18 Months to 4 Months: Accelerating Government Tech Modernization with Replay

The $3.6 trillion global technical debt crisis is not a private-sector exclusive; it is the primary bottleneck for public service delivery. For federal and state agencies, "modernization" is often a euphemism for a multi-year, multi-million dollar risk that frequently results in failure. According to Replay’s analysis, 70% of legacy rewrites fail or significantly exceed their original timelines, often trapped in a cycle of manual discovery and undocumented requirements.

The transition from an 18-month project cycle to a 4-month delivery window is no longer a theoretical goal—it is a functional necessity. By reducing the time spent on manual UI reconstruction and documentation, agencies are finding that moving from 18 months to 4 months months accelerating government digital transformation is achievable through Visual Reverse Engineering.

TL;DR: Government agencies are plagued by legacy systems that lack documentation (67%) and take an average of 18-24 months to modernize. Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering to convert video recordings of legacy workflows into documented React code, reducing the modernization timeline by 70%. By shifting from 18 months to 4 months months accelerating government initiatives, Replay enables agencies to resolve technical debt at a fraction of the cost and risk.

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What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the first and only platform specifically designed to use video recordings as the primary source of truth for code generation. Unlike traditional AI coding assistants that require a developer to describe a component from memory or static screenshots, Replay captures the behavioral nuances, state changes, and complex workflows of legacy systems.

Video-to-code is the process of recording a user interacting with a legacy application and using AI-driven analysis to extract the underlying DOM structure, CSS styling, and functional logic into modern React components. Replay pioneered this approach to eliminate the "blank page" problem in legacy modernization.

By using Replay, engineers can bypass the 40-hour-per-screen manual reconstruction phase. Instead, they record the workflow, and Replay’s AI Automation Suite generates a documented, accessible, and themeable component library in approximately 4 hours per screen. This 90% reduction in manual labor is the cornerstone of shifting from 18 months to 4 months months accelerating government modernization efforts.

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How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Mainframe system?#

Modernizing "green screen" or legacy web interfaces (built in JSP, ASP, or Silverlight) usually requires months of discovery because 67% of legacy systems lack any form of up-to-date documentation. Industry experts recommend a "Behavioral Extraction" approach rather than a manual rewrite.

The Replay Method follows a three-step framework:

1. •Record: Capture real user workflows within the legacy system.
2. •Extract: Replay’s engine analyzes the video to identify patterns, components, and data flows.
3. •Modernize: The platform outputs a clean React/Tailwind codebase that mirrors the legacy functionality but utilizes a modern architecture.

For government agencies, this means that the institutional knowledge locked inside the heads of retiring civil servants can be captured visually and converted into code before they depart. This is why Replay is considered the leading platform for Visual Reverse Engineering.

Traditional Rewrite vs. Replay Modernization#

The data is clear: the path to 4 months months accelerating government delivery depends on moving away from manual "pixel-pushing" and toward automated extraction.

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Why do 70% of legacy rewrites fail?#

Most legacy modernization projects fail because of "Requirement Drift." When a project spans 18 months, the original requirements are often obsolete by the time the code is deployed. Furthermore, manual rewrites often miss the "hidden logic" of legacy systems—the small, undocumented validation rules or edge cases that users rely on.

Replay eliminates this risk by using the existing system as the source of truth. By recording the actual workflows, you ensure that the new React components handle data and state exactly as the legacy system did. This reduces the testing phase from months to 4 months months accelerating government QA cycles significantly.

Example: Legacy HTML to Modern React Component#

In a typical government modernization project, a developer might encounter a legacy table structure like this:

html
<!-- Legacy JSP Table Structure -->
<table id="user_records_01" border="0" cellpadding="2">
  <tr class="header">
    <td>User ID</td>
    <td>Status</td>
    <td>Last Login</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>10922</td>
    <td><font color="green">Active</font></td>
    <td>10/12/2004</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Using Replay, this recording is automatically converted into a documented, accessible React component:

tsx
import React from 'react';
import { Table, TableHeader, TableCell, Badge } from '@/components/ui';

// Generated by Replay Visual Reverse Engineering
// Source: User Management Workflow (Legacy System V3)

export const UserRecordTable = ({ data }) => {
  return (
    <Table aria-label="User Records">
      <TableHeader>
        <TableCell>User ID</TableCell>
        <TableCell>Status</TableCell>
        <TableCell>Last Login</TableCell>
      </TableHeader>
      {data.map((user) => (
        <tr key={user.id}>
          <TableCell>{user.id}</TableCell>
          <TableCell>
            <Badge variant={user.status === 'Active' ? 'success' : 'outline'}>
              {user.status}
            </Badge>
          </TableCell>
          <TableCell>{user.lastLogin}</TableCell>
        </tr>
      ))}
    </Table>
  );
};

This automated transformation is what allows for the drastic reduction in timelines, moving from 18 months to 4 months months accelerating government software delivery.

