Operation and switching
Keep or switch? Ten checks before moving automation
Migration is not export, import and a tasteful announcement. Triggers, identities, data mappings, histories and failure behaviour often need rebuilding.
Compare the cost of staying with the complete cost and risk of moving.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Switch only when a material constraint, cost or operating failure survives a pilot. Dissatisfaction is evidence; it is not yet a migration plan.
OPERATING CONDITIONS
Test the awkward path, not the demo
Inventory
List workflows, owners, credentials, schedules and dependencies.
Portability
Separate reusable logic from product-specific behaviour.
Pilot
Run critical flows in parallel and define rollback.
History
Decide what logs and audit evidence must remain accessible.
COST AND CONSTRAINTS
Price is one operating condition
Include rebuild, validation, training, dual-running, lost history and recovery risk.
EVIDENCE
What to test before committing
Pilot the most critical and least portable workflow first.
Teams with a named reason to move, an inventory and time for parallel testing.
A migration driven by fashion, a new interface or an untested assumption about lower monthly price.
SIMPLER ALTERNATIVE
Before changing the operating model
Repair governance, remove unused workflows or renegotiate the current plan before moving.
A new platform can remove old problems. It usually brings its own stationery.