AI-assisted modernization

A large modernization program needed to reconstruct how a decades-old COBOL-based platform worked and define what its Java/Appian successor should do. The source code was not available. Understanding had to come from existing specifications, accumulated notes, and extensive discussions across business and technical teams.

As Proxy Product Owner and analyst at Modus21, subcontracting to KPMG, I introduced AI-assisted analysis within a restricted-access, multi-team SAFe environment.

• Introduced AI-assisted analysis: turned available documentation and stakeholder knowledge into requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, and pseudocode for review.
• Reconstructed the requirements: connected current behavior, business rules, and dependencies with the needs of the future platform, without access to legacy source code.
• Aligned delivery decisions: coordinated product, architecture, engineering, security, and partner teams around requirements and technical dependencies.

Approximately 30× delivery throughput improvement within the modernization engagement.