Yes, Mainframes Are Part of the Value Stream

It is increasingly recognized that mainframe systems, often viewed as legacy infrastructure, should be considered critical components of an organization's value stream. The mainframe is not just a relic of the past—it continues to be relied upon for critical functions. Despite the rise in cloud computing, more than 68% of the world's production IT workloads are processed on mainframe systems. Further, 71% of global Fortune 500 companies rely on mainframe technology.  

The key to the mainframe’s continued relevance is modernization—adapting these powerful systems to meet the needs and opportunities of today’s technological landscape, without losing the stability and security they provide.  However, the processes by which mainframe code is developed, tested, and deployed are often isolated from the streamlined DevOps practices applied to distributed systems.

For enterprises seeking to maximize efficiency and maintain a competitive advantage, I firmly believe that mainframe development must be integrated into the broader value stream.

This perspective has been formed through years of witnessing the disconnect created when mainframe systems are treated as separate entities.  

When the mainframe is excluded from the value stream, a significant portion of an organization's technology backbone is being managed through processes that are fundamentally misaligned with modern delivery expectations. Business value is being impeded from flowing smoothly, and the "speed of business" is being constrained by the slowest link in the chain—which is often identified as the mainframe development lifecycle.

This disconnect is not being caused by any inherent limitation of the mainframe technology itself. Rather, it is being perpetuated by organizational structures, tooling decisions, and development practices that are being maintained separately. The mainframe's incredible processing power, reliability, and security are underutilized when its development practices are not being modernized and integrated with the rest of the technology ecosystem.

From my observations, organizations that are recognizing the mainframe as a part of their value stream are positioned to leverage its strengths, while mitigating its traditional constraints. The paradigm is being shifted from viewing the mainframe as a necessary but cumbersome legacy system to seeing it as a powerful platform that can be incorporated into modern development practices.

Why mainframe integration is integral to your value stream

Mainframe systems are continuing to be used to power mission-critical applications for many large enterprises, especially in financial services, insurance, and healthcare, as well as government agencies. Enormous transaction volumes are being processed by these systems with unrivaled reliability, security, and performance. However, I have observed that these systems are often kept in silos, separated from modern development practices and tools.

This isolation creates several significant challenges:

• Development bottlenecks are formed when mainframe changes become the critical path in delivery pipelines.
• Knowledge gaps between mainframe specialists and distributed system developers are widening.
• Visibility into the overall application delivery process is being reduced, which means dependencies across systems cannot be properly tracked.
• Complex dependencies between mainframe and distributed systems are being obscured, causing unexpected impacts when changes are made.
• Time to market is slowed for features that span mainframe and distributed systems.
• Cross-platform dependencies are not being managed effectively, which creates coordination challenges.
• Risk is increasing due to manual handoffs and disconnected processes.

How automation is transforming mainframe development

The key to bringing mainframes into the value stream successfully is through sophisticated automation and dependency management. Manual mainframe development processes are being automated, enabling seamless integration with modern development practices. Critical dependencies between mainframe and distributed systems are being revealed, facilitating coordinated development.

How source code management is being revolutionized

Modern mainframe integration is being initiated with automated source code management. Here’s how:

• Tracking every code change automatically, with detailed audit trails.
• Enforcing naming conventions and version controls.
• Ensuring proper code organization, without manual intervention.
• Establishing integration with enterprise Git repositories and modern IDEs.

How build processing is being automated

Here’s how automated build processes help ensure consistency and reliability:

• Appropriate build processes are triggered automatically when changes are committed.
• Components requiring rebuilding are identified intelligently.
• Dependencies are managed automatically.
• All necessary steps are completed sequentially and in the correct order.

How deployment is being streamlined

The movement of code through environments is being streamlined in the following ways:

• Automatically managing code progression through development, testing, and production.
• Validating prerequisites, before code can progress to the next step.
• Employing consistent deployment patterns across environments.
• Reducing human error in critical production deployments.

How quality control is being integrated

Standards are being maintained by these automated quality control measures:

• Verifying code standards, security requirements, and performance metrics.
• Detecting potential issues early, before going into production.
• Applying organizational policies consistently.
• Establishing integration with enterprise testing frameworks.

How dependencies are being managed and viewed

Cross-platform dependencies are being effectively managed through these approaches:

• Establishing end-to-end visibility of dependencies between mainframe and distributed systems.
• Enabling impact analysis, before changes are implemented.
• Automatically tracking interdependencies between components.
• Gaining shared visibility to facilitate coordination between teams.
• Automatically mapping and documenting complex dependencies.

How I’ve seen organizations benefit from value stream integration

When mainframe development is properly integrated into the value stream through automation, I’ve seen organizations realize these remarkable benefits:

Development efficiency is transformed

• Consistent, automated processes reduce manual errors by 90%.
• Eliminating repetitive tasks saves 4-6 hours per development cycle.
• Automated test execution increases testing coverage by 60%.
• Streamlining deployments reduces release time by 70%.

Quality is improved

• 95% of common errors are caught before they make it into production environments.
• Consistent processes reduce defect rates by 80%.
• Automated checks ensure 100% policy adherence.
• Frustrating manual tasks are eliminated, improving developer satisfaction.

Business benefits are realized

• Development cycles are shortened by up to 50%.
• Eliminating waiting time improves resource utilization.
• Improved quality processes reduce production incidents.
• Business value is delivered faster, across all platforms.
• By visualizing cross-system dependencies, teams achieve 75% improvements in coordination.
• Gaining end-to-end visibility enables improved project planning accuracy.

How success is being achieved in the real world

A global insurance company transformed its mainframe development. Teams employed comprehensive automation to integrate mainframe development into their enterprise value stream.

I observed the following results, which clearly demonstrate the power of this approach:

• Deployment time was reduced by 70%.
• Production defects were decreased by 85%.
• Time spent on routine tasks was reduced by 90%.
• Code quality metrics were improved by 100%.

Most importantly, the perception of the mainframe as a bottleneck was eliminated. The mainframe was transformed into a seamlessly integrated component of the organization’s value delivery system.

How you should start your integration journey

A strategic approach is required for integrating the mainframe into your value stream. I recommend you take the following steps:

1. Assess your current state: Map existing mainframe development processes. Identify integration points with your broader value stream.
2. Identify automation opportunities: Determine the manual processes that are prime candidates for automation. We can help you with this.
3. Select appropriate tools: Choose automation tools that can bridge mainframe and distributed environments.
4. Implement changes incrementally: Start with high-impact, low-risk processes, and expand gradually.
5. Measure: Track key metrics to demonstrate value and identify additional opportunities for improvement.

Conclusion

Mainframe development can no longer be treated as separate from the broader value stream. Mainframe systems can be transitioned from perceived legacy constraints to valuable components of a unified delivery pipeline. This can be accomplished by implementing thoughtful integration, robust automation, and comprehensive dependency management.

By having mainframes included in your value stream, silos are eliminated, dependencies are made visible, manual errors are reduced, and delivery is accelerated. As a result, your organization can respond more quickly to market demands—regardless of which platforms your applications may span. The visibility of dependencies between systems becomes a strategic advantage, enabling teams to coordinate development and mitigate risk.

References

IBM Systems Magazine, "The Mainframe's Place in the Digital Age," 2023.

BMC, "2023 Mainframe Market Survey," BMC Software Inc., 2023.

Forrester Research, "The Total Economic Impact of DevOps Integration for Mainframe," 2022.

IDC, "Mainframe Modernization and Integration Report," International Data Corporation, 2024.