Title: The epistemology of legacy systems

Authors: Moritz Vischer, Roman Boutellier

Addresses: Chair of Technology and Innovation Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Switzerland. ' Chair of Technology and Innovation Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Switzerland

Abstract: Despite the ever-increasing variety of technological innovation, some products, ones in service, have a long operational life. Such |Legacy Systems| can be in use for decades. Companies required to support such systems face the dilemma of having to safeguard knowledge and skills for a long time. Both a codification and a personalisation approach are needed. A case study involving the Swiss aerospace-defence industry and its legacy systems is presented. The paper introduces a methodological framework and promotes the use the technological gatekeeper for technology intelligence and knowledge management.

Keywords: legacy systems; knowledge management; technology planning; epistemology; organisational memory; Switzerland; aerospace industry; defence industry; technological gatekeepers; technology intelligence; codification; personalisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTIP.2011.041254

International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning, 2011 Vol.7 No.1, pp.78 - 93

Published online: 14 Jul 2011 *

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