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How to Modernise Without Downtime: The Strangler Fig Pattern for SMEs

Modernising a fragile system doesn’t have to mean a risky rewrite or business downtime. This post explains the Strangler Fig Pattern in plain language: keep the legacy system running, extract one business capability at a time, route traffic safely, and expand gradually. It’s a practical SME-friendly approach to reducing migration risk, showing progress early, and modernising while the business continues to operate.

2026-02-23 5 min read

TDD for Business Owners: Tests as an Insurance Policy (Freezing the System)

Testing isn’t a developer preference — it’s a business risk-control tool. When systems are fragile, every change carries uncertainty: regressions, late-night releases, and slow delivery. This post explains TDD in plain language and introduces a practical approach for legacy software: use tests to “freeze” today’s behaviour, so you can refactor and modernise safely tomorrow. The result is fewer surprises, safer releases, and faster delivery over time.

2026-02-16 5 min read

Why Rewrites Fail: The "Rebuild It Properly" Trap (and What to Do Instead)

A full rewrite sounds like the cleanest fix for a fragile system — but for most SMEs it’s one of the highest-risk bets. While the new platform is being built, the business keeps changing, legacy behaviour is hard to replicate, and you often end up paying for two systems at once. This post explains the common failure modes behind rewrites and outlines a safer path: stabilise first, modernise

2026-02-09 4 min read

Software Architecture Monolith Microservices Legacy Systems System Modernization

Monolith vs Microservices: Start With Risk, Not Architecture

Modernising your system shouldn’t start with “We need microservices.” It should start with a clear view of risk: where changes are unpredictable, releases are stressful, and failures ripple through the whole platform. This article explains what monoliths and microservices really are, when microservices help (and when they add overhead), and a practical SME-friendly approach: reduce delivery and operational risk first, strengthen boundaries, then extract services only where it pays off.

2026-02-02 4 min read

Strategy Business

Outsource vs In-House: The Real Cost Isn't the Day Rate

Many leaders choose between outsourcing and in-house based on day rates. But the real cost isn't the rate — it's risk, speed, ownership, and continuity. Here's how to choose the right delivery model for your SME.

2026-01-26 4 min read

Strategy Business Software Development

Your Software Is a Business Asset (Not a Black Box)

Too often, businesses treat software as a mysterious cost center rather than the strategic asset it truly is. Learn how to shift your perspective and unlock real value.

2026-01-05 3 min read

PHP API Software Development

A Decade of API Integrations: Patterns That Survived

After building many public API consumer libraries over the years — Twitter, Facebook, Klout, PeerIndex, CarWeb, Nominatim, and dozens of private — certain patterns kept proving their worth. Here's what survived.

2025-12-20 4 min read

Open Source Community Software Development

Open Source That Scales: The Work That Helps a Project Grow

Contributing to open source isn't always about shipping flashy features. Sometimes the most valuable work is writing documentation, adding tests, and keeping the codebase healthy for the next contributor.

2025-02-02 2 min read