Cutover Guide

June 2002

About this Document

Abstract This document provides guidance for the 'cutover' process of technically moving from one (legacy) system to a new solution. Planning for cutover should be done during the Design and Build phase of an implementation. See also !utover Planning "uestionnaire and !utover Templates #$%cutover%guide.doc !utover &uide '.( )une *((* September *((#

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Version (.( '.( Description of Change !reated for use in commercial industry Submitted for use in the +, Tool-it Date September *((' )une *((*

Use Policy
This document was created to be used as a reference, sample or template. Contents of the Enterprise Integration (EI) Toolkit should not be repurposed for publication in copyrighted material. This policy applies to all contents unless otherwise specified in a particular document.

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................................2 PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT.......................................................................................................................2 WHAT IS THE CUTOVER?........................................................................................................................3 DESCRIPTION.................................................................................................................................................3 TIMEFRAME...................................................................................................................................................3 RESULTS........................................................................................................................................................3 DELIVERABLES..............................................................................................................................................3 PARTIES INVOLVED.......................................................................................................................................4 SCOPE............................................................................................................................................................5 PREPARATION FOR CUTOVER...............................................................................................................6 APPROACH.....................................................................................................................................................6 ASSUMPTIONS/PREREQUISITES:.....................................................................................................................8 COMMENTS....................................................................................................................................................9 APPENDI A................................................................................................................................................!" CUTOVER TEMPLATES.................................................................................................................................1 APPENDI # ...............................................................................................................................................!2 CUTOVER PLANNIN! QUESTIONNAIRES......................................................................................................12

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INTRODUCTION When defining the Cutover strategy, consider the risk of going live without proper preparation and verification of the production readiness. Obviously, some of the critical path tasks that impact your readiness for going live include: development is 100 complete and tested, development and integration testing are completed

successfully, !nd "ser #raining $!"#% is complete, users are prepared, and the production &help desk' strategy is ready to implement. #he end goal of a cutover strategy and plan is to ensure a smooth transition to the use of the new system in a &live' environment. Purpose of this Document #he purpose of this document is to provide a sample(guide for a cutover strategy and plan. )t is important to ensure that there is consensus among team leaders on the goals, scope and approach of the Cutover. Note: Most leading software vendors and systems integrators include similar concepts and tools in their methodologies. If that is the case for your program, utilize these spreadsheets (created from a combination of software vendor's methodologies as a chec!list or guide to ensure that your cutover process is complete.

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WHAT IS THE CUTOVER? Description #he Cutover is the critical point in the pro*ect when very specific activities are performed to set up, initiali+e and verify the proper operation of the production environment prior to going live. #he purpose of the cutover is assure all re,uired information is accurately loaded in the new system, all users and systems are ready to go-live and that all old systems are shut down appropriately. #he focus of the cutover is on the activities, tasks and timing of the final days prior to going live on the new system. .e,uired activities such as installation, conversions, data loads and verifications are included in a cutover plan. #he cutover plan is a series of tasks to be performed in the appropriate se,uence to ensure system readiness. )t provides the basis for the approval for proceeding to &golive' and use the new system to entire &live' data and transactions. / final cutover checklist is used to ensure all the proper steps have been taken, all users and management are prepared to start using the new system and the old system has been closed down to further processing. Timeframe #he written cutover strategy, plan and checklist must be reviewed and approved by the pro*ect manager, teams leads and key management. #hen, the plan must be presented in summary form to the steering committee.

