ABSTRACT
Legacy in one form or another is a key barrier to change in many organisations. Every existing organisation has the burden of legacy. This burden takes a multitude of forms that prohibits any simple single solution to overcoming the challenge that legacy presents. Inevitably, organisations that recognise the impact that legacy is having on their organisational system and their business models has already made the first essential step towards addressing the challenge and implementing change. The challenge for an organisation undergoing strategic digital transformation is to recognise which elements of the system contain legacy. The problem echoes the Rumsfeld event of acknowledging the presence of unknown unknowns or the self-awareness technique of the Johari Window. Legacy issues are often identified in relation to software. Very often, organisational decisions around software purchases are taken without wider consideration to its position as an integral element of the organisation.
