System migrations are often treated as technical projects—transfer the data, configure the system, go live.
But beneath that surface lies a more subtle threat: organizational memory loss.
When you replace the tools without preserving the knowledge of how and why they were used, the system may work—but the business doesn’t.
This is one of the most common and costly forms of forgetting in enterprise environments.
What Makes Migrations So Memory-Vulnerable?
A system isn’t just software—it’s a record of behavior. Over years, organizations adapt systems in undocumented ways:
- Manual overrides and workarounds
- Embedded business rules in custom fields or reports
- Workflows shaped by people rather than configuration
- Data entered “just so” to keep downstream processes functioning
When we migrate, we risk losing all of that—especially tacit knowledge.
Real-World Examples
🏭 Manufacturing ERP: SAP to S/4HANA
A manufacturer migrated from SAP ECC to S/4HANA. Technically successful. But fulfillment times worsened. Why?
Years of customer-specific pricing logic had been handled by experienced CSRs using memory and informal Excel trackers—none of which were included in the design.
🏥 Healthcare: EMR Replacement
A hospital moved to a modern Electronic Medical Record system. The new system passed all compliance tests—but doctors began complaining of “lost time” and “more clicks.”
Legacy tools had pre-filled templates and patient history fields. None were migrated—because they weren’t officially part of the prior system’s “features.”
Why Projects Ignore This
System migration projects tend to focus on:
- Data (What’s in the tables?)
- Features (Can the new system do the same thing?)
- Timeline (When can we go live?)
But they rarely ask:
- What knowledge lives in this system?
- What happens when the people who knew how it worked… leave?
How to Preserve Memory During Migrations
✅ 1. Knowledge Harvesting
Interview power users. Ask:
- What do you do that’s not in the manual?
- What breaks if you’re not here?
Map exceptions and undocumented routines before design begins.
✅ 2. Context-Driven Testing
Don’t just test feature parity. Test behavioral equivalence.
Simulate real business processes, with real edge cases—not just ideal scenarios.
✅ 3. Narrative Documentation
Capture not just “what the legacy system did”—but why it evolved that way.
Include business logic that may have drifted from its original intent.
✅ 4. Memory Anchors
Retain key users post-go-live, not just for support—but to rebuild lost context when gaps appear.
Their job is to restore memory in motion, not just answer tickets.
✅ 5. Double-Loop Learning
If something worked in the old system, ask:
- Was it the right solution?
- Or just a workaround for something we never fixed?
Use migration as an opportunity to rethink—not just replicate.
Final Thought
In system migrations, it’s not just about moving data. It’s about moving understanding.
If you don’t plan for that, you don’t just lose memory—you rebuild complexity from scratch, often at a much higher cost.
🔜 Coming Up Next
Stay tuned for Special Case 2: Offshoring—where memory loss isn’t just digital, it’s organizational, geographic, and cultural.
Related :Offshoring-A Major Opportunity for Memory Loss
Offshoring: a special case of system migrations