0reparation 1lueprint 2esign 3 1uild Transition Cuto!er 4o-5ive

#he cutover it the final step of the transition phase. While some initial tasks are performed in parallel, the final cutover should be performed following the successful completion of the integration testing and end-user training. #his implies that all development, testing and training have been signed off. Resu"ts 6 # # # 0roduction system established and validated !nd users using the production system 5ive transactions are being entered into the production system 7elp desk strategy implemented De"i!era$"es # 0roduction environment ready for go-live # 2ocumented issues and plans for their resolution # Completed and signed off cutover plan and checklist
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Parties In!o"!e% #here are two separate roles involved in the cutover process. The Cuto!er Team is responsible for the day-to-day activities involved during the cutover process. #he cutover team should be comprised of both technical and functional team members. The Steerin& Committee an% mana&ement approve tasks as they are successfully completed or confirm the decision to e8ecute the contingency plan should a &no-go' situation occur. $/ &no-go' situation occurs when an issue during the cutover is insurmountable and *eopardi+es normal business operations if continued.% #he steering committee and management group should be comprised of those individuals whose organi+ations are impacted by the new processes being implemented. /ll team members must clearly understand their roles and responsibilities to ensure a successful conversion effort.

The Cuto!er Team /t this point in the pro*ect, /1C employees own the production environment, but will re,uire e8ternal consultants to determine and(or confirm the cutover tasks, their se,uence and their validation. #he pro&ram mana&er has overall responsibility for the cutover. 7e(9he is responsible for signoffs, decisions and escalation in a go(no go situation. / cuto!er o'ner should be assigned and responsible for managing the cutover plan. #his individual should manage the day-to-day activities during the cutover, report status daily, and involve and escalate to pro*ect management as re,uired. #he IT team "ea% an% team mem$ers will be responsible for the ma*ority of the cutover tasks. #he process team "ea%s will be responsible for tasks in their specific area, serve as the first level of support when issues arise and assist the power users. #heir po'er users will assist them in data verification and issue resolution. #emps may be hired to do manual conversions. #hese individuals would be responsible for data entry. /1C team leads need to validate the data entered during manual conversions. !8ternal technical consultants may be re,uired to assist in the e8ecution of the cutover plan and assist in addressing issues and validating the production environment prior to going live. !8ternal technical consultants in con*unction with e8ternal pro*ect management should play a lead role in identifying whether the cutover is moving forward successfully in the planned timeframe or if insurmountable issues have arisen and a contingency plan needs to proposed to the steering committee. !8ternal product e8pert consultants should be available if product issues arise, but should not have a lead role at this point. #hey should also be available to confirm results and support addressing issues if the teams are unable to resolve them themselves. !veryone involved in the cutover must be committed to his or her responsibilities and time schedule. #hey must be accessible at all times. / detailed list of personnel to be involved and the timing of their involvement will result from completion of the Cutover #emplates. $see appendi8 / for more details%

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Scope #he program manager in con*unction with the )# team should define the scope of the Cutover. )n general, the cutover includes tasks focusing on preparing the production environment. #he following areas are included: Preparin& for cuto!er( )nstall re,uired servers and connecting the network 9et up applications )nstall conversion programs 0lan contingency 0erform acceptance test .eceive )nitial /uthority to Operate $)/#O% from 2//

)ina" Cuto!er( Convert and verify data :erify production readiness 9ignoff to &go-live' 4oing live and discontinuing use of legacy systems While the installation, set up and contingency plans begin several weeks prior to going live, the final conversion and verifying production readiness takes place in the final days prior to going live. #his entire process takes place over several weeks. "se the results of doing conversion during integration testing, the Cutover 0lanning ;uestionnaires and the Cutover #emplates to define the scope, timing and resource planning for all of the components of the Cutover. 9ee appendices / and 1 for a more detailed e8planation for using the Cutover 0lanning ;uestionnaire and #emplates.

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PREPARATION )OR CUTOVER Approach #he program manager should work with the team leads and e8ternal consultants to finali+e the application components, and with the )# team and e8ternal consultants to finali+e the technical components of the cutover plan. #he Cutover will take place over several weeks. 0reparing the production environment will begin in parallel to integration testing. #he installation and set up will take place at least <-= weeks prior to going live. Conversions of data will be done in the production environment once the programs are validated in integration testing. #his will re,uire coordination with the users so that any new master data $items, customers, vendors, etc%. 9et up after the conversion will need to maintained in parallel on both the legacy and new systems until you go live. >inal acceptance will take place after integration testing and appro8imately ? weeks prior to going live. #he final cutover and verification of the production system will take place up to 1 week prior to going live. /ppropriate legacy systems will be turned off as the new system goes live.

