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For platform CTOs and PMs with a cutover date.
Use this before you pick a vendor logo. It forces the ownership and operating questions into the open.
Before the call
- Platform / product name
- Cutover date
- Processor you are leaving (if any)
- Rails on day one (cards, EFT/PAD, Interac e-Transfer, other)
- Who owns the date (name + role)
- What “done” means on day one (one sentence)
Ownership score
Answer yes / no / unclear:
- Will we hold the processor contract after go-live?
- Must the layer run in our perimeter?
- Do we need a second processor without another discovery project?
- Do we keep payments margin (no vendor share of spread as the core deal)?
- Do we need an exit that leaves us with instance, config, data, and event log?
Rule of thumb: three or more yes → shortlist a client-owned layer. Three or more no → hosted orchestration may fit.
Operating checklist
Ledger and reconciliation
- Insert-only posting where cash moves
- Idempotent retries
- Exceptions queue with a named owner
- Finance export that replays to provider settlement
Cutover
- Day-one scope written (what stays live)
- Dual-run or hard cut named
- Rollback condition written
- Support ownership for week one
Commercial
- Fixed-price Build vs T&M named
- Run / managed ops priced per account (or explicitly declined)
- Referral / integrator fees disclosed before a processor is recommended
- No custody / no PSP registration required from the software vendor
Decision
| If your constraints are… | Shortlist… |
|---|---|
| SaaS speed, card multi-PSP, fine with vendor cloud | Hosted orchestration vendors |
| Perimeter, keep contracts/margin, dated cutover, reconciliation | Client-owned ISV layer (Futurify shape) |
| Single processor forever, strong internal payments team | In-house against one provider (accept future migration cost) |
Close
Tell us what you are integrating and the date it has to land. Bring this checklist filled. We will tell you if we are the wrong door.
Related
- What we build — scoped builds for platforms with a cutover date
- Payment reconciliation for platforms — ledger and exceptions queue
- Add a second processor — processor-agnostic layer