Legacy Modernization Assessment
In my experience, the sales cycle in Legacy Modernization (LM) programs is a challenge. A transformational LM program is a major investment for the business and in some sense it is a leap of faith to move from the time-tested big iron to nimbler and (more importantly) cheaper technology platforms. The business decision to go ahead is bold and risky as it has to override the opinion of some within the IT community who are staunch mainframe aficionados. The big blue hasn't had too many trysts with the blue screen of death. 
The assessment of the business scenario is vital; it takes patient and painstaking effort in terms of PoC and pilot projects to lay out a compelling case for a high performing alternative. Uh-oh, now that the business case is sold, one still needs to make sure the LM exercise is executed as per plan. At the end of an LM exercise, in hindsight the assessment phase is not just worthwhile but perhaps the most crucial step.
