Go Live Memo: Enterprise Systems
Prior to an Enterprise System Go Live, there should be an assessment to confirm the company and the system are ready. Some call this a readiness assessment. This assessment should include a review of what was planned, what was completed, what’s outstanding including plans to complete, and authorization by the Business System Owner (at a minimum) to Go Live.
Who creates: the Project Manager.
Who approves: the Business System Owner at a minimum. For controlled systems (SOX, GxP), additonal approvals may be required. The Business System Owner may want functional leads and/or the Executive Sponsor to sign off as well. For GxP systems, I recommend including Quality Assurance.
When: a few weeks prior to Go Live, or the final cutover, the Project Manager should draft the document and facilitate a team meeting to confirm everyone is in agreement on the project status, system readiness, and final pre-Go Live activities. The Business System Owner (and others if applicable) should sign the document prior to final production cutover activities that will trigger Go Live.
What’s Included
Summary of completed activities: details the activities and deliverables completed (in alignment with the Project Document) including approvals (if applicable) and approval/completion dates.
Summary of production cutover activities: details what has been done to prepare for production cutover. This includes production instance prep, open issue review, and system access review.
Data migration and verification: summarizes data migration and verification performed prior to the final production cutover and Go Live activities.
Training activities: summarizes the training provided prior to the final production cutover and Go Live.
After Go Live activities: details what activities and documents are to be completed after Go Live including system activities, documentation, addtional training, Go Live support, incomplete functionality and testing, and any remaining data migration and verification tasks.
Significant project changes: if there are significant differences between what was planned for the system and what is actually happened, include a section summarizing this. This will ensure that everyone is in alignment and there’s no confusion once the system is live.
Authorization: statement specifically authorizing the Go Live based on the information included in the Go Live memo, followed by signature and date lines. Note: since most projects are now virtual, this approval is generally obtained using an eSignature tool like Adobe Sign or DocuSign.
Other Things to Note
While this document doesn’t get signed until right before final production cutover activities and Go Live, it should be drafted about two weeks before (and reviewed with the project team) as there are other lead-up activities like the open Issue review.
The Project Manager should go through all of the open issues with the team about two weeks before Go Live, prioritizing those that need to be addressed before Go Live, and potentially closing those that are no longer relevant.
This also helps to highlight what needs to be cleaned up or finalized in preparation for Go Live to avoid having anything fall through the cracks including making sure all documents are approved and accounted for.
How long is this document? this really depends but it generally isn’t more than 2–3 pages.
Why Share This Now?
Back when I was an accountant, working for my dad’s accounting firm, we had a lot of small businesses as clients. The owners of the small businesses struggled with basic bookkeeping and accounting which meant that we couldn’t add value to them and their businesses because we were so focused on the fundamentals. We created a few accounting classes for them in the form of Accounting 101, 102, 201, and 202 so we could do more with them.
I’m applying the same principles here. If I can help my clients (prospective or current) help themselves with projects and project deliverables, then I get to elevate my role beyond the day-to-day and into a strategic and advisory role which, frankly, is a lot more fun!
Check out my blog post Project Deliverables: Enterprise Systems for the complete list of deliverables with links other blog posts.
Have Questions or Require Assistance?
Feel free to reach out to Terri with any questions you might have via email at terri.mead@solutions2projects.com or through the company website SolutionsProjects, LLC.
About the Author
Terri Hanson Mead, MBA, PMP, is a technology and compliance strategist for biotech, pharma, medical device, diagnostic, and digital health companies. Through her company, Solutions2Projects, she helps life sciences companies align technology roadmaps with corporate objectives and meet IT compliance requirements in a complex and regulated industry. As an expert witness, Terri provides pre-litigation consulting and expert witness services for failed technology projects, including enterprise systems.
