Modernize with Confidence: Pega Application Signature → High‑Fidelity Blueprint

Blueprint and App Design
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The Application Signature Tool provides the automated, evidence based current state metadata that Pega Blueprint ingests to generate a high-fidelity Blueprint, making it the foundational input for fast, accurate modernization.

Use the Application Signature Tool at the very start of any modernization initiative to quickly and accurately discover how the application works today, and to generate the Blueprintready input needed for safe, fast, AI-powered reimagination.

When should the Application Signature Tool be used?

You should use the Application Signature Tool whenever you need to understand the true current state of a heritage Pega application before modernizing it. This is the first and most critical step in the modernization journey because Blueprint and GenAI can only reimagine an application accurately when discovery is complete and evidence based.

Here an introduction video on https://players.brightcove.net/1519050010001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6385797106112

What makes the Application Signature Tool essential?

  • It gives Blueprint a complete, accurate snapshot of the current application

The tool automatically extracts metadata—Case Types, Data Models, workflows, integrations, Personas—directly from the running application.
This creates a high fidelity, standardized kit that Blueprint can ingest immediately.

  • It replaces months of manual discovery with minutes of automation

Blueprint needs a correct understanding of the existing app to reimagine it.
Manual discovery is slow, inconsistent, and often incomplete—especially with older, complex, or poorly documented apps.
The tool automates discovery in minutes, producing reliable input for Blueprint.

  • It turns legacy complexity into clarity that Blueprint can act on

Older Pega apps often contain:

  • buried logic

  • outdated flow rules

  • limited case structure

  • partial upgrades that mask real complexity

The tool exposes the true current state, giving Blueprint clarity for redesign and modernization.

  • It gives Blueprint actionable, AI-ready information

The tool’s output becomes the foundation for:

  • AI-assisted case redesign

  • AI-driven workflow proposals

  • modernization microjourneys

  • incremental rebuilds based on real usage

Without this structured input, Blueprint cannot confidently propose modernization paths.

  • It removes blockers that prevent clients from modernizing

Most organizations don’t know what’s really inside their older Pega apps.
The tool removes this blocker by providing an evidence-based, repeatable view of reality—exactly what Blueprint requires to proceed.

  • It accelerates modernization and reduces risk

Because Blueprint starts from facts—not assumptions—the modernization journey becomes:

  • faster

  • safer

  • more predictable

  • easier to phase

Want to learn more? Check out the

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@popaa The Signature Tool is powerful and great delivery asset. I’m curious whether it can also be leveraged across Pega Strategic Applications such as Smart Investigate or Smart Dispute.

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@ChristineFioresi The Application Signature Tool is suitable for discovery - Blueprint Reimagine is for now not applicable for Strategic applications.

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@popaa Thank you.

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Thank you @popaa , it is indeed very useful. I recently ran the App signature tool and had used the output to generate a blueprint; I felt that the following things can be improved:

We have noticed that most of the logic resides in the Data Transform rules and Activities (especially in heritage apps) - App signature doesn’t capture this information, unless I have missed something - is this something that will be addressed in the future releases?

We have also noticed that when the CaseTypes information is captured, it doesn’t indicate that it is an existing step in the blueprint - most of the data (ex: condition information in steps) is lost, how can we capture this information in the app signature/blueprint ?

Thank you.

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Thank you!

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Hello Krishna,

Thank you for the thoughtful feedback and yes, your observation is a valid one. In many heritage Pega applications, a significant amount of business logic lives in Data Transforms, Activities, and other implementation-oriented rule types

It may help to clarify the intended role of the Application Signature tool.

Application Signature is designed as an automated, evidence-based discovery capability for Pega applications. Its purpose is to capture information that can be brought into Blueprint and used immediately as a starting point for modernization. That includes artifacts such as:

  • application context,

  • case types,

  • workflow details,

  • data and integrations,

  • personas,

  • and previews.

Our recommendation is to use this evidence-based discovery on a subset of workflows to create a current-state view in Blueprint. From there, teams can review the current design and then use Blueprint to iteratively reimagine the target-state experience and case lifecycle.

In that sense, Blueprint is not intended to be a complete reverse-engineered representation of every rule and configuration in the source application. Rather, it is meant to provide a practical and actionable foundation for redesign and modernization.

To your specific questions:

1. Data Transforms, Activities, and other rule types
If the goal is to inspect detailed business logic implemented in Data Transforms, Activities, or similar rule types, App Studio or Dev Studio remains the best place to review that logic. Today, Application Signature and Blueprint are focused on discovery artifacts that support modernization design, rather than extracting all implementation-level rule details into Blueprint.

2. Existing steps and details such as conditions
Today, workflow information is brought into Blueprint at a level intended to support understanding of the current state and redesign of the future state. As a result, some lower-level implementation details such as step conditions or certain rule-specific configurations may not be represented in the generated Blueprint exactly as they exist in the source application.

This is intentional, because the expected next step is often to refine and improve the case lifecycle rather than reproduce it exactly. For example, a team may decide to streamline a workflow, improve straight-through processing, introduce new integrations or AI, or split a heritage case type into multiple case types to improve maintainability and separation of concerns.

To maximize reuse, the reimagined solution can then be deployed as a built-on application on top of the heritage application. This allows existing rule assets to remain available while enabling modernization in an incremental and iterative way.

You can learn more here:

If you already have a target Pega application in mind that may be a good candidate for modernization, feel free to send a note to [email protected] and we’d be happy to review it further.