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ETL Migration Discovery
Groundworks
Know exactly what you are migrating, before you commit.
Groundworks is the mandatory first phase of every Flowline migration. It maps your estate and confirms scope, then clears out the unknowns before they turn into a much bigger problem later.
It is a set of activities that make sure you walk into a migration with your eyes open to the risks that could derail the project and clear ways to prevent them.
ETL Migration Discovery
Groundworks
Know exactly what you are migrating, before you commit.
Groundworks is the mandatory first phase of every Flowline migration. It maps your estate and confirms scope, then clears out the unknowns before they turn into a much bigger problem later.
It is a set of activities that make sure you walk into a migration with your eyes open to the risks that could derail the project and clear ways to prevent them.
What 100+ migrations taught us
When problems surface mid-project, they cost the most to fix. Flowline's Groundworks phase finds them before you even commit to a full migration.
What is included in the Groundworks phase
De-risking your project in eight activities, completed before any migration work begins, so there are no assumptions or hidden risks.
Business goals and pain points
Making sure the modernisation actually addresses the current challenges and does not introduce new issues.
System and data owners
Confirming who can approve what, with clear success criteria and timelines, so sign-off and testing never stall waiting on the wrong person.
Scope and priorities
Ranking what matters most and what carries hidden risk, so the highest-stakes work is planned for in a timely manner.
Dependency mapping
Every hidden trigger and legacy job dependency surfaces before migration starts, so nothing fails unexpectedly partway through.
Data-in check
Making sure your data keeps arriving reliably throughout the move. Flagging where standard tooling will not be enough.
Data-out check
Compiling a list of every dashboard and report that needs re-pointing, so everything works properly after go-live.
Environment and data rules check
Confirming upfront what is technically and legally possible, so work does not stall later on an access or compliance issue that should have been caught early.
Target platform decision
Agreeing how much of the legacy system gets rebuilt vs carried over as-is, so you are not paying to fix the same inefficiencies twice.
All eight in detail. What each covers, and what it cost the teams that skipped it.
Why you should not skip the Groundworks
The Groundworks phase is priced and required separately because skipping it is where migrations become expensive.
For example:
A pipeline rebuilt without checking its real complexity can multiply compute spend instead of cutting it.
A missed dependency surfaces mid-migration, when it is far more disruptive to trace and fix.
Decisions made without full visibility often get rebuilt a second time, once the missing piece appears.
What you get
Documented set of goals and pain points, plus an expert review of whether the target platform actually resolves them, including any risks or gaps identified along the way.
Confirmed map of system and data ownership, sign-off authority, success criteria, and the UAT timeline you need to plan around.
Prioritised list of every pipeline and object, ranked by downstream impact and risk, so you know what matters most before committing to a sequence.
Complete dependency map of every trigger, schedule, and job tied to your current pipelines, including alerting and SLA expectations.
Detailed data ingestion plan, with any gaps in your current tooling flagged.
Confirmed re-pointing list naming every dashboard, report, and downstream system that needs redirecting after go-live.
Set of technical constraints and compliance approvals, agreed before any conversion work begins.
Target platform decision, including the coding standards and redesign choices for the new build.
What happens next
Groundworks stands as a complete deliverable in its own right. At the end, you decide whether to proceed with the full migration, with Infinite Lambda’s Flowline or otherwise.
There is no obligation either way, and the clarity and risk reduction gained during Groundworks hold regardless of that decision.
Groundworks FAQ
Why is the Groundworks phase mandatory?
Skipping this phase is how migrations end up over budget or delayed later in the project. Groundworks removes that risk before it becomes expensive to fix.
Why is it paid separately?
Groundworks is a standalone deliverable, not a sales exercise. You are paying for the mapping and decisions themselves, whether or not you proceed to migration.
How much does it cost?
The price depends on estate complexity. Reach out to book a call with our team and give us more details. We will draft a Groundworks proposal you can review.
What if we decide not to migrate afterwards?
That is your decision to make. Groundworks delivers real value on its own, through the clarity and risk reduction it provides, regardless of what you decide next.
How long does it take?
It depends on your specific case. Factors like estate complexity and stakeholder availability will impact how long the Groundworks phase takes. Reach out to book a call with our team and give us more details. We will draft a Groundworks proposal you can review.
What do I need to provide?
Named system and data owners, access to your current environment, and time from a few key people across the eight activities.
Download the full Groundworks prospectus
See exactly
- What each of the eight Groundworks activities covers
- What it delivers
- Where it fits into the wider migration
- What tends to go wrong when a step gets missed
- Real project examples