There are a wide range of problems that may have triggered your search for a solution. Common ones we have seen include:

External issues

• Customers have learnt to push back on your business for discounts and issues
• Levels of rework and resupply are increasing
• Your ability to adapt to new challenges is limited by the system

Issues with development

• Developers blame the technology base
• Developers blame the business for not knowing what they want
• New requests and bug reports take longer and longer to be addressed
• New releases of the software create more problems than they solve
• Recommendations say “rewrite in new technology X”

Internal Issues

• Staff making workarounds outside of the system to get their job done
• Staff blame the system or the developers for all their issues
• Nobody trusts the results of the system
• New staff training time is measured in months and years

Each system with its role in the business provides a range of business and technical risks you may be exposed to, common ones include

• Business cannot adapt to new changes: legal, regulations, technology, and social media requirements.
• Loosing new opportunities because expectations of customers are higher.
• Loosing staff or customers.
• Loosing money to suppliers.
• You can no longer maintain business continuity.

Generally home grown systems lack Business (why), User (what) and Developer (how) documentation describing the business, its processes and the role the system plays.

This means the entire “knowledge and IP“, the history and reasons why decisions were made are trapped in a single developer’s head, or the detail is no longer known to anyone in the organisation.

This makes it very hard for

• New developers to safely pickup, maintain or extend the existing system.
• Businesses to make informed decisions about what they should do with the existing system: Keep it, grow it or replace it?
• Business owners, users, process and software designers to understand enough about the existing system to feel confident they have safely extended or successfully replaced the existing functions.
• New investors to understand what it is they are investing in.

You are not alone, this is a common problem and Redgum have helped many companies out of this position.

These issues led Redgum to create a process which provide these critical answers about one of the key investments the business has made.

Firstly you need to get a handle on what you have, and understand from both business and technical perspectives where you stand.

Then, depending on a combination of what you discover and what your business goals are, you can plan forward the next stages.

The most common patterns we see are

• Good foundation but lacking ability to grow. In these instances we put structure and processes around the current system. Stabilise it and provide a common point of reference for business and developers to get clarity around what they are doing.
• The goal is right but the foundations are outgrown. This is often where capturing the learning from the existing system, and using it to inform a migration plan to safely move the business away from the current system onto a new foundation is the best answer.
• Rethink the operation around the system. Often when the urgent has overridden the important for too long, having a look at the business with the question “how should it work” is the best investment you can make. After answering this, Redgum help by providing the correct architecture and set of technologies which support that answer.

But each system is different, each organisations’ goals are different, and each investment needs an assessment and discussion before deciding on the appropriate course of action.

Overall the benefits of the complete process include

• Clear picture of the system as it stands today.
• Understanding of the risks and issues your business is actually facing.
• Understanding of the short and long term risk mitigation options you have available.
• Actionable insights as to the value and long term viability of your existing system.

The benefits, and your investment will vary depending on your situation and goals, common situations include:

• If you are looking to buy or sell the business and/or the technology, then providing an overview of the technology will quantify the value of the IP captured in the system.
• If you are looking to maintain or continue on with the system, then drilling down into the technical aspects will allow you ensure you are not single point sensitive to your developer.
• If you are evaluating replacement then a full assessment will provide you with the complete functionality list you need to consider when assessing or designing new options.

Talk to us about your situation.