Legacy Information Systems, Can They be Agile? A Framework for Assessing Agility

Abstract

Information systems should contribute to enterprise effectiveness, and usually do so during the operational phase of\rtheir lifecycle. From the experience of practitioners, the duration of this lifecycle is often not predetermined,\rtherefore resulting in information systems with a relatively long lifespan and information systems with a relatively\rshort lifespan. An important aspect of application management, is managing the application lifecycle. In the\rexperience of practitioners, deciding the moment to end the lifecycle, refactor it, or leave it be are often not\rthoroughly researched. The decision to move on to a newer information system is therefore not always sufficiently\rjustified and relies more on a gut feeling. What if the older information system is still able to perform and comply\rwith the changes the enterprise desires? Prolonging the length of an application lifecycle could result in cost\rreduction in an application portfolio. In this paper, we aim to create a method of assessment of the ability to change\rof a legacy information system and identifying potential areas in which a legacy information system would need\rimprovement in order to increase this ability to change