Need a new development team for software you already own?

The software works.

The problem is the team that built it has gone, the relationship no longer works, or nobody wants to make the next change because they do not understand the code.

You do not necessarily need a rebuild.

You need someone who can take responsibility for what already exists.

When the software is staying but the developer is changing

We regularly hear variations of the same problem:

  • The original developer has left
  • The previous software company no longer supports the application
  • Development has become slow or difficult
  • There is little or no documentation
  • Nobody knows how releases are deployed
  • A key integration breaks and only one person understands it
  • The application is useful, but the technology underneath it is ageing
  • You need ongoing support as well as new development

Changing development teams should not automatically mean changing the software.

We start by taking over what you have

The first job is understanding the system well enough to change it safely.

We review:

  • Source code and repositories
  • Build process
  • Hosting and infrastructure
  • Databases
  • Deployment process
  • Integrations and APIs
  • Scheduled jobs
  • Credentials and access
  • Logging and monitoring
  • Known defects
  • Current backlog
  • Documentation
  • Technology versions and support risk

Then we tell you what needs immediate attention and what can be left alone.

Three possible outcomes

1

Take over and support it

If the application is healthy, we document it, establish the build and deployment process and become the team responsible for maintenance and future development.

No unnecessary rewrite.

2

Stabilise it first

Sometimes the application needs a short period of recovery before normal development resumes.

That may mean fixing deployment, improving logging, securing credentials, resolving infrastructure risks or dealing with a fragile integration.

Once the foundation is understandable, ordinary development can continue.

3

Modernise it in stages

If parts of the application are ageing, we can progressively replace them while the existing software continues operating.

That might mean moving an old .NET component, rebuilding one workflow, replacing an integration or modernising the user interface.

The existing system becomes the starting point, not something we throw away.

You do not need a perfect handover

An ideal handover has source code, documentation, infrastructure diagrams and somebody from the previous team available to answer questions.

Real handovers often do not.

If all you have is:

  • access to GitHub or Azure DevOps
  • a database
  • a live server
  • a deployed application
  • some old documentation
  • or the contact details of the previous developer

bring what you have.

We can work out what is missing.

Existing software is often more valuable than it looks

Years of business decisions can be buried inside an ordinary-looking application.

Pricing rules.

Approval workflows.

Customer exceptions.

Data structures.

Reports somebody relies on every Monday morning.

Replacing the technology without understanding those rules is how apparently simple rewrites become expensive.

Our first job is to separate the business value from the technical debt.

Related CoSource work

NESS Corporation

CoSource took over ongoing maintenance of NESS Corporation's existing nopCommerce B2B platform and its integration with Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

The work included understanding the existing codebase and infrastructure, improving security and SEO, maintaining the ecommerce application and improving the NAV integration.

The important point is that we did not need to have written the original system in order to take responsibility for its next stage.

NESS B2B ecommerce case study

Why CoSource

Comfortable with existing code

We do not require every project to start from an empty repository.

Legacy and current Microsoft experience

Our work spans older Microsoft applications through to modern .NET, Azure and current web technologies.

Ongoing support

Taking over the application is not just an audit. We can continue maintaining, improving and developing it afterwards.

You retain ownership

Your organisation retains ownership of the software and source code.

Australian accountability

CoSource is led from Sydney, with an experienced development team supporting Australian organisations.

What happens first?

Start with a free 30-minute conversation.

Bring:

  • What the software does
  • Why you need a new development team
  • Where the source is stored, if known
  • Where the application is hosted
  • The technology stack, if known
  • Any urgent issues
  • What you would like changed next

From there we can determine whether this is a straightforward takeover, a stabilisation job or a modernisation project.

FAQ

Can you support software you didn't build?
Yes. Existing application takeover is exactly what this service is for.
Do we need the source code?
It is strongly preferable, but lack of a clean source-code handover does not prevent an initial assessment.
Will you insist that we rebuild the application?
No. We recommend a rebuild only when the existing application genuinely makes that the better commercial option.
Can you take over ongoing development as well as support?
Yes. The objective is normally to establish a maintainable system and then continue delivering changes.
Can you help if the previous developer is still involved?
Yes. A cooperative handover is ideal, but we can also work from the access and assets available to you.
What if the software is very old?
That becomes part of the assessment. CoSource also specialises in legacy software modernisation, including older .NET, Access and other Microsoft technologies.

Need somebody to take over your existing software?

Thirty minutes. Bring the application, the problem and whatever access you currently have.

We will tell you what it takes to take it over safely.

Book a free 30-minute discovery call