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6 Migration Tips

How do you migrate your solution? Whether you are moving to the cloud or a new server, migrating is easier said than done. You’ll need to carefully plan it to make sure you do it right. Use these 6 migration tips to plan your strategy.

6 Migration Tips

Choose a migration type

These are the types of common migration strategies to choose from:

  • Rehosting: Also known as "lift and shift". You move your application to the cloud with minimal tweaks and changes.
  • Replaforming: Same as Rehosting. You move your environment to the cloud. Then, make some adjustments to optimize it for the cloud.
  • Repurchasing: Move your customized, legacy application to a brand new, cloud-native product. You’ll need to train your team on the new platform.
  • Refactoring: You’ll need to change your apps. In some cases, you’ll need to rebuild from scratch. Make changes to take advantage of the cloud without compromising the core features.
  • Retiring: Some of your applications may no longer be useful to you. You’ll need to decide which applications you can stop using.
  • Retaining: Are you ready to migrate to the cloud? You may not be ready to migrate. If you aren’t, you should reconsider migrating at a later date.

Assign a Migration Architect

Pick a person who can guide or execute all technical aspects of the migration. They’ll need to define the necessary refactoring, data migration, tools and strategy.

Understand the scope of your migration

Your migration project needs to manageable. You’ll need to know what you want to accomplish and how to get there. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time. By defining your migration project scope, your team can manage their work without delays.

Find the right integration partner

Look for a partner who has moved before. They can help you plan your move and guide your through the process.

Document your processes

Make sure you have documented your processes. If you need to make changes, it is good to know where to start.

Test and test again

No move is perfect. You may miss something in the first round of testing. Make sure you create a checklist of things to test. Test them in many environments.

Planning a project with your team

Project planning is hard. When you need to plan a project, don’t do it alone. Ask your team to help you plan the project. By including them, you get buy in and a better plan.

Planning a project with your team

Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst

1. Plan with your team

Schedule a time to meet with your team. Explain the project and work out how to get it done. By working with your team, you get your team interested in the project and avoid having to rework your plan.

2. Get everyone involved

Ask questions. Each person has different experience and insights into how to approach the project. Make them feel like they are part of the process.

3. Work with your team to define the tasks

Have them help you define all tasks needed to complete the project. When you have all the tasks figured out, ask them for estimates. They should be able to give you realistic estimates not guesses.

Projects get completed by teams. Start by planning with your team. Get them involved by asking questions and finding out what tasks are needed. By working with your team at the beginning, you can create buy in and enthusiasm for the project.

Need more project management tips? Check out 10 Practical Project Management Tips.

10 Practical Project Management Tips

We all manage projects. Whether we are working on a team or independently, we have our part that needs to get done. Chris Ford, Project Manager at Reaktiv Studios shared her practical project management tips at WordCamp US in November 2019.

10 Practical Project Management Tips

Photo by Shopify Partners from Burst

1. Projects are about people

Projects are about working and collaborating with people to achieve a goal or build something. It’s not about the technology. People are trying to do the best they can with the tools they have.

2. Work with people you like.

People don’t like to work with jerks. You don’t always get to choose who you work with. When you do, choose to work with people you like. Projects work out better when you work with people you like.

3. There is no such thing as a perfect project.

Something always happens. The client adds new features. Team members quit. Delays and other problems occur. When that happens, be flexible. Stay calm and do the best you can.

4. Measure what matters to you.

You can’t measure what matters to you if you don’t track it. Do you know how much time you spend on a task? Are you using a project management tool to keep track of team’s progress? There are plenty of tools like Harvest to help you collect and analyze your progress.

5. You will be wrong. It will suck.

You’ll make mistakes. Everyone does. Chris likes to say “The wrong mistake is the one you make more than twice.” Accept this and be ok with it.

6. Bad news doesn’t age well.

When you’re wrong, don’t hide it. It is better to tell people bad news right away than delay it.

7. Celebrate the small victories.

When you have a success no matter how small, celebrate it with your team.

8. Create a culture of helping.

Be helpful. Share knowledge and encourage helping others.

9. Take care of yourself.

Remember to take care of your team and especially yourself. Schedule time for breaks and whatever else your or your team needs.

10. Everyone is a project manager.

Remember, we all manage our own projects.

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