It had its roots in the manufacturing sector and the “processimprovement” craze. Now it's spawned an entire industry offeringresearch, consulting, seminars, and other materials. It's theconcept of “best practices,” and it's clearly gotten the attentionof credit unions, especially when it comes to technology. Severalfactors make it critical for credit unions to incorporate bestpractices into their technology decisions and operations. One isthe combination of technology's complexity and its importance tothe organization. Gone are the days of a single system from asingle vendor providing for all of your technology needs. Today,you're likely to be introducing new technology into a heterogeneoussystems environment that involves multiple solutions from multiplesuppliers. And your technology is likely to play a more centralrole in your organization than it did in the past. Increasingcompetition is also driving the trend. Competition naturally placesgreater pressure on your time to market. But as important as it isto be fast, it's equally important to be right. A good ideaexecuted poorly only opens the door further for competitors, eagerto capitalize on members' somewhat waning loyalty. Yes, loyaltystill exists, but it's nowhere near the level it once was. Creditthe shift to community charters (which has eroded some of theaffinity to the sponsor group) and general changes in employeeattitudes about their employers (which means members may not viewthe relationship to a sponsor company as strongly as they didbefore). As a result, in today's market you'd better be fast withnew technology, but you'd better be right, too. And while it'sharder to get it right, it's more important than ever. That's wherebest practices can help. By drawing on successful models – learningfrom the experiences of others who've gone down this path before –you can minimize your risk and maximize your odds of success.Learning and applying best practices will require the credit unionto do some homework. First, immerse yourself not only in the creditunion industry, but in the broader financial services industry –especially vital for early adopters who are breaking new ground.Next, look to your local community – the chamber of commerce,business associations, your league chapter – for best practicesthey can offer, both formally and informally. Perhaps mostimportantly, expect your technology partners to provide access toand facilitate the sharing of best practices among their clients. Asupplier with a vested interest in the success of its credit unionclients will view this role as a natural part of the businessrelationship. You should expect your technology partner to offer:Forums that bring credit unions together to share ideas. These caninclude user group conferences, small roundtable meetings, regionalseminars, focus groups, WebEx demonstrations, informal networkingsessions, and other vehicles. Besides gatherings that draw a mix ofattendees, look for opportunities for specific functional groups todiscuss their unique issues, such as CEO roundtables or technologyforums for IT staff. Independent user groups. Most suppliers have anational user group as well as regional groups that meet regularlyand share experiences. Some may also have online discussion groupsthat make it easy to keep in touch with other system users, postquestions, and exchange ideas. Account Managers that serve asconsultants. Your supplier's account managers should focus on morethan sales; they should demonstrate a commitment to helping yousucceed, in part by facilitating best practices. The accountmanager should participate in your exploration of new ideas, drawon his/her experience with other credit unions, and help put you intouch with credit unions that have already traveled the path you'reabout to take. Knowledgeable project managers. The supplier's staffresponsible for managing your technology implementations alsoshould have a depth of experience that allows them to employ bestpractices on your behalf. The more veteran they are, the moreexperiences they can draw on. System review services. It's not justnew implementations that can gain from best practices. Look to yoursupplier for help in maximizing the use of the system you alreadyhave, by using best practices related to system setup andprocesses. A review conducted by an objective third party allowsyou to step back from “business as usual” and discover ways tobetter use existing technology. A best practices approach isn't theonly ingredient in a successful technology initiative. But it'sincreasingly becoming an essential component. So before youreinvent the wheel on your next project, look for ways to build onthe successes of those who've already paved the way.