A cutover is a timed operation with dependencies, verification points, and a decision gate. The programmes that make it look uneventful are the ones that rehearsed until it was.
The runbook
One document, one source of truth, in execution order. Each line carries a task, a named owner, a planned start, an expected duration, a dependency, and — critically — how completion is verified. If a task cannot be verified, it is not a runbook task; it is a hope.
Rehearsals
- Technical rehearsal — environment, loads, interfaces, batch jobs, timings
- Business rehearsal — first-day-of-business transactions executed by real users
- Full dress rehearsal — the signed runbook, the real people, the real clock
Go/no-go gates
Gates should be boring. Trial balance within agreed tolerance. Inventory valuation within tolerance. Open orders reconciled. Interfaces green. Support model staffed. Each with a named signatory who agreed the threshold weeks earlier.
Rollback
Define the last responsible moment to abort, the state you roll back to, and who makes the call. Then rehearse it once. A rehearsed rollback is what allows a programme to say yes with confidence.
Hypercare
Plan two to four weeks of elevated support with floor-walkers, a triage desk, and a daily stabilisation stand-up with the business. Adoption is won or lost in the first ten working days after go-live.
