The journey of data migration and modernization is complex and requires a deliberate strategy to navigate its challenges. It involves balancing business needs with the complexity of the future, considering system dependencies, compounding complexity, and resource planning. Various approaches exist, including the "Lift and Shift" approach, which minimizes risk and disruption, while others like the "Optimization" and "Innovation" approaches focus on modernization, optimization, and full transformation. It's essential to stay outcome-focused, keep it simple, avoid supertools, balance business and technical considerations, automate processes, be realistic, transform in a new way, and prioritize modernization when feasible. Ultimately, the goal is to deliver faster business outcomes and higher value through a sustainable, service-based approach that doesn't require constant negative engineering oversight.