Andrew Phillips
For years, public retirement systems across North America have invested in modernization by replacing legacy systems. This has helped schemes reduce manual effort and meet current member expectations for digital services. These efforts matter. They bring plans up to date.
But modern only means for now. By the time a multiyear program is delivered, ‘now’ has already moved on. If modernization is treated as a way to catch up, plans risk arriving at go-live already behind the curve.
True modernization is future ready. It anticipates how members, employers and administrators will interact years from now. That means designing for flexibility, scalability and emerging capabilities so systems evolve long after the initial implementation is complete.
Being modern is not the same as being future ready
One of the great ironies of pension technology is that the very projects designed to modernize can be outdated before they are even live. Procurement takes months. Implementation takes years. In that time technology advances, regulations change, member expectations evolve and internal processes shift away from the assumptions built into the original design.
This is not about poor project management. It is about aiming for a static target in a world that does not stand still. The PAS of the last decade was not built with AI in mind. The PAS of the next decade must be.
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From catch up to continuous evolution
The real opportunity lies in moving away from large infrequent upgrades toward a continuous and agile delivery. Forward thinking vendors are already building PAS and member portals that can evolve in near real time, sometimes updating monthly, so improvements are constant rather than locked to multiyear release cycles.
This approach turns modernization from a one-off event into an ongoing capability. Plans stay aligned with current needs and are ready to adapt when the next shift comes, whether that is a regulatory change, a demographic trend or a new technology.
The most effective platforms are shaped by the collective insight of the retirement community they serve. Every enhancement reflects the needs of multiple plans, so development focuses on capabilities that matter most across retirement workflows, member engagement, employer interaction and compliance.
This shared model accelerates innovation and delivers value faster than any single organization could achieve alone. It reduces duplication, spreads cost and ensures that every plan benefits from advances made anywhere in the community.
Keeping pace with member expectations
Plan members now expect the same standard of service they receive from their bank or healthcare provider. They want instant clarity, personalized communication, self service options and the ability to explore their choices in real time. They want to understand their benefits, simulate different retirement paths and receive support on their terms.
If your PAS cannot adapt quickly to those expectations, it will not just fall short. It could hold your service back. A PAS is not replaced every few years. It is a fifteen to twenty year commitment. That means your next system must be ready to navigate future regulations, demographic shifts, digital transformation and member expectations we cannot yet fully predict. Building only for today is a strategic risk. Building for evolution is the safer and smarter choice.
Asking better questions
Before starting a new project or reviewing your current platform, shift the conversation from what do we need today to how will we keep pace with what comes next.
Consider the following:
- Can our system evolve without a costly upgrade every five years?
- Are we part of a wider user community shaping the roadmap?
- Does our provider deliver genuine agility, not just promise flexibility?
- Are we building for feature parity or for sustained service improvement?
- How quickly can we respond to new member and employer needs?
A cultural shift
Ultimately, the biggest change is not the technology but the mindset. It is moving from seeing systems as fixed assets to treating them as platforms for continuous improvement. It is preparing not just for the challenges you know, but for the opportunities you cannot yet see.
Some vendors already work this way. Their clients benefit from continuous delivery, collective insight and shared advancement. They are not just keeping up, they are leading forward.
Because real modernization is not about catching up. It is about staying ready for whatever comes next.
Be ready for tomorrow, not just today
Heywood’s pension administration solutions are built for continuous improvement. We work in partnership with public retirement systems to ensure platforms evolve in step with regulatory change, member expectations and emerging technologies. Our approach combines proven implementation expertise with ongoing collaborative development so plans can focus on delivering the best possible service, today and in the future.
