“Human+” approach for mainframe modernisation
In our earlier blog, “Why mainframes still matter in today’s era,” we highlighted how enterprises are already rethinking their mainframe estates. Organisations are exposing core capabilities through APIs, migrating selected workloads to cloud platforms and re‑architecting monolithic applications into modern, flexible architectures. Based on the chosen modernisation approach, these early initiatives are resulting in significant efficiency improvements (over 20 percent in several cases)
Yet, for most enterprises, these gains are neither sufficient nor are they achieved quickly enough. Traditional modernisation approaches alone struggle to overcome the complexities, risks and timescales involved. To overcome these challenges, the traditional approach needs to be augmented by machine-intelligence, in the form of Artificial Intelligence. This is where the “Human+” approach comes in.
Why the “Human+” approach matters for mainframe modernisation
“Human+” is not about replacing people with AI. It is about amplifying “Human” capability with AI‑driven insight and automation. In this model, AI accelerates understanding and execution, while humans bring judgment, validation and strategic intent. This approach overcomes the two significant constraints inherent in a traditional methodology for mainframe modernisation:
- High risk, due to deeply embedded business logic in legacy systems and may not always be accurate
- Concentrated tacit knowledge, often held by only a few experienced specialists
- Decisions requiring human judgment and experience
AI accelerates modernisation, but humans ensure it is correct, safe, compliant and aligned with business outcomes.
“Human+” approach in action: From discovery to delivery
Imagine a modernisation programme where AI rapidly analyses millions of lines of COBOL, JCL and VSAM, automatically surfacing hidden business logic and creating comprehensive dependency maps. What once took months of manual effort can be achieved in weeks or even days.
Human architects then:
- Ensure AI is fed with the entire code context (token management)
- Validate AI‑generated insights
- Preserve business context and intent
- Design modern target architectures that respect the mainframe’s unmatched reliability and resilience
- Adhere to regulatory requirements
This collaborative cadence drastically compresses discovery timelines and enables incremental, value‑driven releases, replacing risky, multi‑year “big bang” migrations with controlled, confidence‑building modernisation.
Augmenting the “Human+” modernisation approach with the DRIVE framework
Our DRIVE framework provides a structured, business‑aligned approach to executing mainframe modernisation using the “Human+” model. It enables organisations to select the right accelerators, tools and engineering techniques based on business priorities and the chosen modernisation target platform.
Discovery: Tool-based extraction of code knowledge. Business analysts are equipped with AI-extracted business knowledge locked in legacy code, enabling sharper and focused discussions with business users.
Recommend: A seasoned enterprise architect, powered by AI insights and business understanding, proposes the best modernisation type and approach to execute the same.
Implement: The implementation phase is where engineers can use AI assistance to maximise their productivity
Validate: Industry SMEs, powered with AI capabilities, ensure the modernised application is validated against multiple parameters, such as functionality, regulatory compliance and security.
Evolve: Mainframe modernisation is a result of continuous evaluation and monitoring of the modernised environment. AIOps becomes a critical input for architects and business users to align with key business goals and choose the most appropriate next milestones to achieve the same.
DRIVE makes mainframe modernisation a continuous journey rather than a one-time initiative. AI rapidly captures embedded business rules and system knowledge, while human experts validate and preserve intent, creating a living foundation for change. Dependency insights enable architects to define logical service boundaries, blending legacy stability with modern agility.
Reimagining business with the “Human+” modernisation approach
By equipping business users, architects and engineers with AI‑powered insights, organisations can:
- Retain decades of mission‑critical expertise
- Reduce modernisation risk and timelines
- Unlock agility, scalability and innovation
Mainframe modernisation, powered by the “Human+” approach, along with the DRIVE framework, is a recipe for reimagining how the business serves customers, partners and ecosystems, today and in the future.
