn’t have to dictate the
Longer than expected implementation time
success of new technology implementa-
41%
tions, says Ehrhardt. “There are amazing
Integration challenges with existing systems
companies running on older tech, and
22%
they are still able to innovate.”
Shift in priorities
Because of that, banks don’t necessar-
22%
ily need to pursue a full core conversion
Insufficient due diligence
before adopting new technology. Instead,
19%
leaders should focus on ensuring they
Budget constraints
have the right resources — particularly
19%
the people — to make the integration suc-
Lack of client adoption
11%
cessful. According to Ehrhardt, having a
dedicated project owner is often “the main
reason for a project’s success or failure.”
The project owner should fully under-
In fact, 41% of bank executives and
it’s essential that staff define the project’s
stand the business case, champion the
board members said a lack of employee
purpose at the beginning, Boyle says. “A lot
initiative’s benefits and take true owner-
adoption was one reason a technology
of times the problem is not well defined,
ship of the outcome. “The most successful
initiative fell short of its objectives in the
and that’s when you run into obstacles.”
implementations happen when both the
prior 18 months, according to Bank Direc-
The $1 billion Cornhusker Bank, a
bank and the vendor treat the work as
subsidiary of Cornhusker Growth Corp.,
a shared mission. If your project owner
brings together technical experts, such as
embraces the project, understands the
teams to reassure employees that their
the IT department, with those from the
use case and advocates for its value, that’s
concerns will be looked at once the initial
business line who will use the technology,
what drives success,” Ehrhardt says. “But
implementation is completed. Emphasiz-
says Boyle. This ensures better employee
if you assign it to someone who views it
ing how the technology upgrade will
adoption since the end user is considered
as just another task, you’re setting your-
benefit the organization, such as acceler-
throughout the process. The bank also
self up for failure.”
ating growth plans and making better use
prevents scope creep by focusing on the
of the team’s skills, is also imperative.
initial problem the technology was brought
eral new technologies over the years, in-
tor’s 2025 Technology Survey.
Ehrhardt encourages management
Cornhusker Bank has implemented sev-
“Cultural resistance can be a chal-
in to solve. If during the upgrade the team
cluding loan review software from Teslar.
lenge,” says Adam Boyle, vice president
identifies additional functionality that they
Boyle says it’s imperative that banks resist
of business intelligence at Cornhusker
would like, that is set aside and considered
the urge to extend timelines to complete a
Bank in Lincoln, Nebraska. “That is where
once the initial project is complete. “You
launch. Doing so can kill morale, lose mo-
having a clear consensus on the problem
want to be a good steward of the time and
mentum and waste resources. Instead, it’s
and what the solution will look like when
monetary resources that you are allocat-
better to break the project up into phases
implemented is so important.”
ing to the project,” Boyle adds. “Having that
if it will take longer than a year.
Cultural resistance can tie into one of
the other hurdles that often affects a tech
momentum is key to making sure a project
continues to move forward.”
project’s implementation — scope creep,
where employees push for other issues to
be addressed with an upgrade that goes
beyond the project’s intent. To prevent this,
The board can help ensure a smooth
process by understanding the initiative
being pursued and asking for regular up-
Melding the Old With the New
Banks often must tie new technology
with their existing technological infra-
dates from management. “It’s important
for boards to understand what is hype
versus reality,” Boyle says.
3
