PODS Moving & Storage – Legacy System Modernization & Code Intelligence Initiative [Case Study]

PODS operates a complex legacy Order Entry and Quote Service ecosystem integrating multiple internal systems, including dispatch (TMS), web applications, database layers, and Microsoft Dynamics 365.

The initiative focused on delivering a comprehensive analysis of the legacy architecture — mapping workflows, extracting business logic from source code, and documenting inter-system connectivity to prepare the organization for future modernization and migration strategies.

This was not a redesign project.

It was a deep architectural intelligence initiative.

The PODS legacy system had evolved over many years with layered business rules, tightly coupled modules, and undocumented service logic.

Key challenges included:

• Limited documentation of service connectivity
• Hidden business rules embedded in legacy code
• Complex quote and order orchestration logic
• Interdependencies between Order Entry, Quote Service, Dispatch (TMS), and Dynamics 365
• Risk exposure during modernization due to unclear module boundaries
• No centralized architecture visualization

Without clear system intelligence, modernization efforts risked operational disruption.

I led the structured breakdown and intelligence modeling of the ecosystem through:

1️⃣ System Connectivity Mapping

Created service diagrams mapping:

• Order Entry Application
• Web Application
• Quote Service
• Database layer
• TMS (Dispatch)
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration

This visual architecture exposed service dependencies and call flows.

2️⃣ Code Extraction & Business Logic Analysis

Developed tooling and structured methodology to:

• Analyze source modules
• Extract rule logic
• Identify workflow branching patterns
• Surface hidden calculation structures
• Map service orchestration layers
• This converted undocumented legacy logic into structured documentation artifacts.

3️⃣ Workflow Decomposition

Modeled:

• Quote lifecycle
• Container allocation logic
• Storage center workflows
• Market warehouse relationships
• Service selection and pricing logic

Each business flow was decomposed into modular components.

4️⃣ UX & Modernization Strategy

Produced high-level UX concepts to demonstrate:

• Simplified order entry flows
• Service configuration improvements
• Modular interface restructuring
• Improved system transparency

This bridged engineering findings with executive-level modernization vision.