The presentation discusses application archeology as a method for accelerating app modernization at Dick's Sporting Goods, highlighting the challenges associated with legacy applications and the importance of transforming these systems. It introduces the role of application archeologists who work with product teams to mitigate technical debt and transition to modern architectures, employing the Swift methodology for agile development. The outcomes of these efforts include improved stability, faster development cycles, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

1. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/

2. Application Archeology:
Accelerating App Modernization at
DICK’S Sporting Goods
October 7–10, 2019
AustinConventionCenter

3. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
Sean Graham
Practice Lead
Application Transformation
20
yrs @ DICK’S
20+
yrs in Engineering /
tech
Brandon Blincoe
Advisory Solutions Architect
Application Transformation
3
yrs @ Pivotal
15+
yrs in Engineering /
consulting
@seangraham brandonblincoe
ABOUT US

4. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
Agenda
● Why Archeology
● Prehistoric Artifacts
● Discovering A Foundation
● Human, Community, & Market Values
● Discovering More Archeological Sites
● Learning From The Past, Looking Toward The Future

5. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/archeology

6. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
Legacy Application Archeology
Legacy applications are the apps that run your
business.
Pros
● Systemsof record
● Generate revenue
● Run your operations
Often times, these applications have also
earned a negative reputationamongst
business and technology owners.
Cons
● Often extremely hardto change due to
massive amounts of technical debt
● Expensive to operate
● Heroicsover collective ownership

7. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
Interest on Debt
Accumulation of Technical Debt

8. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
The Application Archeologist
Application Archeologists are architects that love to get their hands dirty.
Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/vectors/dirt-soil-nature-gardening-earth-576619/

9. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
Application Archeologists at DICK’S
Our mission: Build a team of app archeologiststhat,
● Pairs hands-on with product teamsthat are incurring significant amountsof
technical debt
● Can quickly assess the situationby using app transformationpractices
● Teaches modernizationtechniquesto move from monolithic to microservice
architectures

10. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
● Why Archeology
● Prehistoric Artifacts
● Discovering A Foundation
● Human, Community, & Market Values
● Discovering More Archeological Sites
● Learning From The Past, Looking Toward The Future
Agenda

11. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
THE PAST

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CHALLENGES
Dependencies Lengthy Scaling Issues
One feature goes out,
they all go out.
Long time for testing
and new releases.
Performance and
resource problems.

13. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
● Why Archeology
● Prehistoric Artifacts
● Discovering A Foundation
● Human, Community, & Market Values
● Discovering More Archeological Sites
● Learning From The Past, Looking Toward The Future
Agenda

14. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
THE FOUNDATION
● Transformcompany and
department
● Establish platformteam
● Establish product teams
● Engage in labs engagements

15. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
APPLICATION TRANSFORMATION IS BORN
Partnership
Guidance/help
along the way
Experiment
Start small and get
feedback
Goals
Measure success
Focus
Team focused
on App Tx
Swift
Methodology to
slay the monolith

16. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
SWIFT METHODOLOGY
● Bridging the gap
(language matters!)
● Iterating over slices of
functionality
● Prioritize Value
● Speed to market
Credit: Shaun Anderson,https://www.swiftbird.us/the-swift-method

17. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
SWIFT METHODOLOGY (EVENT STORMING)
● Events
● Pain Points
● Domains
● Thin slice

18. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
SWIFT METHODOLOGY (BORIS and SNAP-E)
● Technical
● Interactions
● Data
● Dependencies
● Stories

19. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
SWIFT RETROSPECTIVE
Established common language
Fast transition from problem to solution
Identified problem of legacy system
Drove clarity and slice options

20. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
● Why Archeology
● Prehistoric Artifacts
● Discovering A Foundation
● Human, Community, & Market Values
● Discovering More Archeological Sites
● Learning From The Past, Looking Toward The Future
Agenda

21. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
CHALLENGES (REMEMBER THESE?)
Dependencies Lengthy Scaling Issues
One feature goes out,
they all go out.
Long time for testing
and new releases.
Performance and
resource problems.

22. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
RESULTS (PEOPLE)
Pairing No Heroes
Relentless anchored
rotations
Collective ownership
Enabling
Collaborating through
patterns and practices

23. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
RESULTS (PROCESSES)
Decoupling Iterating
Autonomy and minimal
dependencies
Short & small
deliverables
Test-Driven Dev
Red/Green/Refactor

24. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
RESULTS (TOOLS)

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RESULTS (EVANGELIZING)
Teaching Sharing Recipes Meet Ups

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“I’ve learned more in the last four months than in the last four years.”
“This is the coolest thing I've done in my 41 year career.”
“This is one of the best engineering teams I've ever been on.“
Motivated engineers
RESULTS (MOTIVATED ENGINEERS)

27. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
REALIZED OUTPUTS (NO OUTCOMES...YET)

28. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
● Why Archeology
● Prehistoric Artifacts
● Discovering A Foundation
● Human, Community, & Market Values
● Discovering More Archeological Sites
● Learning From The Past, Looking Toward The Future
Agenda

29. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
● Only 4 team members
● Multiple inquiries/requests
● Multiple engagements
● Size of a full engagement

30. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
ENGAGEMENT OPTIONS
Engagement Type
Swift
Methodology
Engineering
Practices
Lean / XP
Enablement
Product Team
Knowledge
Product Team
Capacity
Facilitation ✔ ❌ ❌ ↑ ↑
Supplement ❌ ✔ ✔ ↓ ↑
Engage ✔ ✔ ✔ ↓ ↓
Internship ❌ ❌ ✔ ↔ ↔

31. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
ENGAGEMENT OPTIONS
50%
Engage
25%
Facilitate
17%
Internship
8%
Supplement

32. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
SCALING APP TX
Change pic
Staffing
Anchors are the key
Preparation
Hit the ground running
Content
Cover the basics
Focus
Cover more ground
Value
Bang for your buck
Evangelize
Spread the word

33. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
TIMING ANSWERS
Change pic
● Concerns
○ Which opportunities to focus on?
● Modernization
○ Refactoring “nearly cloud ready” software
○ Business value with less work done

34. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
FUNNEL PROCESS
Change pic

35. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
Change pic
MATRIX PRIORITIZATION

36. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
● Why Archeology
● Prehistoric Artifacts
● Discovering A Foundation
● Human, Community, & Market Values
● Discovering More Archeological Sites
● Learning From The Past, Looking Toward The Future
Agenda

37. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
Speed and Agility
● Cycle time (idea to
production, MTTR)
● Release frequency
● Innovation and Athlete
Engagement
Savings
● 3rd party licensing costs
● Infrastructurecosts
● QA costs
Stability
● Reduction in tickets
● Pay down technical debt
Scalability
● Ability to respond to
peak usage periods
MEASUREMENT RESULTS

38. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
PROGRESS AND HEALTH CHECK
● Agile launches
○ One failed due to connectivity issues
○ One failed due to a false alarm
○ Easy roll-back (Blue/Green)
○ Successon second attempt
● Other notable activities
○ Auto-scaling saved resources
○ Monitoringraised awareness
○ Bug found and resolved in prod in < 1 hr
○ Multi-cloudfailover demonstratedduring tech meetup IN PROD

39. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
OUTCOMES - CONSUMER APP
Change pic
Elastically scale up or downapp based on real-time demand (from 1+ month provisioning)
Software Development Production Ops
Collective Team
Ownership
Supported by multiple
engineers
No single person acting as a
bottleneck
Higher Customer
Satisfaction
60% incidentreduction
Improved customer
satisfaction
Increased Stability
& MTTR
12x improvementin
MTTR
Bug found to production fix
in 10 minutes (previously over
two hours)
Event-Driven
Architecture
175x improvement
processing events
Queue processing reduced
to 5 minutes from 14 hours

40. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
OUTCOMES - PRODUCT COMMERCIALIZATION
Change pic
Software Development Production Ops
Backlog Clarity
Higher quality epics&
user stories
Engineers have clarity on
what they are expected to
deliver
Higher Quality
Software
6-hr. / release saved
through Test-Driven
Development & automation
Engineers are more
confident to push code early
& often to production
Build Automation
Teammoving closer to
continuousdeployment
Deployments have moved
from bi-weekly to many times
in a week.
Deploy to
Production Faster!
3-hr./releasesaved in
build &deploy process
New features are delivered
to customers faster
Higher quality iterations due to Agile, CI/CD, TDD practices (5x increase in deployments per iteration)

41. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
OUTCOMES - INVENTORY AVAILABILITY
Change picChange pic
Significantly reduced licensing cost and improved production stability (scales for holiday sales)
Software Development Production Ops
Engineeringtimesaved
using Spring
Integration with Elastic
required very little custom
code
Managed Services
Decoupled services
through useofbrokers
Moved from shared to
dedicated RabbitMQ with no
code changes
Scalable Solution
No loss of customersdue
to technology
App auto-scales to meet
consumer demands,
especially during peak
seasons
App Insights &
Performance
Improvementon 15-min.
delay in availability data
Availability data is near real-
time and more accurate
Spring Framework!

42. Unless otherwise indicated, these slides are © 2013-2019 Pivotal Software, Inc. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerc ial license: http://creativecommons .or g/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/
What’s Next?

43. Stay Connected.
Thanks!
Please hang around for DICK’S Sabu Thomas & Jay
Piskorik’s main stage presentation at 9:17a Thu.
#springone@s1p