Cutover and

Remote Go-Live

Strategy

Ajit Kotwal

Christopher Lim

Reed Wolfe

About this TechTalk

Objectives of this TechTalk

1. To provide recommended practices for planning and managing the overall

cutover process

2. To help define a cutover strategy that will result in a good approach and plan

to deliver a well-defined, well-tested, fit-for-purpose and reliable transition

from current systems to Dynamics 365 apps

3. To drive improved involvement of the business in the cutover objectives and

management

What it doesn’t cover

1. Detailed guidance on technical data migration which is already covered

elsewhere

2. Transition to support

Agenda 1. Cutover strategy and vision

2. Data migration considerations

3. Planning the cutover

4. Go-Live, including Remote Go-Live

5. Q&A

1. Cutover strategy and vision

Cutover – overall approach

/!\ Involve the business early, often and ensure

ownership

Initiate Implement Prepare Operate

Go

-Liv

e

Solution blueprint

So

luti

on

co

mp

lete

ness

Solution ready

TimeStart

Cutover - Definitions

Cutover is the process of transition from

current systems to Dynamics 365 business

applications

A cutover strategy for a business

application needs to transition:

1. Business Processes

2. Data

3. System Functionality

4. Integration with other systems

5. People

Cutover strategy is not just the detailed plan for the

final cutover weekend or just data migration

The cutover leader, vision and principles

Cutover Strategy should start with a cutover leader from the business who helps define

and enforce the business vision and guiding principles for the cutover

Cutover03

02

01

03 PrinciplesBusiness driven?

Driver for all related disciplines (e.g. data

migration)?

Repeatable, scalable, multi-rollout

Ownership of data, security etc.

02 VisionDefinition/expectation of “cutover” from the

business

Business goals from the cutover

Business scope/requirements for cutover

01 Cutover LeaderUnified vision

Directs multiple disciplines

Provides business perspective

The business-focused cutover calendar

What are the key elements of a business-focused cutover calendar?

- The key business processes that the business needs to conduct around the Go-Live

- The key business activities that may need to be added or changed to accommodate the

special needs for cutover

- The high-level technical cutover tasks and milestones overlaid on the key business tasks

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The business-focused cutover calendar

A calendar of key business

activities that will affect and

interact with the final cutover to

Dynamics 365.

Why create a business-focused calendar so early in the

project?

▪ Provides an ideal means of communication between the

business and project

▪ Helps direct the cutover strategy

▪ Helps identify any business constraints and requirements

▪ Helps identify critical pre- and post-Go Live cutover business

tasks and what needs to change to support the cutover

▪ Engages the business early, and in a meaningful way

▪ rovi e an i ea mechani m to con uct “table reads”

▪ Prevents the cutover being driven by a primarily technical,

data migration perspective

▪ Evolves easily over the lifecycle of the project

The detailed cutover strategy

Scope, Requirements and Dependencies

Roles and responsibilities

Business calendar activities (not just data migration)

High-level cutover project plan with mock cutovers

Initial detailed Go-Live cutover plan (including fallback plan and rules)

Reconciliations – hat’s needed and ho done, so rce data c eanin too it

Environment management plan

Assess impact on business ecosystem and identify other owners

2. Data migration considerations

Data Migration - Overall approach

Other dedicated TechTalks and documents cover Data Migration in detail

ere e i oc s on the to ch oints or ens rin c tover readiness is on trac to de iver a “ it-for-

r ose” tar et na ics a ication

Repeatable &

reliable process

Fit-for-purpose

target system

Iterative

performance

management

Performance

Macro plan and

“sprint” plan

Project

planning

Roles and

responsibilities

Roles

Definition of stages

Process

▪ Source systems

▪ Target system

▪ Maps/transformations

▪ Loading

▪ Validation

Main areas

Source systems data management - Data Cleansing

Common risks observed▪ ac o “ ata eadiness” leading to Go-Live delays

▪ Poor quality of migrated data leading to business

operations disruptions and project dissatisfaction after

Go-Live

Mitigations▪ Define clear roles and enforce the business involvement

(especially for ownership of data quality, validation and

reconciliation)

▪ Ensure Data Cleansing (at source) is business-owned,

well-defined, and well-managed with tooling and

monitoring.

