Effectiveness and Efficiency
The goal of any portfolio manager is to create and manage capabilities that are needed by the business to support and enable processes.
That is the measure of Effectiveness, or “fit for use.” But for the measure of Efficiency, the organization expects the portfolio manager to ensure all developed capabilities are not only fit for use but do so in an extremely cost-efficient and labor-efficient manner.
The budget spent on sustaining applications and IT takes away from other business areas.
Managing efficiency requires an exponential effort to practice continuous improvement, uncover and understand new technologies with increased value propositions, and drive change and improvements across the application and IT spectrum. Goal – Reduce technical debt, increase capability…
Within an application portfolio, the sustainment (or technical debt) of a decades-long list of legacy applications competing with new capabilities development requirements makes for a complex problem set for any application portfolio manager. Gaps in architecture create a lack of trust with no ability to see inside the components, functionality, and code of developed systems decreasing confidence in making sound portfolio decisions. And lastly, trying to create a modern and agile on-prem, hybrid, or multi-cloud application portfolio ecosystem is an immense challenge to accomplish, fraught with risk to make the right decisions.
Through McLean Forrester’s adoption of leading-edge AI capabilities, we have revolutionized the ability to deep dive into systems and make data-informed decisions for your application portfolio. Additionally, we can help clients make AI-informed smart decisions regarding a cloud migration or application transformation journey and accelerate those needed transformations at 30-50% greater speed with fewer errors. We’ve built a game-changing capability for any portfolio manager!
McLean Forrester is at the forefront of application modernization, pioneering a holistic, phased approach for an APP-RAT 360° capability. This methodology is meticulously designed to ensure a thorough understanding and strategic overhaul of your application portfolio and underlying IT and infrastructure, paving the way for an agile and future-ready organization.
Our methodology applies an advanced and structured approach to fully understanding your applications for data-informed investment decisions.
Phase 1: 360 Degree Analysis
The Two-Pronged Approach:
Portfolio-Level Analysis (Top-Down) – Our approach begins with a bird’s-eye view of your entire application portfolio landscape. Utilizing
smart technologies, we scan the entire portfolio and identify systems’ cloud readiness, security risks, and alignment with business objectives.
This strategic layer of our analysis aids in determining the best course of action for each system—whether it’s refactoring, rearchitecting, rehosting, rebuilding, or retiring—ensuring your IT investments are maximized for business impact. It also identifies where NOT to waste time and valuable resources. The output becomes the prioritized roadmap of effort to transform the portfolio as the foundation of future business opportunities.
System-Level Analysis (Bottom-Up) – Complementing our top-down analysis, this approach offers a ground-level view, employing advanced technology to dissect individual systems’ architecture and code. This detailed inspection provides a clear understanding of the intricacies of each system, including dependencies, data paths, and architecture, greatly reducing the time required to plan modernization efforts and enabling a more efficient transition to updated technologies. This provides a data-informed analysis of the system for code efficiency, vulnerabilities, and sustainability. It also provides deep knowledge across the portfolio of redundant capabilities which are strong candidates for composable application components. This is a game-changer for modernizing to an agile application portfolio.
Phase 2: Application Modernization Implementation
Armed with comprehensive insights from our AI-assisted analysis, we collaborate with our customers to embark on the application modernization phase, translating strategy into action. Our team’s vast experience within commercial and public sectors creating well-known applications and digital ecosystems gives us the wisdom to guide you through the “5 R’s” decisions:
- Refactoring & Rearchitecting: Systems identified for update or redesign are meticulously refactored or re-architected leveraging AI code assistance tools and capabilities to improve both speed and quality of the modernization.
- Rehosting & Retirement: We execute strategic rehosting or cloud migrations for applications, alongside retiring obsolete systems to streamline operations and bolster security.
- Rebuild: This is where our years of experience play an advantage, as we know how to build capabilities and wonderful user experiences and have done it across many Fortune 500 companies. Our knowledge and experience create a value proposition of speed and high quality.
- Continual Optimization: Portfolio rationalization and application modernization create an agile, modern, and efficient IT ecosystem, allowing continuous optimization to keep your application portfolio aligned with business goals and technological advancements.
The McLean Forrester Advantage
Our APP-RAT 360° approach delivers unmatched benefits:
- Holistic Insight: Through our top-down/bottom-up analysis, we offer a complete overview of your IT portfolio’s current state, identifying opportunities for improvement and aligning IT strategies with business objectives.
- Strategic Modernization: Our phased methodology ensures modernization efforts are prioritized and executed in alignment with their potential to drive business value, enhancing efficiency and competitive edge.
- Risk Management: Early identification and mitigation of potential security and operational risks protect your organization and pave the way for a seamless modernization process.
- Future-Readiness: We don’t just modernize for today; we lay the groundwork for tomorrow, ensuring your IT portfolio is poised to support growth, innovation, and adaptability in the evolving digital landscape.
Revolutionize Your IT Landscape with McLean Forrester
Choosing McLean Forrester for your application portfolio modernization journey means partnering with a leader in transformative technology solutions. Our APP-RAT 360° methodology is a testament to our commitment to excellence, offering a comprehensive, strategic path to business transformation. Together, let’s harness the power of AI and meticulous planning to revolutionize your application and IT portfolio, turning technology into a strategic asset that propels your organization forward.
