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Step 08 of 10 4-12 months· advanced

Step 8: Decommission the Mainframe

Turn off the mainframe. Sequence: read-only mainframe → selective shutdowns of CICS regions and batch → data archive → hardware decommission → license cancellation.

What you're doing in this step

Mainframes don't turn off easily. Block writes (all writes go to new), then turn off CICS regions and batch jobs one at a time (each shutdown surfaces forgotten consumers). Archive historical data to cheap, queryable storage for compliance. Decommission hardware with the vendor. Cancel every IBM, vendor, scheduler, and monitoring license explicitly — they keep billing until you do.

Recommended prompts

Use one of these to do the work in your IDE

Open the template to read it in full. Click Copy prompt to grab it (with your stack values pre-filled where they apply) — then paste into Claude Code, Cursor, or wherever you build.

Primary recommendation 1 day to write

Migration Cutover Runbook

Detailed step-by-step runbook for the actual cutover from legacy to new system, including verification, communication, and rollback.

View template
Template· Template 0.5-1 day

Migration Rollback Plan

Plan recovery procedures for when migrations fail at any stage — from pre-cutover bugs to post-cutover production incidents.

Use this when: Pre-flight check — make sure rollback is documented and rehearsed before the first shutdown

View template
Recommended skills

Drop these into Claude Code for this phase

Skills auto-trigger on the right kind of request. Install once; they apply to every prompt that fits.

Skill· Skill 5 min setup

Migration Planner Skill

Flagship migration skill that walks Claude Code through audit → strategy → slicing → cutover for any legacy system migration.

claude-code
View skill
Skill· Skill 5 min setup

Documentation Skill

Claude Code skill that generates README, API docs, JSDoc, ADRs, and other docs that match the project's existing voice and depth.

claude-code
View skill
Recommended MCP configs

Wire these tools into Claude Code first

MCP servers give Claude Code direct access to external systems (Jira, browsers, databases). Configure once.

MCP config· MCP config 10 min setup

Azure DevOps MCP for Evoke

Pre-configured Azure DevOps MCP server for Claude Code — work items, repos, PRs, and pipelines from chat.

claude-codemcp
View config
MCP config· MCP config 10 min setup

Confluence MCP for Evoke

Pre-configured Atlassian Confluence MCP server for Claude Code — search, read, and write internal documentation pages from chat.

claude-codemcp
View config
MCP config· MCP config 5 min setup

Filesystem MCP for Evoke

Pre-configured filesystem MCP server for Claude Code — safe, scoped read/write access to project files.

claude-codemcp
View config
When you're done

Verify these in your own work before moving on

This is a checklist for you to mentally tick off in your repo and IDE — the site doesn't track it, you do.

  • Mainframe write traffic = 0% for 30+ consecutive days
  • All scheduled batch decommissioned
  • All CICS regions stopped
  • All data archived to long-term storage
  • All integrations confirmed off mainframe
  • Mainframe hardware decommissioned
  • All vendor licenses cancelled
  • Final cost reduction verified
Common pitfalls

What goes wrong at this step

  • Decommissioning too fast — read access for 6-12 months catches forgotten consumers
  • No data archive — compliance requires keeping data; archive cheaply but accessibly
  • Forgetting license costs — they keep billing until cancelled
  • No celebration — this is a multi-year project that succeeded. Recognize it
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