Data cleansing

toolkit

Large volume

entities with later

incremental loads

Incremental

entity extraction

Minimum and

incremental

Data quality

standards

Define:▪ Selection & extraction

criteria

▪ Sequence, volumes and

performance goals

Scope

Define owners

Source data

systems

Mitigations▪ Do make sure that the data migration team is directly

informed of the possible Dynamics 365 design changes

▪ Do pay attention to the needs of the project for

incremental (and usable) data in the target system

Common risks observed▪ The data migrated into Dynamics 365 apps is not

sufficiently usable by the project until very late –

sometimes not until UAT !

Based on end-user

use, not just technical

entity-level scope

Scope

Minimum and

incremental

Data quality

standards

Context of business

processes is

important

Target data

system

Project phases

and activities

(testing,

configuration etc.)

Incremental

entity load

Migration

Design validation

Communication with the

core design team

(design, configuration,

performance, etc..)

Including

monitoring

Data validation

toolkit

Target system (Dynamics 365) definition

Mapping and transformations

Mitigations▪ Do plan for incremental validation of mapping and

transformation rules by the business

▪ Do plan this work in line with the ongoing project needs

▪ Do not try to automate transformations where the rules

are vague as it will probably add to complexity without

improving quality

Common risks observed▪ Transformation and mapping rules are not always

reviewed by the business data owners resulting in

“hi en error ” an mi matche expectation hen

using the data in business transactions

Rule definitions,

review and

ownership by

business

Mapping and

transformation

Not just technical

validation

Early validation

Logical priority of

data to be

processed

Entity sequence

definition

Including

“in-step”

validation

Automation

rules

Clear rules to

move data

Rules and mapping

validated by business

Design mappings

& transform for

incremental load

Incremental load

Data loading recommendations

✓ Set entity sequence definition, including incremental loads for high-volume entities

✓ Ensure early validation and repeat

✓ Enforce best practices for loading data into D365

▪ Automate only if rules are well-defined and complete

▪ Strive to make the load repeatable: automate and look to simplify the process

▪ Define entities that will be complete and perform well

▪ Set explicit performance goals for data loads based on the time provided in the cutover window.

▪ Make performance management part of the process (raise bugs, triage, priorities and allocate ownership).

For Operations apps, see Optimize data migration for Finance and Operations apps - Finance & Operations | Dynamics 365 | Microsoft Docs

DO

Target system data validation recommendations

✓ Make the business processes in Dynamics 365 a key part of the validation process – explicitly validate the

migrated data in business transactions as part of data migration validation (not left for UAT)

✓ Validate at the data entity level across all areas (functional, reporting, integrations, security etc.)

✓ Define the objectives, design and outcomes of reconciliation reports for key areas and ensure they are

approved by the business owners – know the business acceptance criteria

✓ Make performance testing of the migrated data part of the validation process (raise bugs, triage, priorities and

allocate ownership)

✓ Set and assess the entry and exit criteria for each data migration iteration and ensure alignment with the

needs of project phases and project milestones as well as for the final Go Live cutover

✓ Consider these recommendations as additional to the basic, technical data migration validation on a

“recor -by-recor ” eve or comparin ata vo ume etc.

DO

3. Planning the cutover

Cutover – overall approach

/!\ Involve the business early, often and ensure

ownership

Initiate Implement Prepare Operate

Go

-Liv

e

Solution blueprint

So

luti

on

co

mp

lete

ness

Solution ready

TimeStart

High-level cutover project planning recommendations

High-level cutover planning is part of the project plan and describes the key milestones with effort, resources and

dependencies with other project milestones

✓ Integrate cutover planning into project macro plan and sprint

plans

✓ Include all cutover activities related to Go-Live cutover and

not just data migration

✓ Set cutover discipline from the start and plan for multiple (5-

7)* mock cutovers, inc. two successful ones prior to Go-Live

✓ Enforce explicit entry and exit criteria for each cutover

(including performance criteria)

✓ Ensure the key tasks that flow from data migration but not

covered directly by that team (business validation,, data

cleansing etc.) are identified and planned

✓ Get input and ownership of relevant areas from the partner

as cutover directly touches solution architecture and

functional use of the data

Don’t un ere timate the comp exity – cutover covers the

move of an entire system

Don’t eep the ata mi ration p annin an pro ect

milestone needs entirely separate

Don’t a ume that the pro ect i eep ata mi ration

team informed on design changes – actively participate

Don’t a o the cutover p annin to be pu he out to the

Prepare phase

Don’t for et to inc u e the nee to efine the

requirements for environments for data migration tasks in

the planning

* = depends on complexity

DO N’

The detailed Go Live cutover plan

What When Why

The detailed Go Live cutover plan

is the set of tasks required to

transition from the old system to

the Dynamics 365 production app

The detailed cutover plan should

begin as early as possible and

certainly during the Implement

phase

The main objective of the detailed

cutover plan is to provide a highly

reliable method for an

organization to transition to

Production use

The detailed cutover plan should cover, in

detail, all the tasks required to prepare

the business for cutover, the actual

cutover tasks to transition to production

and the post Go Live tasks.

