VÁŠ DOMOVNÍK s.r.o.
How to modernize a ten-year-old ERP without rewriting from scratch
A ten-year-old ERP system was scoring 3.8 out of 5 on our technology risk scale. Instead of a full rewrite, we chose a controlled modernization of its critical parts – reducing the risk score to 2.0 without interrupting operations.
About the client
Váš Domovník is a company specializing in the management of rental properties. It provides comprehensive services for apartment and house owners – from tenant acquisition through contract management to financial settlement and day-to-day operational agenda.
The company's key tool is its own ERP system, which supports property management, client records, contract generation, financial operations, and customer communication.
The challenge
The information system was built more than ten years ago as a monolithic application. Over the years it became an indispensable part of the company's daily operations and grew alongside the client's business.
Like many long-running systems, it gradually accumulated technical debt:
- one-off exceptions and workarounds emerged in response to immediate needs,
- functionality that no longer made business sense accumulated,
- up-to-date documentation was missing,
- critical knowledge of the system was concentrated in just a few people,
- there was no automated testing,
- the database structure no longer matched current requirements.
At first glance it looked like a system that "just needed a little care". A detailed audit revealed something quite different.
Under our legacy system assessment methodology, the ERP scored 3.8 out of 5, indicating a high operational and development risk. Every additional month of deferred modernization meant a higher probability of outages, more expensive future development, and a growing dependency on specific individuals.
Instead of a full rewrite, we chose a controlled modernization of the system's critical parts.
The goal was to reduce technology risk, preserve operational continuity, and prepare the application for years of future development.
Architectural audit and modernization roadmap
We started by analyzing the application architecture, data model, and business processes. For several weeks we mapped the logic that had grown over a decade of development into a form nobody could describe as a whole.
The outcome was a modernization roadmap with clearly defined priorities and an implementation sequence.
Data foundation consolidation
One of the most critical areas was the database. We eliminated historical inconsistencies, corrected problematic relationships, and unified the data model so the system once again operated on a single reliable source of data.
Business logic review and documentation
A significant share of the know-how existed only in the code and in individuals' heads. We therefore documented key processes and clarified their implementation.
As a result, the system is now understandable not only to developers but also to future development teams.
Backend stabilization
We refactored critical parts of the application, eliminated technical debt, and prepared the architecture for further expansion.
The modernization also included introducing automated tests covering the most important business scenarios, significantly reducing the risk of future changes.
User interface modernization
The final part of the project was a redesign of the user interface built on the Habarico platform.
The result
Within a few months, we transformed a ten-year-old ERP system into a form that meets current requirements for stability, maintainability, and future development.
The technology risk score was reduced from 3.8 to 2.0, which in our methodology represents a modern, long-term viable state.
Business impact
The ERP system now forms the backbone of Váš Domovník's operations. It handles client and property management, contract generation, lease tracking, financial flow management, automated advertising, and the client portal.
Modernization results that speak for themselves
Multiple times the client volume without a proportional increase in administrative capacity
Unified data foundation for the entire business
Significant reduction in business case processing time
automated payment operations every month
technology risk score reduction
Testimonials
I have been working with the team at Eluvia for over 5 years. During this time, we have together built a comprehensive internal system that not only saves our employees' time (and thus finances) but also optimizes and simplifies company processes, enhances quality control, and, last but not least, ensures professional communication with our clients through a dedicated client portal.
In short, the system allows us to achieve things today that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to accomplish. I want to take this opportunity to thank the team for our collaboration, which I greatly value, and wish them many satisfied clients in the future.