This is a model, not a result
Everything in this article is an estimate built from stated assumptions. It is not measured output from your system, and we would rather label it than let you discover that in a procurement review. For what we have measured, see the reference run on /platform.
The assumptions
Take a Delphi system of roughly 200,000 lines. The model compares two ways of moving it:
- Manual: 8–12 developers for 12–18 months
- With the pipeline: 2–3 reviewers for 3–4 months
Change the size, the rate or the team and the output changes with it — which is the point of showing the inputs.
What the model gives
- Manual: $880,000 – $1,660,000
- With the pipeline: $255,000 – $465,000
That is a 55–72% lower cost on these assumptions. Our own sales model puts the saving at 60–75% and breaks it down by project size, because the advantage narrows as systems grow: it is widest under 50K lines and tightest above 200K.
What we deliberately do not claim
You will not find a success-rate percentage here. This article used to carry one — "98%+ logic preservation" — and it came from no measurement at all. What exists instead is a real run on a 3,885-file Delphi corpus, with its residue published alongside it. A number with a run behind it can be checked, argued with, and improved on the next project. A number without one can only be repeated.
The rest of the return is real but harder to price: less parallel maintenance, a system your current developers can staff, and the option to keep changing it.