

Migration in business should be planned at a detailed level. This allows it to be tailored to deliver the required outcomes for the organisation at the appropriate times.
Louis Piscane highlights some of the different ways migration in business can be considered…
Big bang gives you are very quick result to migrate everything in one go. This is useful in building testbeds to replicate production data, as an example.
Batch migrations are useful to limit the stress on systems and resources in, for example, migrating large batches of production data. These batches can then be run within the thresholds of the business systems. This will reduce the risk of the impact of business events due to overrunning migrations. It is also easier to troubleshoot issues in smaller batches
The Hybrid DevOps-Kanban approach is useful when priorities and readiness of migration targets are more complex. For example, the migration of country data or infrastructure and business priority may differ from country to country. These locations may also be ready to migrate in a more fluid pattern as there will be external dependencies outside the control of the organisation, (such as local legislation or different ownership structures of assets), so it is more appropriate to plan the migration in sprints.
Regardless of the method taken it is always imperative to test. Think of it as a dress rehearsal before the first migration – a pilot to test and refine the process of the migration before a larger rollout. Also, consider regression testing at the end of every migration to ensure legacy systems are not adversely affected and predicted outcomes are achieved.
Include breaks into the migration as this will allow you to incorporate best practice improvement learnings into the process.
No matter which migration method is chosen some key measures and checkpoints should be incorporated into your plan:
These methods require good planning that pays off in the long run. They will create a repeatable process that can then be used as a model to integrate into the business for future activities.
It allows continual service improvement and planning for success. This in turn creates a positive dynamic across the team and confidence from Senior Management. And with this capability and growing confidence comes the ability to speed up delivery and migration.