Accelerating Migration Projects with Kiro using Spec-Driven Development

Session Notes

What is Amazon Kiro?

• Compatible with VS Code
• Utilizes cutting-edge Claude models
• Enterprise-grade security Closing the Idea-to-Code Gap
• Addresses the challenge of product ideas losing fidelity when passed from PM to engineer
• Kiro acts as an AI co-author, converting informal briefs into living, version-controlled specifications
• Eliminates ambiguity before coding starts, accelerating delivery cycles Traditional Static Docs vs. Kiro's Living Specs
• Traditional static docs are prone to staleness and lead to high rework and surprises
• Kiro's Living Specs auto-update with code, sync with tests & metrics, and result in measurable gains in velocity Amazon Kiro Workflow
• SDLC in Amazon Kiro Way!
• Ingest: Product brief intake
• Expand: AI expands user stories
• Iterate: Collaborative editing
• Lock & Stub: Spec finalization
• Every step is traceable, commentable, and under Git control

Prompt Engineering for Precision

• Concise, context-rich prompts yield the most accurate and useful specifications Fill-in-the-Blank Template:
• Persona: Who is the user?
• Problem: What do they need to do?
• Outcome: What does success look like?
• Non-Goals: What is out of scope? Iterative Refinement Process:
• Human Prompts
• AI Suggests
• Human Validates
• This cycle repeats until the spec passes all internal quality gates

Modernizing Legacy with Amazon Kiro

• Prescriptive pattern to migrate critical COBOL, PL/I, and Assembler to manage Java on Graviton without rewriting core business logic
• Automated Transformation: Converts legacy code to modern Java microservices
• Data Replication: Syncs mainframe data to cloud databases in real-time
• DevOps Integration: Establishes CI/CD pipelines for rapid, reliable releases Automated Code Transformation Engine
• Parse: Legacy source is converted into an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST)
• Refactor: Rule-based transformations are applied to modernize the code structure
• Emit: Idiomatic Java code is generated as Spring Boot microservices
• Preserves data formats, transaction boundaries, and audit trails Data Sync & Mainframe Off-Loading
• AWS DMS and Kiro agents replicate mainframe data to Aurora PostgreSQL in near-real time
• Bidirectional Sync: Mainframe remains authoritative during pilot phases
• Zero-Downtime Cut-Over: Traffic is switched to the cloud via a simple DNS flip Zero-Trust Security
• Every microservice is isolated and secured by default
• Least-Privilege IAM: Unique IAM role with minimal permissions
• Encryption: KMS encrypts data at rest and in transit
• Continuous Monitoring: CloudTrail and Guard Duty provide audit evidence for SOX, PCI, and HIPAA Role-Based Access & Reviews:
• [ 1 ] Product Manager: Owns the narrative and user-facing requirements
• [ 2 ] Tech Lead: Owns the system architecture and technical design
• [ 3 ] QA Engineer: Owns the acceptance criteria and test plans
• Amazon Kiro tracks approvals, surfaces unresolved comments, and blocks merge until all roles sign off Real-World Impact Case Study: Global Bank
• A top-20 bank used Kiro to migrate 14 million lines of COBOL for retail payments
• Seamless cut-over over a single weekend with zero failed transactions
• 68% cost reduction in infrastructure
• 90% reduction in MIPS (Mainframe load)
• Release frequency rose from quarterly to weekly, freeing budget for AI initiatives Your Migration Roadmap
• 6-Week Pilot Blueprint:
• Week 1-2: Provision & Transform
• Week 3: Validate Parity
• Week 4: CI/CD Pipeline
• Week 5: 5% Traffic
• Week 6: Metrics & Review