Deploying ‘Bear Grylls’ developers to hack through your modernization jungle

In part one of this blog, I reflected on why developers are the Bear Grylls of today’s modern organization. They are on hand, ready to build the tools we need to survive in today’s modernization jungle. They are the champions of a cloud-native culture that provides the mindset for post-pandemic success. In this final piece, I’ll explore why tackling modernization with the right tools is so vital for companies today.?

Over time, many large organizations find themselves hiding beneath a canopy of manual tasks that are designed with safety in mind – minimizing risk and ensuring compliance. However, this often means software progress becomes a slow beast, unfit for competition today.

Businesses must decide how best to modernise important software tasks, so that new features can get off the ground faster, rather than wasting time falling into hidden traps. Finding the right path to reduce complexity and confusion might mean unpacking existing monoliths into loosely coupled microservices, or containerizing an app and moving it to a platform like Kubernetes, which is built for enterprise API.

There are no shortcuts to simplifying software but by starting small, automating processes incrementally, and extracting unnecessary layers of engineering complexity, businesses will head in the right direction.

So, what’s the right advice here?

Going on the app modernization safari can feel like a convoluted and costly journey, but it doesn’t need to be. If done right, businesses can take advantage of the flexibility and technological innovations of the cloud.

To consistently encourage cloud metamorphosis, leaders must deconstruct the needs of the business. Careful planning that considers how practices impact people, processes, and technology, should change to align with overarching modernization goals.

Making sure your people are capable should be at the forefront of all planning too, otherwise, you might as well give them a map to nowhere. Expecting your developers to go on a path to production from solely producing software to developing and implementing, is a big ask, and requires planning to get the job done in a timely and cost-effective way. Try creating a team focused on modernization so they have ownership. Moreover, they then develop experience by being part of the process throughout its lifecycle. Remember, it is through greater cooperation that survival is achieved. Silos will be the death of your strategy.

Code is one thing we expect to require some effort too, but the process of code can easily get overlooked. To avoid convoluting the process even further, teams need to use this as an opportunity to embrace simplicity. Getting into the habit of reducing friction to deploy code can create new ways to approach and comply with regulations that better support modernization efforts.

One core vine in the jungle of modernization is technology. Although the head of the pride, however, technology alone can’t fix everything.

For example, while the adoption of Kubernetes is increasing the understanding and access to support tools, teams still face some nuanced challenges which require knowledge to navigate. Despite that, technology is an undeniable advantage that supports architectural patterns like microservices and APIs, reducing the complexity of operational tools by increasing automation. When it comes to technology, set your expectations of what is truly possible and understand where it can be used to support and simplify software, and manage configurations.

Today’s business landscape is a new wilderness, with emerging species of threats and opportunities sent to test even the strongest of organizations. Navigating a clear path now requires a strategy that encompasses agility and adaptability through technological modernisation.

To make the most of investments and increase the chance of success, companies must start thinking about modernization as a jungle, and each step a successful win that empowers and takes businesses that much closer to survival and acts as a great way to secure new talent and explorers.