Programmers who evolved with Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) are retiring from the workforce, and businesses must compete for a shrinking pool of knowledgeable technicians. In a paper for Gartner Research, analyst Dale Vecchio makes the following observations (Vecchio, p. 1)[1]:

• The aging of staff with skills to support current application platforms is causing a slowly decreasing resource pool.
• Organizations cannot solely depend on higher-education institutions to refresh the skill base.

The result of this shrinking pool is that corporate leaders and programmers feel trapped into using COBOL applications that are incompatible with contemporary systems. They cannot move forward, because they do not have the understanding needed to update their legacy applications. Nevertheless, the need for efficiency has compelled businesses to recruit a new generation of COBOL programmers.

Initially developed in 1959, COBOL became the mainstay of most business servers for several decades. After the Internet's widespread adoption, COBOL began to look like a vanishing language. In recent years, however, the demand for COBOL programmers has returned, and they continue to help businesses throughout the United States.

COBOL is still a useful programming language, and it runs many applications that everyone takes for granted all the time. For example, COBOL programs run automatic teller machines (ATMs), emergency dispatch systems, and utilities. We forget about these applications, because programmers have calibrated them over many iterations. Common sense dictates that organizations preserve applications tailored to specific business requirements. All these programs need is an upgrade that increases their compatibility, reliability, or extensibility with newer technologies.

Nevertheless, the prospect of migrating applications from their legacy platforms is daunting. Industry experts have labeled COBOL programs legacy applications, because they came before the powerful, intuitive programs currently available. In addition, countless businesses used COBOL well before the Y2K transition in 2000, and have never coded the streams of information to the updated format.

The acronym COBOL was an apt moniker, because companies commonly used it in ordering, shipping, and inventory computer programs. Many companies still use COBOL applications, but programmers must know how to find and read the original information on company servers to modernize it.

Unfortunately, company managers are discovering that programmers from the previous generation scattered the original COBOL scripts throughout the enterprise. Worse yet, neither documentation nor knowledge management received much support. The result is that knowledge amassed through decades of experience went into retirement with the experienced programmers.

The challenge for new COBOL programmers is to create new files that preserve compatibility and update database information. To understand this challenge, compare it to a home remodeling project. Before you build anything, you should inspect your plans to ensure their compatibility with the existing structure. They must not only work with existing structures, but they must meet current codes. If you are an architect or building inspector, you know the requirements and can easily adjust your plans. Otherwise, you must hire a professional or risk expensive mistakes.

New programmers need to understand how to interpret original purpose and functions of these COBOL programs. They must understand the language and business logic of the code. They will need to move the COBOL program from the mainframe environment or from one platform to a Windows platform, Unix platform, or to some of the new databases.

Though COBOL seems antiquated to many, the detailed script behind this programming language gave it an enduring popularity. COBOL spells out assigned tasks on the program and makes them easy to understand, as long as one can read the original program. COBOL programs are long, but that is an advantage for transitioning information into contemporary formats.

COBOL is still among the most popular programming languages in the business world. In October 2006, Computerworld magazine published a survey of 352 information technology (IT) managers, and of the respondents, 62 percent said they actively use COBOL. In addition, most of the respondents still using COBOL said they are using it to develop new applications.

IT staffing firms are rushing to fill the void, and there is no lack of demand for a new wave of COBOL programmers. MPS Group, a Jacksonville-based staffing company that specializes in the IT industry, estimates that 75 percent of all businesses still use COBOL. In the next four years, however, MPS Group predicts that retirement and mortality will decrease the number of COBOL programmers by 13 percent in North America.

MPS Group and other IT placement firms are already placing programmers into businesses throughout the United States. One recent trend is to hire programmers who understand the .NET environment, but have no COBOL expertise. The idea is to develop migration solutions from alternate points of view. The most eligible candidates for COBOL programming are in the middle of their careers, and can work for another 25 years. They may also be making the transition into a second career, and have some COBOL skills.

The task of updating legacy applications is not insurmountable, and organizations move forward by making relatively low-cost investments. One area of investment is tools. During the last decade, automated tools have proven that they can reduce development time and prevent human error. By using the right tools, new programmers can transform COBOL, and complete other migration tasks in a fraction of time it took their predecessors.

Another area of investment-documentation-is critical to modernizing legacy applications. At a minimum, the effective migration of code requires an application portfolio and a set of best practices. Application portfolios help organizations to understand the purpose, complexity, and criticality of their applications. Application portfolios also help organizations to avoid unnecessary work and choose the best migration plan. Several tools now automate application portfolio analysis across entire enterprises. Best practice documents help new programmers to avoid well-known issues and program more efficiently. By documenting the migration tasks and workflows, organizations can avoid many pitfalls and significantly reduce development time.

Knowledge management is one of the most critical areas of investment, because it can help the new generation of programmers to fill the void. By coupling new programmers with senior programmers, and developing communities of practice, organizations can keep their competitive edge. Instead of scrambling to hire and train after the retirement party, the organization passes the mantle of leadership to the next programmer.

While retirement challenges migration efforts, it does not have to bring progress to a grinding halt. Migrations streamline businesses that have been using COBOL for years, because newer platforms increase performance and reliability. With the right tools, documentation, and knowledge management practices, organizations can modernize their applications while training the next generation of COBOL programmers.

Steve Steuart is senior vice president for legacy solutions for Idea Integration (www.idea.com). Idea Integration is the interactive marketing and IT consulting division of MPS Group.  Its clients are a mix of Fortune 100, mid-market and public sector entities.  Idea's services include interactive marketing, on-line branding, IT consulting, business intelligence and analytics, web design and development, security, and infrastructure solutions.  Idea provides services to clients throughout the US and in seven other countries. For more information on Idea Integration, please visit www.idea.com.

[1] Dale Vecchio. (March 14, 2007). Impact of Generational IT Skill Shift on Legacy Applications. Stamford, CT: Gartner Inc. ID Number: G00146492.