There 'i"" $e no para""e" processin& *enterin& the same %ata in $oth the "e&ac+ an% ne' s+stem, after &o-"i!e. )n addition to eliminating redundant data entry and the challenge of dual processing, focus needs to be on the new system. Otherwise, ,uite often effort is directed to keeping the old system working rather than addressing uncertainties and issues as they arise on the new system. #he cutover plan will be used to guide the cutover team through the appropriate steps during the cutover. #he cutover plan consists of a series of activities, tasks, and timing of the effort re,uired to prepare the production environment for going live. #he plan should include a 1?-?< hours pause in activities to provide time to resolve last-minute problems. #he plan must include: 0roduction installation and set up re,uirements 2ata conversions estimates, types and duration $use actual data from C.0 0lan an d checklist% .esponsible parties .oles, responsibilities and contact information #eam assignments and working hours 2esignated management available for immediate decision making

#he final cutover checklist ensures all application areas and the technical team are ready for &live' transactions to be entered into the new system. #he final cutover checklist reviews points of readiness that are the critical path to continuing the cutover. #he checklist includes: )ntegration #esting complete )nitial /uthority to Operate received from 2//

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!nd user training complete 0rocedures documents complete 2ocumentation distributed !,uipment ready "ser accounts verified Conversions verified @anual conversions complete Communications established >inal system test accepted 7elp desk established 5egacy systems and input stopped >inal signoff

#he contingency plan developed by the program manager and the )# team is used only if an irresolvable issue arises causing a delay in going live. #he steering committee, at the recommendation of the pro*ect managers, decides whether to implement this plan. #he contingency plan must address how many hours or days the cutover can progress, but still be stopped and legacy systems restored. #he &point of no return' is clearly defined in the cutover plan and understood by the cutover team. #his plan includes the &point of no return' as well as the steps re,uired to revert to legacy system operations. Final verification is performed by a combination of team members. #eam leads not only assure legacy system use has ceased and data is converted appropriately, they also use in,uiries and reports to validate the new environment. #he team leads may choose to phase in the go-live by allowing segments of users to use the new system over the first few hours. #his would include close monitoring of activities and full implementation and use of the help desk if issues arise. #he technical team members perform final verification. #hey assure the conversions run well, security is validated, and network and system administration is in place. #hey are prepared to implement the contingency plan if necessary. )n addition, they are responsible for coordinating with the functional areas and shutting down legacy systems at the appropriate time. >inal verification relies on the following procedures: :erification procedure to ensure production system is set up and the network working appropriately A transactions working properly and users have access to the system. #his can be done through in,uiries and reports or &live' transactions of representative users.

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.econciliation procedures to ensure data is converted to the new system control totals, hash totals, in,uiries and reports out of the new system .econciliation procedures to ensure business transactions are cut off the legacy systems 0rocedures for shutting down legacy systems

#hroughout the cutover all issues need to be: )dentified and entered on the issue log /lternatives or &work arounds' defined !scalated immediately to pro*ect managers if they cannot be sufficiently addressed and still &go-live' on schedule

2ocumenting the findings during the cutover is critical to confirm the cutover is complete and there are unresolved critical issues. @aintain a detailed plan and checklist for the cutover. / daily status of progress, results, issues and resolution and should be available for review. /ll issues are maintained in a separate cutover issues log and reference any appropriate software vendor re,uests. ("ee #ppendi$ # and %utover &emplates.$ls . #he results of doing the conversion during integration testing and the Cutover #emplates define the scope, timing and resource planning for all of the components of the Cutover. ("ee appendi$ # for a more detailed e$planation for using the %utover &emplates Assumptions Prere/uisites( /s indicated in the Cutover 0lan, several things must be successfully completed prior to beginning the Cutover. #hese include a"" pro*ect tasks and deliverables up through the integration testing and end user training being completed and signed off - including but are not limited to: /ll system and integration test complete and e8pected results achieved Bon-functional re,uirements validated and acceptable results achieved 9ystem administration procedures validated 0roduction environment established, setups complete and validated "ser accounts verified 0rocedures documented and distributed !nd user training complete 7elp 2esk in place

