The Rollout Phase of the IT Project

The final phase of the IT project life cycle, the rollout phase, ensures that the delivery of the new system to the clients will proceed smoothly and on schedule. The steps you should follow to successfully complete the rollout phase are described below.

1. Identify the inputs.
In the first step of the rollout phase, you should identify the following inputs.

• Conversion plan. The conversion plan documents indicate any equipment needed to perform the conversion, when the conversion will take place, a time limit for performing the conversion, and any special requirements needed.

• Operations instructions. The operations instructions explain in detail how to install and use the system.

• Rollout plan. The rollout plan is a detailed schedule of the sites to be converted, the order of conversion, and the timing of the conversion.

• End user documentation. The end user documentation is anything the user will need to use the system correctly. It may be in the form of user manuals, operating instructions, tutorials, or access to a help facility.

2. Conduct the key activities.
The next step in the rollout phase is to conduct the key activities. The key activities associated with this phase are described below.

• Perform a readiness check. A readiness check is a series of checks the project manager (PM) and project management team make to mitigate risks associated with conversion and to confirm that user personnel have been trained properly. There are two types of readiness checks. The operational readiness check will ensure that the physical environment is correct and will verify that the architecture will support the new system. The user assurance check tests end users on the functionality of the new system in a controlled environment to verify that they have been trained properly.

• Conduct the system conversion. The next key activity, conduct the system conversion, involves converting the application from the old system to the new one.

• Perform production monitoring. The perform production monitoring key activity involves following the plans and delivering the materials that were developed in previous phases of the project life cycle to the end users.

• Document potential enhancements. The last key activity, document potential enhancements, is conducted after the end user tests the system. During the system conversion, end users identify corrections and improvements for the system, which the PM documents.

3. Create the outputs.
The PM must next create the outputs. The first output of this phase is change requests, which document any enhancement to the system and any problems encountered. The second output, post conversion review document, outlines how the conversion of the system went.

4. Meet the milestone.
Once the post conversion review document is completed, the PM completes the last step of the rollout phase—meet the milestone—by obtaining the post conversion review document sign-off from the conversion team and end users. This shows that the system was successfully converted.

Rollout is the final phase a project manager conducts in the IT project life cycle. Upon completion of the rollout phase, the PM has a successful project, and the client has a satisfactory product.