Mapping before migrating: a field habit
Why drawing the current system—people included—saves weeks when teams evaluate vendors or replatform internal tools.
Migrations fail quietly when teams invent a target architecture without agreeing on the current one. A systems map makes hidden hand-offs visible before contracts are signed.
Include people and calendars, not only services. The weekly spreadsheet that “doesn’t count as a system” often holds the constraint that breaks a neat diagram.
Invite corrections early. A map that looks unfinished invites colleagues to add missing edges; a polished diagram invites silent disagreement.
Systems Mapping Lab spends the first morning on boundary definition for exactly this reason—so later design choices sit on shared ground.