10 May, 2016
Public Trust announces delay to IT system
Public Trust has decided to temporarily delay the implementation of its new IT system until it is confident that its
quality standards can be met.
Public Trust had told the Commerce Select Committee in March it expected to go live with the new system by 30 May, 2016.
However the process of migrating historical and complex data has continued to prove challenging, and has meant the
project has taken longer than first expected.
“This IT system is fundamental to our future business plans so while it’s disappointing to have to talk about another
delay, the most important issue is for us to be 100% confident that when we implement it, it’s ready to go,” explained
Bob Smith, Chief Executive of Public Trust.
“Our recent testing has indicated that more work is needed on the configuration so we can meet our own quality assurance
requirements. So we’re now in a stabilisation phase of the programme before pressing ahead with the final stages of
implementation. It is important to note that the delays are not due to the functionality of the new system which is a
specialist trust package on a standard Microsoft ERP platform."
Mr Smith explained that implementing new core business applications is a key component of Public Trust’s Business Plan
because some of the systems currently used were put in place over 25 years ago. Given how important the project is, as
an interim measure, Mr Smith has now assumed executive level responsibility for the programme.
“This project was and is our number one priority. We’ll have a better idea of how long the delay will be in a few weeks,
but we are fully confident in the system. We know that when it is implemented, it will meet our needs now and into the
future. The fact that feedback from our employee training has been overwhelmingly positive just confirms that."
The project will continue to be funded by Public Trust’s own working capital. When implemented, the new system will
provide a stable IT infrastructure which will enable Public Trust to meet its customers’ changing needs and its Business
Plan objectives.
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