Case study
Modernization as innovation incubator:
From legacy to laboratory
Instead of modernizing a system, we created a living laboratory of transformation where every line of code was a lesson, and every sprint was a step toward team autonomy.
Starting point
Enterprise CPQ (Configure-Price-Quote) systems represent the operational backbone of complex product configuration management, serving thousands of users with mission-critical functionality. Our client's monolithic on-premise architecture had reached its scalability limits, creating bottlenecks in deployment cycles and system maintainability.
The development teams operated within established workflows built around traditional technologies, with limited exposure to cloud-native architectures, Agile methodologies, and DevOps practices. The modernization challenge extended beyond technical migration - it required a fundamental shift in development culture and capabilities.
The dojo method: Building tomorrow's team today
Approach
We started with a radical premise: we didn't come to execute a project, we came to raise successors. We introduced the Dojo model - the Japanese art of learning through shared practice. Engineers from both companies paired up on real project tasks, where each pair programming session transferred not just code, but the philosophy of software creation.
We built a microservices architecture in .NET Core not as a goal, but as an educational tool. Each microservice became an opportunity to learn responsibility isolation. Each CI/CD pipeline - a lesson in automation. Each code review - a workshop in DevOps culture.
We redesigned the user interface not for aesthetics, but as a manifesto of modern UX approach. We introduced Agile ceremonies not as rituals, but as the rhythm of transformation - iterative planning, continuous feedback loops, retrospectives that actually changed how work got done.
Breaking The Linear
We created a symbiosis of product development and people development. Each sprint simultaneously delivered functionality and built competencies. We didn't train on DevOps - we implemented DevOps together with the client. We didn't teach Agile - we lived Agile throughout the project. After 12 months, the client didn't just have a new system - they had a team capable of its autonomous evolution.
From legacy maintainers to innovation leaders
Summary
We transformed a modernization project into a cultural transformation accelerator. The client didn't just swap technology - they changed the DNA of their IT organization. From a company maintaining a legacy system, they became an organization practicing continuous delivery and DevOps.
Most importantly: we didn't leave the client with a new system and old thinking. We left them with a new system and a team that knows how to develop, scale, and transform it in response to future challenges. Product modernization became the catalyst for modernizing the entire software development culture.
This wasn't a migration from point A to point B. It was opening an entirely new development trajectory, where every future change is already embedded in the team's DNA.
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