A friend recently reminded me that 10 years ago I described legacy IT as being like a bowl of spaghetti…. on reflection…
Spaghetti is comforting, unexciting, recognisable but most importantly although everyone thinks they know the recipe it would be impossible to reconstruct in exactly the same way to look identical.
The corollary to that is the next generation pasta dish. A single ravioli crafted by the delicate hands of a culinary genius in a clear broth with a couple of edible flowers. Simple, elegant and appears on the surface to be replicable by anyone. In our Michelin/Masterchef vista we see kitchens up and down the land littered with failed dishes that disprove that point.
Your technology is the same, to move from legacy to your next generation platform is a skilful business and even more complex and disruptive than the culinary transformation. Your legacy needs to be the base architecture that allows evolution to your new digital platform. And to do that properly needs an experienced and capable leader (“our starred chef”).
The leader needs to determine the plan, bring the team on board and motivate them, promise the stakeholders reality and deliver the outcome. That’s no different to our master chef.
Success is based upon picking the leader wisely, provide them the support they need, recognise that the kitchen may have a problem or two along the way but judge the quality of the product served up along the way. If you have a smart, engaged, capable and supported leader in place you reduce massively the likelihood of them delivering a dogs dinner.
If you have tried unsuccessfully to unravel the spaghetti and are still stuck with your legacy then look for a capable leader (chef) with the experience and confidence to mastermind this journey ahead. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll end up with the perfect dish.
Strategic IT helps turn your business goals into next generation capability. We lead transformation and operational improvement in a business-orientated fashion exploiting modern day thinking, proven technology and deep executive-level experience.