A migration of customers —either move them to a platform that legacy to a new one, or consolidate databases of users after a merger— is the equivalent of a corporate open-heart surgery. The goal is not just for the patient to survive, but to not even notice that the operation is occurring. The service interruption is not an option; the data loss is a disaster.
As a Product Manager, Agile, I have learned that the success of a migration is not measured by the sophistication of the database scripts, but because of the invisibility of the process to the end user. Here I share key strategies to achieve this transition smoothly.
1. The in-depth Audit: Know what Move Before you Move it
The most common mistake is to assume that we know our data. The older platforms are filled with ‘zombies’ digital: fields that are no longer used, corrupted data, customized settings neglected and dependencies to be hidden.
Before writing a single line of code migration, you must perform an audit of discovery deep. Maps each data point, you understand how it is used by customers currently and defines clear rules of transformation to the new system. If you don’t know exactly what you’re migrating, and why, you’re planning a fault. The analysis of business here is critical: not migres trash from an old system to a new one.
2. It adopts a Strategy of Incremental, Not a ‘Big Bang’
The era of shutting down the system Friday night and you cross your fingers for everything to work Monday morning has ended. The risk of a migration type ‘Big Bang’ is unacceptable in the current environment of 24/7.
The alternative is a strategy of incremental migration and parallel.
- Phase Coexistence: Keep both systems running simultaneously. The new data can be written in both places, while the reading goes gradually to the new system.
- Migration Cohort: Moves to the clients in small groups and controlled (for example, a 1% of users of low-risk first). This allows you to detect problems, to correct and refine the process before they affect your customers more valuable.
3. Planning Failures and Transparent Communication
Arrogance is the enemy of the migration. Assume something will go wrong. Your migration plan should devote so much time to the ‘road happy’ as to the plan of rollback (reverse). What happens if the data is not validated on the target? What happens if the performance falls? You must have a button ‘undo’ tested and ready to be activated in minutes, not hours.
At the same time, communication is vital. Informs clients of what is happening, not with technical jargon, but with clear benefits. If you require any action on your part (such as password reset), report it in advance and clearly. A surprise technique is an error; a surprise of communication is negligence.
Conclusion
Manage a customer migration without interruption is an exercise in precision, patience, and deep empathy for the user. When done well, the work is more boring in the world, because no one note that has happened. And that boredom is, in fact, our biggest success.
