Overview
This project focused on the modernisation and ongoing development of a legacy content platform used to power onboard entertainment systems on connected vehicles.
Woods & Walker were engaged to augment an established internal team, working directly alongside product, engineering, QA, and DevOps stakeholders. Our role was to help stabilise, modernise, and evolve a critical platform while continuing to deliver new features at pace.
The engagement required deep respect for existing systems, processes, and constraints — particularly the realities of software running onboard vehicles with limited or intermittent internet connectivity.
The Challenge
The platform had evolved over time into a large, business-critical system powering multiple onboard experiences. While functionally rich, it faced several challenges common to long-lived products:
- Legacy build and development workflows that slowed delivery
- A mix of older and newer architectural patterns
- Increasing difficulty onboarding new developers
- The need to deliver new functionality without destabilising the core platform
- Operational constraints imposed by running software on vehicles with limited connectivity
At the same time, the internal team needed additional capacity and specialist support to continue moving the platform forward without pausing feature delivery.
Our Role
Rather than operating as an external delivery team, we embedded directly into the client’s product and engineering organisation.
We worked as part of existing squads, attending standups, planning sessions, and sprint ceremonies. This allowed us to contribute immediately while aligning fully with established ways of working, quality standards, and release processes.
Our role blended team augmentation with platform modernisation — strengthening the foundations of the system while continuing to ship value.
The Solution
Modernising the Development Platform
One of the most impactful areas of work was a complete overhaul of the project’s build process and development environment.
We replaced legacy tooling with a modern, container-based workflow, resulting in:
- Faster and more reliable local development
- Consistent environments across the team
- Reduced setup time for new developers
- A foundation better suited to long-term maintenance
This work removed significant friction from day-to-day development and enabled the team to move faster with greater confidence.
Incremental Legacy Modernisation
Rather than attempting a risky full rewrite, we focused on incremental improvement.
We worked across:
- Isolated modules to deliver new features independently
- Core areas of the codebase to modernise patterns and improve maintainability
This approach allowed the platform to evolve safely, improving quality and flexibility without disrupting live systems.
Designing for Constrained Environments
Because the platform runs onboard vehicles, connectivity cannot be assumed.
All changes had to account for:
- Limited or intermittent internet access
- Predictable and resilient behaviour offline
- Controlled update and deployment processes
These constraints influenced architectural decisions and reinforced the need for reliability over novelty.
The Outcome
The result is a stronger, more sustainable platform supported by a healthier engineering workflow:
- Improved developer productivity through modernised tooling and workflows
- Reduced technical risk by incrementally addressing legacy concerns
- Continued feature delivery without large-scale disruption
- Easier onboarding for new engineers joining the project
- A platform better suited to long-term evolution in constrained, real-world environments
By combining team augmentation with thoughtful modernisation, the platform continues to deliver value today while being prepared for future demands.
Partnership
This engagement reflects Woods & Walker’s approach to complex, long-running systems.
We integrate deeply with internal teams, respect existing knowledge, and focus on practical improvements that compound over time. By balancing delivery with technical stewardship, we help organisations extend the life of critical platforms while continuing to move forward.
We work best as a long-term technology partner — embedded, accountable, and focused on outcomes rather than short-term fixes.