Transition Planning - Mutual Insurer
Sector: Insurance
Role: Technical Coach
Focus: Platform migration planning and team enablement
A UK mutual insurer needed to replace a critical legacy platform - undocumented, unsupported, and deeply entangled.
The tech was fragile. But the real blocker was confidence. Engineers weren’t sure how to move. And stakeholders weren’t sure who could lead.
The Challenge
- A compiled “black box” system - no source code, no documentation
- Tightly coupled systems with invisible dependencies
- Years of stalled efforts led to delivery fear and organisational hesitation
- Capable engineers operating in silos, hesitant to lead
- Leadership had appetite, but no clear path forward
The ask: How do we move forward without full certainty - and without outsourcing control?
What I Did
I supported them 1-2 days a week, working alongside the internal team rather than running the migration from the outside.
Planning Under Uncertainty
- Introduced lightweight planning methods to move without perfect clarity
- Wrote, and ruled out an in-house build option to unblock supplier discussions
- Supported RFI/RFP and decision-making with technical framing
Rather than owning the migration, I put in just enough structure and framing for the internal team to lead decisions themselves.
Architecture & Migration Support
- Designed a high-level “to-be” architecture
- Helped shape a phased transition plan that fit delivery capacity and risk appetite
Coaching & Confidence Building
- Introduced lightweight decision-making and documentation standards (LADR, RFC)
- Facilitated workshops and team coaching - stepping back as confidence grew
- Helped bridge siloed functions through collaborative planning
What Changed
From Hesitation to Ownership
- The team led migration planning with business leaders, making clear trade-offs without waiting for perfect information
- Co-created artefacts became living tools - not abandoned decks
From Consultant Dependency to Internal Momentum
- A supplier was selected with confidence
- Delivery planning progressed without external hand-holding
From Doubt to Trust
- The business stepped back from relying on external delivery
- Internal engineering became trusted owners of the transition
Reflections
The blocker wasn’t tech debt. It was confidence debt.
With structure, encouragement, and clarity, I helped a capable team reset and take ownership of the transition.
When teams believe they can move, they do.