The decision layer is usually too thin
Many application modernisation programs move quickly from assessment into delivery. The problem is that the assessment often leaves behind slide-level rationale rather than a durable decision record. Teams know what direction was chosen, but not always why it was chosen, what evidence supported it or what assumptions should be challenged later.
Evidence has to become comparable
Application facts rarely arrive in one clean source. Architecture notes, cost signals, dependencies, business criticality, risk and stakeholder knowledge sit across systems and people. A defensible decision needs a way to make those inputs comparable before options are scored or recommended.
Approval should create a handoff, not a dead end
A modernisation decision should create a controlled handoff into transformation. That means the approved path, known risks, dependencies, assumptions and review points should travel with the work. Without that handoff, delivery teams spend time rediscovering context that should have been preserved.