The cutover planning should ideally begin

early in the Implement phase. This sets

the right discipline for the team and helps

to ensure that each of the cutover

rehearsals are being conducted to mimic

the final Go Live cutover with sufficient

time to uncover issues and to address

them iteratively.

A final practice cutover (mock cutover)

should be conducted on production

environment for first Go Live, 2-4 weeks

before Go-Live

There is very little room for errors and

retries during the limited window of the

final cutover – it must work flawlessly.

The detailed cutover plan ensures that all

tasks for a successful transition, including

preparation and validation tasks, are

identified, practiced, refined and

completed as expected.

Sample detailed cutover plan template | Steps

Definition of the detailed steps

▪ Consider the details required per step to help make its completion unambiguous and repeatable

▪ En ure that there are “firebrea /interva /mi e tone ” at the ri ht point to a o for focused team

reviews

▪ Keep this master cutover plan (and the steps) under change control as early as possible

Sample detailed cutover plan template | Tracking

Tracking the mocks/rehearsals

During the mock cutovers (or rehearsals), noting

the start & end times helps the team:

▪ Build a realistic Go-Live cutover plan based

on previous experience

▪ Proactively manage any areas of risk prior to

the Go Live cutover

Tracking the Go-Live cutover

During the Go-Live cutover, noting the start &

end times compared to the plan helps the team:

▪ Detect early signs of issues

▪ Assess progress

▪ Make any corrections necessary

▪ Communicate with downstream resources

Sample detailed cutover plan template | Rollback

Managing the implications of incomplete or failed steps

▪ Ensure that if a step fails, there is a defined (and visible to all) means to recover back to a last known good

point

▪ Ensure that if a step does not complete that the remaining work and any implications are noted so that

the issues are not compounded by other downstream tasks/teams.

The detailed cutover plan

Why does it need to be so detailed?

▪ Limited time available at Go Live – need very

high confidence that it will work

▪ Multiple parties involved - so needs utmost

clarity and coordination

▪ Complex dependencies exist – moving an

entire system

▪ Confirms it is complete – tasks outside the

plan can derail the whole process

▪ Confirms it is correct – each task needs to

work for the entire process to work

▪ Needs to be detailed - to be repeatable

Recommendations

▪ Start it early to set the right discipline in the

team

▪ Use the detailed plan for mock cutovers and

keep expanding on it

▪ Ensure it includes the business activities prior

to cutover and after cutover

▪ Measure how long it takes in practice/mock

cutovers to ensure you are on track to

complete within the business shutdown

window

4. Go-Live, including Remote Go-Live

Remote Go-Live – Key Considerations

Communication –

Organization

Communication –

People

Communication –

Strategy and technology

Communication, communication, communication

Main additional risks to manage

Easy to

underestimate the

impact of a remote

Go-Live!

Behavior & level of

engagement changes

when working

remotely

Need to define clear

communication

channels for remote

working

Need to define who,

what and how

comms are done (inc.

escalations)

Need to have

protocols for team

members on how to

engage with other

teams

Need to manage the

hermits, ghosts and

“ quea y hee ”

Can mean a lack of

control on a complex

cutover

Lack of individual

ownership,

interaction can

become reactive

rather than proactive

Remote working can

bring specific

technical challenges

(e.g. access, security

etc.)

Need to build-in

resilience to the fact

that people are not

perfect and remote

work can make

difficulties less visible

Collaborating

remotely Team behavior

Unclear

communication

channels

Unclear

communication

patterns

Unclear rules of

engagement

Team

personalities

Decentralized

process

ownership

Over-centralized

ownership Technical issues Human factors

Remote cutover considerations | Ownership & organization

There must be a strong leader

that will coordinate across

multiple teams to run the

whole process

▪ Leaders for each area of the

cutover to en ure “expert”

