Last week CU*Answers kicked off another year-long round of the “Building Solutions in a Cooperative” Boot Camp, with 10 participants from credit unions and CUSOs across the country gathering for a 2-day intensive session around how the network works together to prioritize and build solutions for credit unions.

“Boot Camps are unlike any other client interaction, and we have a lot of direct client interaction,” said Dawn Moore, CU*Answers VP of Product Design. “Participants get a true insider look at the in-the-weed procedures and challenges that come with building software products, integrating with multiple vendors, and managing diverse credit union needs and priorities,” said Moore. As with the previous two Boot Camp sessions, this year’s group is focusing on making sure the CUSO’s model for prioritizing projects not only serves clients well, but is transparent to all stakeholders.

Boot Camp participants agree to commit a total of eight full days to the program, spread across quarterly two-day sessions, with travel costs to CU*Answers’ Grand Rapids campus covered by the CUSO. Participants receive an up-close-and-personal experience with CUSO insiders, covering subject matter at a level much deeper than typical focus groups or education events.

This year CU*Answers is also launching the “Developers Help Desk Project Boot Camp,” which will give participants a hands-on, do-it-yourself experience building new solutions. Boot Campers will work directly with CUSO developers and technicians on their own project ideas, such as designing a new mobile app, or integrating with a new third-party vendor, or creating new features for existing member products and services.