Case Studies
Transport Canada
Project Overview
Building on the success of a prior project, CORE Software Corp. was issued a second Task Authorization by Transport Canada to extract and document the business rules of two additional mission-critical applications: Port Warden (Microsoft Access) and the Small Vessels Compliance Program (SVCP). The objective of this project was to deliver a complete HTML5/UML representation of both applications, documenting every object, their interrelationships, and the underlying business logic. The result was an intuitive, web-based repository of knowledge, built according to BPMN 2.0 standards, designed to ensure business continuity and support future modernization efforts.
The Challenge
Transport Canada relied on these systems to manage vital regulatory and compliance processes, but both applications were built on outdated and restrictive platforms. Critical business rules and processes were trapped within the Microsoft Access-based Port Warden application and the SVCP system, creating significant risks of knowledge loss. The reliance on Microsoft Access further posed limitations around scalability, security, and integration with modern IT ecosystems. Compounding these challenges was the lack of comprehensive documentation, leaving the department without a clear understanding of navigation flows, data structures, and functional relationships. This made system maintenance, auditing, and training inefficient and cumbersome. Moreover, Transport Canada needed strategic clarity—a visual and accessible understanding of these systems—to make informed decisions about whether to modernize, replace, or decommission them.
Our Approach
To address these challenges, CORE Software applied its proven automated methodology to deliver a turnkey business rules extraction solution. The engagement was carefully planned to capture 100% of the existing business logic while avoiding any disruption to ongoing operations. The project began with a current state assessment, during which the environment was initialized and a detailed analysis of the source code was conducted to identify compile issues, missing objects, and dependencies. CORE then employed its proprietary automated design recovery tools to parse, assess, and extract all business rules, data structures, and application logic embedded in the legacy systems. These recovered artifacts were consolidated within the CORE Migration repository, establishing a single source of truth that supported full impact analysis and long-term governance. From there, CORE generated a Business Rules Extraction Website that featured intuitive UML diagrams, navigation flows, and BPMN 2.0-standard artifacts, including activity, data flow, use case, sequence, and class diagrams. The project was executed through a structured, phased lifecycle that encompassed project management, assessment, data modeling, and production, ensuring that strict quality standards were met and that the work was completed on time and on budget.
Results
The project successfully mitigated risks associated with two more of Transport Canada’s critical systems by transforming them into fully documented, accessible assets. All business rules for the Port Warden and SVCP applications were extracted, recovered, and comprehensively documented to the client’s satisfaction, thereby preserving institutional knowledge and mitigating risks of knowledge loss. The delivered HTML5/UML website gave developers, business analysts, and auditors an intuitive interface to explore system interdependencies, business rules, and complex data flows. With this visual blueprint in hand, Transport Canada was empowered to make more informed decisions regarding future modernization, system integration, or retirement. Importantly, all work was completed with minimal disruption to Transport Canada’s IT staff and day-to-day operations, reinforcing confidence in the process.
Why It Matters
Extracting business rules from legacy systems is a critical step for organizations that depend on aging technologies. By proactively addressing this challenge, Transport Canada secured its intellectual property, mitigated operational risk, and created a strong foundation for digital transformation. CORE Software’s use of automation and its proven methodology ensured that the agency was able to future-proof its operations, uphold regulatory compliance, and strengthen strategic IT governance—all while avoiding disruption to its ongoing business.