Accelerating cloud migration through service design
Summary
As part of our work modernizing weather intelligence delivery for the Air Force, we applied a service design approach to accelerate the Weather Systems Program Office (WxPO)’s stalled cloud migration. By diagnosing root issues, aligning teams, and prioritizing eight key areas for improvement, we helped WxPO build the organizational capacity to move forward.
The challenge
WxPO’s cloud migration had the right mandate but couldn’t gain traction. The plan — migrating more than 75 applications to the cloud and consolidating them into a single platform called BIFROST — was ambitious, and the technical path was clear enough. What stalled the effort was everything around the technology.
Without a shared migration vision, teams pulled in different directions. Miscommunication and rework became routine. Staff were expected to adopt new technologies without adequate guidance, leaving middle management in a constant state of improvisation.
I think it’s affected all of middle management because every day, we’re trying to put things together and every day, we’re in some form of lost and found.
Weather Officer, Acquisitions Training
The disconnect extended to end users. Legacy applications had been built without meaningful input from the forecasters, pilots, and controllers who depended on them — leading to gaps in functionality and usability that a lift-and-shift migration would only carry forward. WxPO needed a way to address the organizational problems before the technical ones could succeed.
The solution
Our Service Design Accelerator gave WxPO a structured approach to diagnose what was holding the migration back. Rather than jumping to technical solutions, we started by understanding the organizational dynamics — the misalignments, the communication gaps, the missing feedback loops — that were keeping teams stuck.
We worked on three fronts simultaneously. The first was strategic: creating an overarching vision that aligned teams around shared goals so every migration effort pulled in the same direction. The second was operational: enhancing the developer experience by introducing modern tools and fostering greater autonomy. The third was diagnostic: applying service design techniques to identify root causes rather than surface symptoms.
Those three workstreams converged on eight priority areas for improvement:
- Build a shared migration vision and plan
- Standardize and define roles
- Establish a uniform communication strategy
- Improve agile processes
- Create self-service artifacts
- Provide updated training materials
- Enhance support services
- Continue discovery efforts to identify emerging needs
Rather than delivering recommendations and stepping back, we embedded with WxPO teams to tackle each area directly. We worked alongside staff to implement changes — equipping them with the tools, processes, and knowledge needed to sustain progress independently. This hands-on approach built internal capacity rather than external dependencies, positioning WxPO to drive the migration forward on its own.
The results
- Identified and prioritized eight improvement areas that gave WxPO a concrete roadmap for unblocking the migration — spanning strategy, roles, communication, agile processes, training, and support services
- Delivered a user-centered design toolkit including a playbook, service blueprints, persona templates, user research plans, and an outcome-oriented roadmap that WxPO teams continued using after the engagement
- Aligned previously siloed teams around shared goals and consistent communication protocols, reducing the miscommunication and rework that had slowed progress
- Built organizational capacity through embedded coaching and targeted trainings, equipping WxPO staff to sustain momentum toward the 2025 migration deadline without external support