Design a cutover runbook that sequences technical, data and business tasks against a fixed freeze window.
Project Management
Go-Live Cutover Planning and Hypercare for System Implementations
Build cutover runbooks, rehearse go-live weekends, run the command centre at launch, and manage hypercare so a new system stabilises without disrupting daily operations.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Most system implementations are judged in the seventy-two hours around go-live: the moment configuration, testing and training either hold up under real transaction volumes or unravel in front of end users. This course focuses on that narrow, high-risk window and the weeks of hypercare that follow it. Participants learn how to convert a project plan into a minute-by-minute cutover runbook, sequence data migration and system cutover tasks against a fixed freeze window, and set go/no-go criteria that give sponsors a genuine decision rather than a formality. Sessions cover mock cutovers and dress rehearsals, command-centre roles during the go-live weekend, incident triage and severity scoring once users are live, and the staffing model for hypercare, including super users, floor walkers and escalation paths into the permanent support organisation. The course works through cutover plans, rollback triggers and hypercare exit criteria drawn from implementation patterns across ERP, CRM and case-management rollouts, adapted into templates participants take back to their own programmes. By the end, participants can plan, rehearse and run a go-live with a rollback option that is genuinely usable, and hand a stabilised system to business-as-usual support with clear exit criteria rather than an open-ended taper.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Set go/no-go criteria and escalation thresholds that give sponsors a real decision at each cutover checkpoint.
Plan and run mock cutovers and dress rehearsals that expose timing and dependency risks before go-live.
Structure command-centre roles, communication cadence and incident severity levels for the go-live weekend.
Define rollback triggers and contingency steps that can be executed within the cutover window if go-live fails.
Build a hypercare staffing model with super users, floor walkers and tiered escalation into permanent support.
Set hypercare exit criteria and transition a stabilised system into business-as-usual operations.
Who Should Attend
Programme and project managers leading system implementation go-lives
IT delivery leads responsible for cutover and data migration execution
Business change managers coordinating end-user readiness at launch
Service desk and support leads staffing post go-live hypercare
PMO analysts producing cutover runbooks and go/no-go reporting
Functional and technical leads on ERP, CRM or case-management rollouts
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Cutover Strategy and Go-Live Readiness
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Choosing a Cutover Approach and Sequencing Strategy
- Compare big-bang, phased and parallel-run cutover strategies against downtime tolerance and data volume.
- Map the critical path of technical, data and business tasks that must complete inside the freeze window.
- Define data freeze points and cut-off times for source systems feeding the migration.
- Build a cutover calendar that aligns business blackout periods with technical maintenance windows.
Session 2Readiness Assessment and Go/No-Go Governance
- Design a readiness scorecard covering data quality, defect burn-down, training completion and support staffing.
- Set quantifiable go/no-go criteria and thresholds for each cutover decision gate.
- Structure a go/no-go meeting with defined roles, evidence packs and escalation authority.
- Agree rollback and delay decision rules before the cutover window opens, not during it.
02Building and Rehearsing the Cutover Runbook
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Runbook Design and Task Sequencing
- Break the cutover into discrete tasks with owners, durations, predecessors and verification steps.
- Sequence data migration, interface cutover and configuration activation to minimise idle time.
- Write verification and rollback steps directly into each runbook task rather than as a separate plan.
- Build a RACI for the cutover weekend that names a single decision-maker for each task stream.
Session 2Mock Cutovers and Dress Rehearsals
- Plan a mock cutover that replicates production data volumes and timing constraints.
- Time each runbook task during rehearsal to validate the overall cutover duration against the freeze window.
- Capture defects and timing variances from rehearsal and rework the runbook before go-live.
- Run a full dress rehearsal with the actual go-live team to confirm roles, tooling and communication paths.
03Running the Go-Live
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Command Centre Operations
- Set up a command centre with defined roles for cutover lead, technical lead and business liaison.
- Establish a communication cadence and status reporting template for the go-live weekend.
- Track task completion against the runbook in real time and flag slippage against the freeze window.
- Apply a decision log to record cutover deviations, approvals and rationale as they happen.
Session 2Data Migration and Validation at Cutover
- Sequence final data extraction, transformation and load activities within the cutover window.
- Apply reconciliation checks that compare source and target record counts and key financial totals.
- Define exit criteria for data validation that must be met before business sign-off to go live.
- Handle migration exceptions and rejected records with a defined remediation and re-run process.
04Hypercare and Stabilisation
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Hypercare Operating Model
- Design a hypercare staffing model with super users, floor walkers and an escalation path to technical teams.
- Set incident severity levels and response targets for the hypercare period.
- Run daily hypercare stand-ups that triage open issues against business impact.
- Track adoption and error patterns through hypercare dashboards to spot systemic issues early.
Session 2Exiting Hypercare and Transition to Business-as-Usual
- Set exit criteria for hypercare based on incident volume, severity trend and user adoption.
- Transfer open issues, workarounds and configuration knowledge to the permanent support team.
- Close out lessons learned from cutover and hypercare into the organisation's implementation playbook.
- Plan a post-implementation review that checks realised benefits against the original business case.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
Complete your registration
We will contact you within one business day to confirm.
Ready to start?
Reserve your seat and start building the skill.