Overview

This operational playbook is the knowledge management of best practices and procedures at [agency name]. The purpose is to establish efficiency across all projects, acquisitions and tasks at [agency name]. This playbook will be most useful for employees with the following roles and responsibilities.

• Program Manager
• Project Manager
• Application Owner

Implement New Technology

The objective of the following section of plays is for the implementation of new technologies into the [agency name] environment.

Collaborate with Stakeholders and Customers

This play is focused on the best practice of including stakeholders and customers early during the process of adding a new technology to the environment during requirement identification phase.

Questions

• Do you frequently engage with customers across the organization?
• Are stakeholders across the organization aware of the new incoming technology?
• Were stakeholders involved within the requirements process of the new technology?
• Did you inform the Enterprise Architecture group of the intention to possibly add new technology?
• Does your project have a sponsor?

Checklist

• Engage stakeholders and customers early in the process prior to requirements gathering.
• Inform Enterprise Architecture group prior to requirements gathering of the intention to possibly add new technology.
• Establish requirements gathering sessions with stakeholders.
• Ensure stakeholders review and provide comments on the submitted requirement documents.
• Establish buy in from sponsor, stakeholders and customers.
• Establish regularly scheduled meeting with stakeholders and customers on project timeline and implementation of new technology.

Implementation of New Technology

This play is the streamlined version of the process to implement the new technology into the Production environment.

Questions

• Have you submitted implementation plan to the Change Control Group (CCG)?
• Has the training plan been developed?
• Has the technology been approved by the Enterprise Architecture group?
• Has the security group evaluated, scanned and approved the new technology?
• Have you executed a test plan on the technology?
• Can you provide the results of the test plan?
• Does the technology have the proper technical support?
• How the technologies impact the system load?
• Was it load tested?
• Can you provide the load test results?

Checklist

Submit the following documentation to the Change Control Group.

• Enterprise architecture approval of the technology
• Scan results and approval from the security group
• Test Plan results
• Load test results
• Listing of responsible technical support contacts going forward.

Train Employees - Post Implementation

This play is focused on the best practice of training [agency name] employees post implementation into the Production environment.

Questions

• Did the previous technology have associated training?
• If there was previous training, how effective was it?
• Is training required?
• What type of training should it be (e.g. classroom, user manuals, etc.)?
• Will there be user support if users after training encounter issues?
• Is there a need to have specific training based on various user roles?

Checklist

• Review current training (if available).
• Review user feedback of current training (if available)
• Develop training plan.
• Distribute training plan to employees who will be involved with the new technology.
• Schedule training sessions prior to implementation of new technology.
• Collect feedback from attendees on the effectiveness of the training.

Prepare for System Decommission

This play is the streamlined version of the process to decommission legacy technology from all environments including Production.

Questions

• Is there a migration plan to a new technology?
• Has the user community been notified of the new technology?
• Has the new technology been approved?
• Has the technology been approved for decommission?

Checklist

• Develop system retirement strategy.
• Develop system decommission plan.
• Develop system requirement communication plan to customers.
• Send out communication to users of planned decommission date.
• Archive all copy and database files to safe (password protected) and accessible location.
• Migrate data from existing system to new technology.