February 2020 – Successful insurers build strategic partnerships with their systems integrators by establishing an effective relationship at several levels, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Core system implementations and upgrades are massive undertakings that often require leveraging systems integrators with experience in the selected components. The success of the solution is often determined by the expertise and quality of services delivered by these systems integrators.
This CIO Checklist highlights some of the best practices for selecting a systems integrator (SI), developing strategic partnerships, and creating a contract that defines expectations and roles for all involved parties. It is the second of four installments on establishing solution provider relationships.
The Checklist
- Take a best-of-breed approach when selecting an SI team
- Choose a strategic partner versus a low-cost provider
- Define assigned resources and roles
- Outline requirements carefully and consider a discovery period
- Define deliverables, sprints, and predicted outcomes
- Define acceptance criteria
- Establish transparency
- Outline governance and escalation processes
- Understand the importance of referenceability over incentives and penalties
About the Author
Martin Higgins
Martin Higgins is a Senior Principal at Datos Insights. He has over two decades of experience working in insurance technology, having served as Practice Director for Edgewater Consulting, where he was responsible for the company’s property and casualty business nationwide. He has expertise in technology strategy, core system selection and implementation, Agile transformation and DevOps, business intelligence, systems integration, legacy...