Important change in the project schedule: The go-live date for Fontus has been postponed to March 2027. The migration files will be made available in stages, the D20 documentation will be expanded, and there are still challenges on the customer side in the preparation phase.
At the seventh meeting of the Fontus User Group on 10 July 2025, it became clear that key project assumptions would have to be adjusted. According to WM Datenservice, the originally planned automated implementation of the business logic – known as ‘factory mode’ – is not feasible in practice. Instead, implementation will now take place step by step in ‘manufacturing mode,’ which will result in additional time and effort.
As a result, the go-live date of September 2026 previously communicated is no longer feasible under the current conditions. According to current rough planning, the project target will need to be postponed by four to six months. The new reference date is the end of March 2027, but final confirmation is still pending. The revised schedule will be presented to the Technical Sounding Board in late summer.
As WM explained at the meeting, various measures have already been examined to stabilise the situation, including increased staffing and the use of an AI tool. However, these have not yet achieved the desired acceleration effect. The project management team has therefore made it clear that ‘quality over time’ is the priority.
Parallel to the internal project evaluation, data provision is progressing. As announced, delivery of the migration files began on 7 July 2025, initially with inventory variables from the legacy system and directly convertible D20 variables. Further content will follow on 31 July and 31 August, staggered according to complexity. The extended test phase with the software provider CPB is also part of the ongoing quality assurance process. A broader rollout to other providers is planned for mid-September. The early adopter phase is scheduled to begin in November.
Another focus is on documentation. The familiar and unchanged D20 document ‘D20 Technical Adjustments EDDy New 1.6’ has now been integrated into the Fontus Service Desk under ‘Other important documents’ and supplemented with initial case studies (D20B documents) in the ‘Technical and Technical Documentation’ section, which will be expanded successively in the coming weeks. In addition, the focus is on converting the technical infrastructure: the connection via a new SFTP server will soon be supported by a standardised procedure with individual ticket management.
The picture on the customer side is also mixed: According to current feedback from 157 market participants, 39% have not yet started implementation, and only 17% say they are in a testable state. WM has not established a direct link with the adjustment of the project schedule, but emphasises the need to provide targeted support for migration readiness in the coming months.
The next user group meeting is scheduled for 20 August 2025. Further details on rescheduling and document delivery – including D42, D35E and D26E – will be announced at that time.
Our author provides the latest updates on this topic in four additional articles: Fontus project: The future of master data delivery, Fontus project: Banks must maintain an overview, Fontus: How banks are making effective use of the advanced D20 fields, and Fontus: Testing what matters – a systematic approach to migration.
