# AS/400 Skills Succession Risk Assessment > Source: https://netray.co/tools/as400-skills-succession-risk-assessment > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer Eight questions on staffing, documentation and knowledge concentration to score how exposed your IBM i environment is to losing key people. ## Category oracle ## Erp Oracle JD Edwards World ## Audience - CIO - IT manager - IBM i administrator ## Tool **Kind:** assessment **Questions:** #### How many people can fully administer the IBM i system, including backups, security and recovery? **Options:** ##### One person **Score:** 0 ##### Two people **Score:** 2 ##### Three or more, or a contracted partner with a tested handover **Score:** 3 #### How many people can change and support custom RPG or CL code? **Options:** ##### One person **Score:** 0 ##### Two people **Score:** 2 ##### Three or more, or a retained partner **Score:** 3 #### How close are your key IBM i staff to retirement? **Options:** ##### Within three years **Score:** 0 ##### In three to eight years **Score:** 2 ##### More than eight years, or a younger team in place **Score:** 3 #### How well documented are custom programs and their business purpose? **Options:** ##### Little or none **Score:** 0 ##### Partial, mostly in people's heads **Score:** 1 ##### Documented and reviewed in the last two years **Score:** 3 #### Do you have a written, tested recovery procedure that someone other than the administrator can follow? **Options:** ##### No **Score:** 0 ##### Written but not tested **Score:** 1 ##### Written and tested within 12 months **Score:** 3 #### Could you hire or contract IBM i and JD Edwards World skills within 60 days if someone left? **Options:** ##### Unlikely **Score:** 0 ##### Possibly, at a high rate **Score:** 1 ##### Yes, a partner agreement is in place **Score:** 3 #### Is there a current inventory of custom objects with owners and last-used dates? **Options:** ##### No inventory **Score:** 0 ##### Partial or out of date **Score:** 1 ##### Current and maintained **Score:** 3 #### Does leadership have a dated plan for the platform's future (stay, host, modernize or replace)? **Options:** ##### No plan **Score:** 0 ##### An informal intention **Score:** 1 ##### An approved plan with budget **Score:** 3 **Bands:** #### High risk **Min:** 0 **Max:** 34 **Verdict:** Your IBM i environment depends on very few people and little written knowledge. A single resignation could stop support or recovery. **Recommendations:** - Name a second administrator and test a recovery together within 90 days - Start an inventory of custom objects with owners - Engage a support partner now, before you need one - Record the top ten critical batch jobs and their recovery steps #### Moderate risk **Min:** 35 **Max:** 69 **Verdict:** You have some cover but gaps remain in documentation, recovery testing or succession. **Recommendations:** - Close the biggest gap first, usually documentation of custom code - Schedule a recovery test and have a different person run it - Agree an on-call or retainer arrangement with a partner - Put the platform plan on the next budget cycle #### Well managed **Min:** 70 **Max:** 100 **Verdict:** Knowledge is shared, procedures are tested and there is a plan. Keep it current. **Recommendations:** - Review the inventory and documentation twice a year - Rotate who runs recovery tests - Keep partner contact details and access arrangements current ## Content **Intro:** The biggest risk on many AS/400 and JD Edwards World systems is not the hardware. It is that one or two people hold the knowledge to run it. This short assessment gives you a score and a first set of actions. **Sections:** #### How to use it **Body:** Answer based on what is true today, not what you intend to do. Involve the IBM i administrator and a business owner, since people inside the team often rate cover higher than the rest of the organisation would. The score is turned into a percentage of the maximum and matched to a band with recommendations. #### What the questions measure **Body:** The questions cover four things: how many people can do the work, how long they are likely to stay, how well knowledge is written down, and whether leadership has a plan. A weakness in any one of these is serious, but the first two compound each other: one person, close to retirement, with no documentation is the worst case. **Bullets:** - Administration cover and custom code cover are scored separately - Recovery procedures count only if tested - A plan with a budget counts; an intention does not #### How to read the band **Body:** High risk does not mean the system will fail. It means the cost of one event, such as a resignation or illness, is large and uncontrolled. Moderate risk usually points to one or two specific fixes. Well managed means you can plan migration or modernization on your timetable instead of under pressure. #### Common mistakes **Body:** Counting a contractor who has never been tested, treating retirement as the only risk when illness and resignation matter as well, and putting off an inventory because it seems large. A rough list of custom objects with owners is far better than none, and it can be improved over time. **Cta:** If you would like a short external review of your IBM i support model and a documented handover plan, Netray can discuss that with you. **Faq:** #### Is this specific to JD Edwards World? **Answer:** No. It applies to any IBM i environment with custom RPG or CL code. The questions are worded for JD Edwards World shops because they are a large part of the installed base. #### What should I do about a high score? **Answer:** Do three things within 90 days: name and train a second administrator, test a recovery with someone new, and start a rough inventory of custom code. Then decide on the longer-term platform plan. #### Does outsourcing remove the risk? **Answer:** It moves it. A partner helps only if the arrangement is tested, access is arranged and your own people still understand the business processes behind the code. #### How often should we repeat it? **Answer:** Once a year, and whenever a key person gives notice or the platform plan changes. ## Search terms as400 skills shortage, rpg developer retirement risk, ibm i key person risk, jd edwards world support skills, legacy system knowledge risk, as400 succession planning --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json