APPLICATION MODERNIZATION

While we build an application, we progress as if it were a product. A product mindset means we prefer configuration over customisation. This approach helps. Progress in uncertain requirements. Build flexibility into the behaviour of the software. Reduce ownership cost by reducing long-term changes to code.

Productivity comes from not repeating the same task over and over again manually. Built a development environment once? QA, UAT and production should be scripted away. Found a defect? Bake that into a regression test. Send a release note every time basis master merge? Automate the process in the version control tool. Leave the repetitive tasks to automation while we focus on the intellectual and creative bits.

An application reflects its domain. Hence, to build an accurate representation, one must understand the domain. We do this through structured discovery workshops. We organise the workshops at three levels of granularity – Project, Release, and Iteration.

After that, teams get aligned basis the domain decomposition exercise that we carry out, increasing the exposure to a microsegment of a domain. Building teams around the microsegments leads to increased decoupling and greater cohesion.

One of the critical aspects of our working principle is to embrace uncertainty. We understand that our customers are not living in a static business environment. They change and adapt as the need arises. Our approach and mindset reflect this belief- we welcome and promote change. We aim to build greater alignment between the business users and the development team. If priorities change, our plans will change.

Small teams formed around domain microsegments are our secret sauce to productivity and ownership. Decision-making is decentralised to the empowered decentralised teams. We tune all our internal processes towards empowering our people – hiring, onboarding, L&D; you name it. Our secret sauce is our People who make self-organising teams possible.

A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. An artefact that helps build the ubiquitous language between end users, domain experts and the development team is the UI mock-ups. We ideate, iterate and align on the UX before embarking on the build.