NSW Government — Legacy Systems Strategy Framework

Managing legacy systems was one of the top three strategic priorities of NSW Government CIOs, yet there was no formal, common approach across agencies. Each agency used different methods to assess and manage legacy applications, making assessments incomparable and prioritisation of transition projects difficult. There was no whole-of-government view of legacy systems, and no shared framework to guide investment and transition decisions consistently across the NSW public sector.

• ✓Designed a three-stage standard methodology — Assess, Classify, Guide — to take agencies through the full legacy system strategy development process
• ✓Built assessment capabilities enabling agencies to identify legacy systems, map each solution to GEA models, and evaluate risk profiles, business value, and total cost of ownership (TCO)
• ✓Applied Gartner TIME model and PACE-Layered Application Strategy to classify legacy systems into standard disposition categories and derive practical transition options from business strategy and legacy system fitness profiles
• ✓Developed guidance capabilities providing agencies with reference architecture guidance, impact assessments, transition approaches, and business case frameworks for legacy system transitions
• ✓Defined a continuum of 6 levels of legacy system strategy guidance to support diverse agency contexts and maturity levels
• ✓Structured the framework as a meta-model (Stages → Capabilities → Activity) to ensure clarity, reusability, and consistency across agency applications

• →Legacy Systems Strategy Framework delivered to DFSI, providing NSW Government agencies with a standard methodology for the first time
• →Common model established for capturing legacy system information — including risk profiles, business value, and TCO — enabling comparable assessments across agencies
• →Whole-of-government view of legacy systems made possible, supporting executive prioritisation and investment decisions at the portfolio level
• →6-level guidance continuum ensures consistency and robustness in legacy system investment decision-making and prioritisation across the NSW public sector
• →Framework positioned agencies to approach legacy reform with evidence-based, comparable, and defensible transition strategies