Case Study

From Failing Implementation to Fully Operational in 8 Weeks

How Keen Analytix rescued a stalled Dynamics 365 deployment at Amsterdam Trade Bank, restoring stakeholder trust and delivering a working KYC/AML process where months of effort had failed.

The Client

A specialized investment bank based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The bank serves international trade finance and corporate banking clients. As a regulated financial institution, the bank must maintain robust Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) processes to meet Dutch and EU regulatory standards.

The Situation

The bank invested in a Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation to modernize its KYC and AML workflows. The bank contracted an external architect and project manager to lead the effort. In addition, an offshore development team based in Poland and the bank’s own internal Dynamics 365 consultant supported the project. However, after months of work and more than €300,000 in spend, the system could not perform even the most basic tasks. It was slow, cumbersome, and failed to reflect what the KYC and AML teams actually needed.

What Went Wrong

The project stalled because of a communication breakdown between business stakeholders and the technical team. The KYC and AML requirements were complex and nuanced. Unfortunately, the project team did not fully capture or translate them into actionable specifications for the offshore developers in Poland. As a result, the delivered solution did not match what the business needed. The system was slow, difficult to use, and could not support even basic workflows. Consequently, frustration grew on both sides over several months, and trust between the business and IT eroded steadily. By the time the bank asked Keen Analytix to step in, the original project lead had already departed. Moreover, the internal consultant assigned to replace him went on leave within days. The project came to a complete standstill. That evening at 10 PM, the IT Manager reached out with a simple question: can you take over?

The Approach

Assessment and Planning (Days 1–3)

On the first day, the Keen Analytix founder contacted every stakeholder and developer involved. He assessed the full picture — technical, political, and operational — and then presented the current reality to the IT Manager and CTO. He requested one additional day to produce an action plan. Within two days, he delivered a prioritized action plan. This plan identified the most critical requirements, aligned stakeholders and developers, and proposed an aggressive but realistic execution timeline. The CTO and IT Manager approved the plan immediately.

System Upgrade (Days 3–7)

The investigation quickly revealed a critical issue: no one had upgraded the Dynamics 365 environment in over a year. As a result, the system lacked critical performance improvements and features that many requirements depended on. To address this, the Keen Analytix team coordinated directly with Microsoft for first-line support and rollback options. They then planned and executed a full upgrade across development, test, and production environments. The team completed the entire upgrade in just four days. This alone resolved major performance issues and unlocked previously blocked functionality.

Solution Redesign and Quick Wins (Weeks 2–4)

Next, the team reviewed the existing solution with the developers and identified a better technical approach. However, the offshore team proposed an unrealistic delivery timeline. Therefore, the Keen Analytix founder made a decisive call: hire a dedicated D365 consultant and developer for in-house execution. He secured approval and started implementation immediately. This approach delivered visible results within the first two weeks. As a result, stakeholder confidence grew, and the team earned more time for deeper work. In parallel, they reviewed all pending and on-hold requirements, identified those they could implement quickly with high impact, and delivered them within days.

Document Migration — GDPR-Compliant Client Files

At the same time, the team executed a migration of 70,000+ documents from scattered file shares to a dedicated SharePoint site. They fully integrated this site with Dynamics 365, giving KYC/AML users a single, complete view of each client file. Furthermore, the team configured the SharePoint environment with auto-tagging, retention policies, and sensitivity labels. These measures ensured full GDPR compliance for personal document classification.

Full Delivery (Weeks 4–8)

The team continued systematic implementation throughout the remaining weeks. By the end of the engagement, the KYC and AML teams operated fully on the new system. They also had integrated access to all client documentation.

The Results

Within 8 weeks, the Dynamics 365 implementation went from a stalled, over-budget failure to a fully functioning system. It now supported the bank’s critical compliance processes end to end.

Recognition

The CTO assigned a senior colleague to work alongside the Keen Analytix team. His instructions were clear: involve him only when strictly necessary. This signaled the level of trust placed in the engagement from the outset. At the close of the project, that colleague shared his feedback with the CTO and IT Manager. He told them that, despite being an external contractor, the Keen Analytix founder defended the bank’s interests as if he were one of their own. All three acknowledged they had never seen that level of commitment from a contractor before. They credited it as a key reason the project succeeded, and they reinforced this personally at a farewell dinner.

Why It Worked

Diagnostic first, solutions second. Instead of continuing on the same path, the team stopped, assessed the real situation, and built a new plan from the ground up.

Infrastructure before features. The system upgrade — an overlooked basic — unlocked performance and functionality that had blocked progress for months.

Quick wins to rebuild trust. Delivering visible results in the first two weeks changed the dynamic from skepticism to collaboration.

Decisive resource decisions. When the existing team could not deliver on the required timeline, the founder hired dedicated resources rather than accept delay.