8 tips for turning your legacy into low-code

One of the most common scenarios for using low-code is the replacement of legacy systems.As we have done these projects quite often, we would like to share some of our learnings.

1. Strategy: define the scope of your project. Will you be replacing a monolith application or a collection of applications that are tied together?
   
   
2. Tactics: Since a large project means a more complicated project, it is a wise decision to break it up in smaller parts. You might consider an HR application as a subproject and your CRM or ERP as other subprojects.
   
   
3. Target: decide what you want. Do you want to have everything as you know it or take the opportunity to change processes? There is no right or wrong answer, by the way. The most important thing is that it is discussed. Some will seize the moment to take a closer look at how things are done and if it can be improved. Others will focus on migrating first, knowing that the low-code platform will allow for flexibility in the years to come.
   
   
4. Process: describe all relevant processes. Now, this may sound a bit complicated but there are several steps you can take to accomplish this one. The first step is to describe on department level their added value to the product or service. For finance, for instance, one of the processes is invoicing which consists of receiving, paying and the administration. Tools like Miro or even Powerpoint can help you visualize these processes. The second step is to have your colleagues that work with the legacy system, describe what they do and how they do it. Pro tip: join them while they actually perform these tasks as often a lot of work is being done on auto pilot. Features they assume as ‘this is so basic, of course this functionality is available’, might be very worthwhile to annotate.
   
   
5. Test, test, test...And this starts with reserving time for all those involved. Testing is not just testing if the application works. It is also not just testing security and compliance like accessibility. Above all, test to ensure that your application meets the criteria of end users. We always have many checklists outlining steps in use cases, the expected behavior and actual outcome.
   
   When it comes to reserving time, don’t forget to have people standby to validate and fix the issues.
   
   
6. Content migration is a very important part of the migration. You probably want to even allocate this as a separate subproject. When we say content it is actually also the hidden content like when records are created, by whom etc.
   
   
7. Training. The success of any application is whether it is used. And because a new application also means a new way of working, you need to get the end users on board in advance. Don’t rely on feedback after implementation as you want people to embrace your new application as soon as possible. 
   
   
8. Take a look at some videos how real life developers take on the challenge on https://www.plantanapp.com/learn/videos/replace-legacy-systems