Want to replace your software systems? Consider a smart ‘shell’ instead

Your existing software systems work properly

Nearly all organizations work with several software systems. These include applications they’ve invested in over the past few years and that everyone is familiar with — or, software which demonstrably works well and is interwoven with a variety of other systems and work processes in the organization.

Although you know digital transformation is inevitable, you feel reluctant to simply replace all these systems. And fortunately, you don’t have to. For many of these systems focus on your internal processes and perfectly comply with certain administrative principles that barely change over the years.

Changed user expectations

User expectations, however, do change. Users range from customers, citizens, and clients to employees, partners, suppliers, and — last but not least — the board. So, it’s only logical to start the digital transformation by focusing on where the shoe pinches: the (end) user experience.

By establishing a modern, fast, user-friendly digital shell around your existing systems, you’ll create a great user experience without wasting capital or overhauling your entire organization.

Research that works

If you want to completely replace your systems, you should also redesign — or at least significantly modify — your work processes. And that’s not always the smartest thing to do. After all, you want to investigate the future of your organization and the software it requires.

Adjusting your administrative core right away doesn’t seem like the best way to do that, does it?

A smart shell allows for room to experiment.  What does and doesn’t work? What are users’ expectations and experiences? As long as you don’t know the answers to those questions, you should steer clear of a complete redesign of your systems.

Smart shell: conditions

Two things are indispensable if you want to realize a smart shell successfully:

• A strategic change plan and business case supported by the organization
• A software partner that is used to connecting and integrating and — most importantly — whose understanding reaches beyond ‘their own code.’

A good example of a successful smart shell includes the BsGW (Tax Cooperation and Water Boards), which worked with 14 different systems. And it still does — but the entire process is now streamlined and managed through one platform that integrates these systems.

Do you want to innovate using a smart shell, too? We know how to go about it!