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 Managing in the Legacy World of Canadian Financial Markets |
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The Canadian Financial markets began adapting technology with the use of mainframes over 35 years ago. The adaptation was a tremendous success, but the early software design proved inflexible, and quickly became augmented and entwined with hundreds of custom applications. Externally, this agglomeration appears smooth: transactions are processed, reports and statements are produced. However, efforts to make changes within this environment notoriously drag projects to their doom. Traditional software development techniques are ill-equipped to handle this environment whose core is over a generation old and whose periphery is an industry-wide patchwork of purpose-driven applications. Application expertise that many software development methodologies rely upon for accurate cost predictions and project planning struggle badly here because of the huge scope dispersal and dearth of accurate documentation. Too often, projects — particularly large projects — are planned based on the externally smooth appearance, only to be dragged to expensive failure as the real intricacies begin to surface. Projects to replace an entire infrastructure suffer even more, because they often misunderstand the intricacies of their own interconnections to the rest of their own organization and overall industry.
Understandably, such projects have come to acquire a reputation of having a “third rail”. However, there are techniques for navigating these successfully using the role of system archaeologist. This individual (or team) uses tools of production system navigation, proof-of-concept creation and parallel processing to discern invisible intricacies that will have to be managed as part of any integration with the legacy environment. The process will reveal a project structure aligned with the system realities. It will also require investment in money and time, and, compared to the cost of projects that instead touch the third rail, that's an investment that will pay far better returns.
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| Tackling Legacy with Additon Consulting |
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Additon's associates have worked on and led projects deep within the legacy environments that drive the Canadian Financial Markets and we understand the techniques needed to bring such projects to success. Our application of system archaeology within a framework of long experience complemented by well-rooted skills in project management, analysis and reporting can navigate projects through that intricate environment.
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