coordination and decision

making

▪ Responsibility for each task

assigned to a specific person

▪ Need to explicitly secure

availability, especially for

business users and key

partner resources

▪ Area-level issue board with

recurring updates

▪ Map all the issues to some

cutover task to ensure

traceability and

dependences are clear

▪ Avoid area-level issues from

blocking the whole cutover

or dragging everyone into

the discussion

▪ Double-check agreements

with all stakeholders for

business and system

shutdown and business

involvement, especially for

out-of-office hours

▪ Ensure at least one senior

stakeholder is available for

the entire cutover process

for emergency decisions and

approvals on behalf of the

business

Strong cutover leaderClear responsibilities

defined for everyone

Appoint an area-level

issue manager/leader

Stakeholder resource

commitment

Remote cutover considerations | Detailed cutover plan

▪ More detailed and more

precise

▪ Better definition of the

responsibility

▪ Push for a buddy system

where possible, as hard for

individuals to take the

burden otherwise

▪ Tasks for business users

need to be especially

carefully prepared with the

principles above in mind

Increase the buffer between

key milestones to give you

more reliability for those

downstream and those who

only have a few (but critical)

tasks to perform

Have a “cutover Go-Live

boar ” or hare Exce hich

everyone can view, but only

editable by the cutover

organizer (and substitute)

Set (more) frequent and

specific team review stage

gates/milestones

Remote Go-Live tasksBuffer between key

milestones

Shared view of detailed

cutover status

Team review milestones

Remote cutover considerations | Communication strategy

▪ Rules for the remote

sessions – secure the needed

time for everyone

▪ Ensure everyone is heard

Provide more than one area

for communication (multiple

channels in Teams or breakout

rooms – one per workstream,

for example in addition to the

main channel

Clear escalation paths will be

essential

▪ Con i er oca “ ite

iai on ”/ /point of

contact

▪ For simultaneous

implementations at multiple

locations (branches, stores,

etc.) may need one per site

Communication rulesMulti-channel

communicationEscalation path Local site liaison

Efficient team sample

Issues manager

Coordinator

Stream/area

leaders

Task owners

Roles and responsibilities

▪ The coordinator runs the process

▪ The area leaders verify the task

execution and unblock issues

(decision makers) for their area

▪ The issue manager coordinates

problem resolution in parallel with

the “norma ” execution

▪ The task owners execute the

tasks

Remote cutover considerations | Technical preparation

✓ Provide training on remote tools (Teams, electronic whiteboard, RDP etc.) and ensure they are working prior to

the cutover, especially for non-technical people

✓ Validate remote access communications (Teams, screen share etc..) with defined backups (e.g. teleconference

phone, SMS etc.)

✓ Validate data access (VPNs, firewalls, credentials etc.) especially for production systems

✓ Consider if someone with admin access needs to be on-site for any legacy systems access or emergencies

✓ Confirm adequate internet connection and bandwidth for everyone

✓ Confirm that the security and access regulations have been considered for Production systems – for example,

can data leave the premises/country?

DO

Remote cutover considerations | Human factor

✓ Consider a buddy system for critical areas (where possible) – one person acts, the other checks

✓ Ensure the tasks can be done efficiently and with confidence – avoid undocumented or unnecessary

administrative tasks

✓ Ensure high granularity for tasks – this helps with clearer ownership and enables clear handovers

✓ Create opportunity to explicitly check with individual members on issues, concerns and ideas

DO

Remote cutover considerations | Post Go Live

▪ Backlog of business

transactions during

shutdown can create a large

wave at Go Live

▪ Ensure you have tested for

this peak day-in-the-life

scenario

▪ Data quality issues can often

not fully emerge until two or

three weeks after Go Live –

need to be prepared to deal

with this.

▪ Full business transaction

lifecycle process testing on

migrated data will help

mitigate the risk

▪ Users find workaround on

proce e that they on’t

fully understand – need to

cover the implications as this

can make matters worse.

▪ Change management is key

and need to ensure cutover

organization is part of the

change management design

and post Go Live feedback

▪ Ensure users are able to raise

cutover-related issues and

provide them tools to report

and collaborate – e.g. Teams

channels, surgery hours etc.

▪ Often, there are multiple

tasks to be conducted by the

project or the business after

Go Live – need to ensure the

cutover planning and

organization considers these

tasks

▪ Define clear exit criteria for

the cutover process to be

considered complete and

any related hypercare period

needs clear exit criteria

Performance issues

Date migration issues

emerging during the

monthUser adoption

Cutover does not finish

at Go Live

Take away

5. Q&A

Ajit Kotwal (ajit.kotwal@microsoft.com)Christopher Lim (christopher.lim@microsoft.com)Reed Wolfe (reed.wolfe@microsoft.com)

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