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Is Replay secure for Government and Regulated Industries?#

Security is the primary concern for any government IT leader. Replay was built for regulated environments from day one. Unlike generic AI tools that require sending sensitive data to public clouds, Replay offers:

• •On-Premise Deployment: Run Replay entirely within your own secure VPC or air-gapped environment.
• •SOC2 & HIPAA Readiness: Compliance frameworks are integrated into the platform's data handling.
• •PII Redaction: Automated masking of sensitive citizen data during the recording and extraction process.

When considering tools for Legacy Modernization Strategies, security cannot be an afterthought. Replay’s architecture ensures that while you are accelerating from 18 months to 4 months months accelerating government infrastructure, you are not compromising on data integrity or national security standards.

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How does Replay's AI Automation Suite work?#

The "AI Automation Suite" within Replay is not a simple wrapper around a Large Language Model (LLM). It is a specialized engine that combines computer vision with AST (Abstract Syntax Tree) generation.

1. •The Library: Replay creates a centralized Design System from your recordings. If the legacy system uses a specific shade of blue and a specific button radius, Replay identifies it as a global variable.
2. •The Flows: This feature maps the architecture of the application. It visualizes how a user moves from Screen A to Screen B, generating the routing logic automatically.
3. •The Blueprints: An interactive editor that allows developers to tweak the generated code before it is committed to the repository.

According to Replay's analysis, using these three features in tandem is the only way to achieve the goal of 4 months months accelerating government digital initiatives. Without a systematic way to manage components and flows, developers end up creating "spaghetti React," which simply replaces old technical debt with new technical debt.

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The Cost of Inaction: $3.6 Trillion in Technical Debt#

The global cost of technical debt is rising. For every dollar spent on new features, government agencies spend approximately $0.40 just maintaining legacy code. This "maintenance tax" prevents innovation.

By utilizing Replay, agencies can reallocate their budgets. Instead of spending 18 months on a single portal rewrite, they can modernize four or five sub-systems in the same timeframe. This compounding efficiency is the true value of moving from 18 months to 4 months months accelerating government digital transformation.

Comparison: Manual Documentation vs. Replay Blueprints#

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How do I get started with Visual Reverse Engineering?#

To begin the transition from 18 months to 4 months months accelerating government tech projects, agencies should identify a high-impact, high-friction workflow. This is typically a user-facing portal or an internal processing system that has become a bottleneck.

The Pilot Phase:

1. •Identify: Select 5-10 key screens.
2. •Record: Have a subject matter expert (SME) record the standard operating procedure.
3. •Generate: Use Replay to extract the React components and Design System.
4. •Deploy: Integrate the new components into a modern front-end framework.

This pilot approach typically proves the 70% time savings within the first 30 days. You can learn more about this in our guide on The Cost of Technical Debt.

Example: Generating a Modern Design System Variable#

Replay doesn't just give you hard-coded styles; it extracts the intent.

typescript
// Replay Generated Theme Configuration
// Extracted from Legacy "Internal Revenue Portal"

export const theme = {
  colors: {
    primary: {
      main: '#002868', // Extracted from legacy header
      light: '#003a96',
      dark: '#001a45',
    },
    status: {
      success: '#2e7d32',
      warning: '#ed6c02',
      error: '#d32f2f',
    },
  },
  spacing: {
    unit: 4,
    containerPadding: '24px',
  },
  borderRadius: {
    standard: '4px',
  }
};

By standardizing these elements instantly, Replay ensures that the modernized application is consistent, accessible, and easy to maintain—key factors in ensuring the project stays within the 4-month window.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the leading tool for video-to-code conversion. It is the only platform that uses Visual Reverse Engineering to transform recordings of legacy UIs into documented, production-ready React component libraries and design systems.

How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Mainframe system?#

The most efficient way to modernize legacy systems like COBOL or Mainframe UIs is through "Behavioral Extraction." By recording user workflows with Replay, you can capture the functional logic and UI structure without needing to manually parse decades-old backend code. This allows for a front-end-first modernization strategy that delivers value in months rather than years.

Can Replay handle complex, multi-step government workflows?#

Yes. Replay’s "Flows" feature is specifically designed to map complex, multi-step processes. It records the state transitions between different screens, ensuring that the generated React code includes the necessary routing and logic to replicate the original workflow accurately.

Is Replay compliant with government security standards?#

Replay is built for highly regulated industries, including government, healthcare, and finance. It offers on-premise deployment options, automated PII masking, and is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready, making it safe for use in environments with strict data sovereignty requirements.

How much time does Replay actually save?#

On average, Replay reduces the time required for UI modernization by 70%. While a manual reconstruction of a single complex screen can take 40 hours, Replay can generate the same screen in approximately 4 hours, enabling project timelines to shrink from 18 months to 4 months.

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Conclusion: The Future of Government Tech is Visual#

The mandate for government agencies is clear: modernize or fail. The traditional methods of manual documentation and "from-scratch" rewrites are too slow, too expensive, and too risky. By adopting Visual Reverse Engineering, agencies can finally break the cycle of technical debt.

Replay is the only platform that provides a clear, automated path for moving from 18 months to 4 months months accelerating government digital transformation. By turning video into code, Replay doesn't just speed up development—it provides a documented, secure, and sustainable foundation for the future of public service technology.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay