Getting off Notes to a different platform is not easy. Migrating from one platform to another in general is not easy, and comes with its share of inherent hurdles.

For one, whenever you take a good look at something, you will notice all the things that are wrong with it. Those things may have been there for years and somehow your users and your organization have largely ignored them. But surely you don’t want to rebuild shortcomings into the replacement system? Surely you don’t want to build code for sub-optimal processes. Did you account for all this?

Often an existing Notes system was one that was built many years ago for a different world. Does it still do what it should be doing? Do your clients and users not have a new set of requirements for the replacement system?

Our experience says that the best approach is to rethink the entire system. Don’t look at the current system as your requirements and just reverse engineer into a new code base. Take the time to draw up proper requirements as if you were starting from scratch. When you do that you will create a system that:

• fits even better with your current customers
• has the potential to attract new customers
• has the potential to also replace other systems in your environment
• maintains the lessons learned from the existing system
• is future-proof because it runs on the right tech stack and is well-planned for easy support

Drawing up requirements and managing the development and implementation of a new system is complicated and arguably one of the most important skills your organization needs. When you prepare well and create a smooth road for development, the coding and implementation goes quicker and more predictably.