Legacy, whether personal or organizational, defines our options for the future. How can we come to terms with legacy, manage it, and remove negative aspects that hinder growth and renewal? 

You might have heard this in your company: "We have so much legacy slowing down our progress.” What exactly does it mean to have legacy issues, and how can we overcome them? 

In this white paper, we will define legacy as the accumulation of cultural, operational, technical, and/or psychological realities shaped by past decisions and actions, influenced by the path taken to reach the present.  

Understanding and acknowledging legacy in all its forms is essential for the growth of any business or organization. Without understanding your history, building a successful future becomes challenging. Unfortunately, many companies neglect their legacy and concentrate only on developing new strategies. 

About the report

BearingPoint’s Legacy white paper includes in-depth analyses of how legacy is perceived in various industries: financial services, the military, airlines, and healthcare. Additionally, legacy is examined from the perspectives of the finance function and psychology. These analyses are written by experts in their respective fields. For the white paper, over 130 individuals across the Nordics were interviewed about legacy in their organizations. 

Solutions to legacy problems vary from case to case, yet it is possible to detect common patterns. We have created a list of the five most important themes to consider when addressing legacy issues.  

Our advice 

1

Understand your legacy. Accept the existence of legacy and understand it – this helps in working toward solutions. Try to identify what type of legacy is creating a challenge and where it originates.   

2

Identify and increase your optimal rate of change (ORC). Before attempting to increase the optimal rate of change (ORC) in your company, you first need to understand where your current ORC curve lies. Consider how easy or difficult it is to adopt change in your company.

3

Remove organizational and systemic entanglement. The older the organization, the more time there has been to build interdependencies and connection points between systems and operations. To remove this complexity and inefficiency, adopt a modular system design approach. 

4

Separate legacy removal from day-to-day business. Avoid assigning the same people to run both transformation programs and daily business operations. However, ensure that those responsible for long-term planning have experience in running the business. 

5

Be patient and have a long-term plan. Do not underestimate the time needed to achieve the desired outcome. Be transparent in your communication: do not claim a 6-year journey will take only 3 years, as this will not be the case.   

Download the full report

  • Legacy - The situation you are in, because of the history you have
    Legacy - The situation you are in, because of the history you have 6.63 MB Download

Would you like more information?

If you want to get more information about this insight please get in touch with our experts who would be pleased to hear from you.