The 7 Rs of Modernization: A CEO's Roadmap to Retiring Technical Debt without Business Disruption
Update apps without breaking the business—a strategic framework for technical debt.
Why a Framework Matters
Technical debt and legacy systems can’t be fixed with a single “modernize everything” project. The 7 Rs give CEOs and leadership a shared language: Retire, Retain, Rehost, Relocate, Repurchase, Replatform, Refactor/Rebuild. Each R is a valid choice for different parts of the portfolio. Mapping your systems to the 7 Rs lets you prioritize, budget, and execute without boiling the ocean—and without disrupting the business. This post walks through each R and how to build a roadmap that retires debt in stages.
Decommission systems that are no longer needed.
Keep stable systems that still meet needs with minimal change.
Lift-and-shift to cloud or new infrastructure with minimal code change.
Move to a different region or provider for cost or compliance.
Replace with a commercial or SaaS product.
Move to a new runtime or platform with some refactor.
Rewrite or significantly rearchitect for modern architecture.
Dynotree’s Role
We help CEOs and IT leaders apply the 7 Rs to their portfolio—building a roadmap that retires technical debt with minimal business disruption and clear ROI.