Case study
Faith-based financial services organisation
Modernising a technology function is a multi-year commitment. Most organisations do not need a full-time CTO to lead it—they need the right expertise at the right moments, accountable for outcomes.
Advisory & Strategy · Domain & Foundations · Delivery
1. Overview
A model that no longer fit
A faith-based financial services organisation had been operating under a technology model that no longer aligned with where the organisation needed to go.
Its technology function had been built primarily around supporting a single core banking platform through an internal bureau arrangement. That model had served its purpose, but it could no longer support the expanding range of financial products, services and operational capabilities the organisation was being asked to deliver.
The challenge was not an immediate crisis. It was a considered decision to transform before the gap between existing capability and future ambition became a significant problem.
9Yards was engaged to define the path forward and provide ongoing leadership as the transformation progressed.
02. The client
Faith-based financial services organisation
A member-focused financial services organisation providing deposits, loans, investment facilities and related services to schools, hospitals, aged-care providers, community organisations and other faith-based institutions.
The organisation also provides technology and banking support to related entities. As a purpose-led organisation, improvements in operational efficiency and service capability ultimately benefit the institutions and communities it serves.
03. The challenge
Transforming a technology function without losing ground on the work it already supports
Technology transitions of this scale carry a particular risk: the pressure to maintain existing services can crowd out the work required to build what comes next.
Without a clear roadmap and someone accountable for maintaining the balance between current obligations and future direction, transformation programs can drift, stall or become a collection of disconnected initiatives.
The organisation needed both a technology strategy it could trust and experienced leadership to maintain focus and accountability as that strategy was implemented.
04. Our Approach
Built to last beyond the first engagement
We began with enterprise architecture and the foundational questions of where the organisation was, where it needed to go and what would be required to close the gap.
This work produced a multi-year technology roadmap and target-state vision, giving the technology leadership team and governing board a shared basis for prioritisation: what to fund, what to sequence and what to defer.
The clarity created through this process led to a longer-term engagement. 9Yards continued to work alongside the organisation’s internal technology team in a virtual CTO capacity—not replacing internal capability, but complementing it.
Our role was to provide the experience and perspective that can be difficult to maintain internally, including knowledge of how comparable financial services organisations had managed similar transitions, a practical toolkit developed across multiple engagements, and independent advice when important decisions became difficult.
Across the engagement, we supported the organisation through a series of roadmap initiatives, including core banking platform upgrades, improvements to reporting and information capability, the establishment of integration and payment services, merchant-services enhancements, and stronger end-user computing, security and compliance capabilities.
Each initiative formed part of the target state and roadmap developed with the organisation.
05. Outcome
A return that compounds over time
The original technology roadmap has continued to provide a reliable foundation for decision-making, with no need for a fundamental change in strategic direction.
The organisation has progressed from a technology function centred around a single system and bureau-supported model to a more modern, service-oriented capability that supports new products, improved services and more diverse revenue opportunities.
The virtual CTO model has also delivered strong value compared with employing a dedicated full-time executive. It provides senior expertise across the breadth of the transformation program without the cost, dependency or concentration risk associated with relying on a single permanent appointment.
The result is not simply a completed technology project, but a stronger internal capability and an operating model designed to continue evolving.
06. words from our client
“I would highly recommend 9Yards. They have delivered significant value to our organisation, bringing strong industry and domain expertise to support the design and implementation of our technology solutions.”
Senior executive
Faith-based financial services organisation
Where next?
Need experienced technology leadership without a full-time hire?
If you’re running a multi-year programme and need someone who’ll stay accountable to the outcome — not just the next deliverable — let’s talk.