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)nitial /uthority to Operation $)/#O% received from 2// Comments

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APPENDI0 A Cuto!er Temp"ates #he Cutover #emplate file is comprised of five different worksheets. 1% ?% C% <% D% Cutover 0lan Cutover Conversion 0lan >inal Cutover Checklist Contacts Cutover )ssue 5og

Most leading software vendors and systems integrators include similar templates in their methodologies. If that is the case for your program, utilize these templates (created from a combination of software vendor's methodologies as a chec!list or guide to ensure that your cutover process is complete. 12 Cuto!er P"an #he Cutover 0lan provides a list of tasks to be performed during the cutover process, from &getting started' through e8ecution of the tasks 32 Cuto!er Con!ersion P"an #he Cutover Conversion 0lan provides a placeholder to input the detailed conversion tasks re,uired. #hese tasks should include all programs(files that need to be converted during final cutover. 42 )ina" Cuto!er Chec5"ist #he >inal Cutover Checklist is a template to capture all the signoffs that should be completed before going live. )t serves as a verification checklist for each process area of the pro*ect. / representative sample is included. #his list should be adapted for the pro*ect and duplicated

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for each process area going live. 9ignoff from each area should be obtained prior to going live. 62 Cuto!er Contacts #he Cutover Contacts spreadsheet provides the names and contact information for all individuals on the 7elp 2esk #eam. Comp"etin& the sprea%sheet( /fter reading the Cutover 4uide document and completing the Cutover 0lanning ;uestionnaires, the program manager should update the template to reflect the information that is applicable to the overall Cutover strategy. #hen the Cutover #eam should assist in the remaining details and contact information. !ach field is e8plained through comments in the worksheet. 72 Cuto!er Issue 8o& #he Cutover )ssue 5og spreadsheet provides an e8ample of the key information that should be tracked for all issues raised during the cutover process. "se this log as a sample of those components that should be tracked for issues that arise during cutover of tasks to step you through the conversion process. @any pro*ects utili+e the same log or database used during the other phases of the pro*ect. Whether a formal database is in place or not, use this as a guide to assure your issue tracking meets the typical re,uirements. !ach field is e8plained through comments in the worksheet.

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APPENDI0 9 Cuto!er P"annin& :uestionnaires #he Cutover 0lanning ;uestionnaires is comprised of two different spreadsheets. Cutover 0rogram(0ro*ect @anager ;uestionnaire Cutover #eam 5ead ;uestionnaire

#hey both play a similar role in planning and e8ecuting the Cutover $*ust from different perspectives% and are e8plained below. Cuto!er Pro&ram Pro;ect <ana&er an% Team 8ea% :uestionnaire #he Cutover ;uestionnaire spreadsheet assists in the planning of the Cutover by: 7elping the team leads to think about some key components and strategies of Cutover 2ocumenting the decisions around Cutover strategy /cknowledge any gaps or open ,uestions in regards to Cutover

Comp"etin& the sprea%sheet( !ach team lead should complete the spreadsheet as part of the planning process. /fter reading the Cutover 9trategy document they should familiari+e themselves with the spreadsheet and then work with key individuals on their team to complete it. !ach field $from left to right% is e8plained below. $9ee basic instructions at the top of the spreadsheet% ;uestion: !ach ,uestion relates to some aspect of the cutover. 9ince each team may have a slightly different approach to their area and e8ecution, it is important for each area's approach to be clearly documented. )nsert any additional ,uestions or comments at the bottom of the list. .esponse: 0lease include your response in the area available to the right of each ,uestion. Completed ,uestionnaires should be submitted to the program(pro*ect manager and used as input to defining the cutover strategy and establishing a cutover plan.

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