Technical debt

Technical debt is a well-understood and well-ignored reality.

We love to build new stuff, with new technologies. Which we are sure will soon replace the old stuff.

We borrow time by writing quick (and dirty) code, building up debt.

Eventually we have to pay back — with interest. There’s a high interest on quick and dirty code.

Making changes to the code becomes more and more cumbersome. Then business change becomes more painstakingly hard.

That is why continuous renovation is a business concern.

Organisations run into trouble when they continue ignoring technical debt, and keep building new stuff while neglecting the old stuff.

Techies like new stuff, but if they are professional they also warn you for the old stuff still out there. You see them often getting frustrated with overly pragmatic business or project management, pushing away the renovation needs.

Continuous renovation must be part of an IT organisation’s Continous Delivery and application lifecycle management practice.

Making renovation a priority requires courage. Renovation is unsexy. It requires a perspective that extends the short-term horizon.

But the alternative is a monstruous project every so many years to free an organisation from the concrete shoes of unmaintainable applications. At best. If you can afford such a project. Many organization do not survive the neglect of technical debt.

Transition to obverse

This blog is now transitioning. When I started the blog I wanted to write about IBM mainframe technology, giving space to other readers, presenting a fresh view.

My intentions have changed, challenges have changed, and readers have changed.

After some posts expressing somewhat obverse standpoints of mine, readers reacted they wanted more of that. Also, in an earlier blog I shared snippets called ‘Principles of doing IT’, which got positive feedback. In this blog I will now bring these together. I will categorize my posts so the reader can easily filter what he wants so see. Yet, I give myself the freedom to keep posting in the order I like, and on the topic that I feel most urgently needs an obverse view.

I hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think.

Niek

John Mertic on the importance of open-source for the mainframe

Interesting podcast, in which Reg Harbeck talks with John Mertic about the history, future role and community impact of open-source technology for mainframe clinet and in general.

https://soundcloud.com/ibm-systems-magazine/ztalk-with-harbeck-john-mertic-06-12-20

… their ability to have a technology stack that enables them to execute and serve their customers better, is a competitive advantage. We see open source as kind of as little bit of that leveling appeal. It’s enabling people to get to that point faster than they ever had before. You don’t need a vendor to be that person. Even legacy organizations and companies have turned themselves into software companies because open source has opened that door for them.

Go fix it while it ain’t broken yet – modernize the mainframe

Reg Harbeck wrote an excellent article in Destination z, Overcoming IBM Z Inertia, in which encourages IBM Z (mainframe) users to take action on modernizing their mainframe.

The path of action Harbeck describes is to assign new mainframers (RePro’s) with the task to find and document what the current mainframe solutions in place are expected to do, and to work with the organisation to see what needs to retired, replaced or contained.

In other words task a new generation with the mainframe portfolio renewal, and not leave this to the old generation, who are “surviving until they retire while rocking the boat as little as possible” (hard words from Harbeck but it is time to get people in action).

In additional to the general approach Harbeck describes I think it is important to assure senior management support on a level as high as possible. Doing so you prevent that the priority of this program is too easily watered down by day-to-day priorities and you assure perceived or real “impossibilities” and roadblocks are moved out of the way resolutely. So:

  • Make modernization a senior management priority. Separate it organizationally from task from the KSOR (Keep the Show On the Road) activities, to make sure modernization priorities compete as little as possible with KSOR activities.
  • Appoint a senior management and senior technical exec with a strong Z affiliation to mentor and support and guide the young team from a organisational and strategic perspective.
  • Have a forward thinking, strong and respected senior mainframe specialist  support the team, with education and coaching (not to do it for them).

It will be an investment and, according to the “survivors” never be as efficient as before, but one very important thing it will be: fit for the future.