Phase Entry and Exit Checklists

Discovery Entry Checklist

• Sponsor identified

• Problem or opportunity described

• Discovery timebox agreed

• Commercial authority confirmed

• Stakeholder access agreed

• Research access agreed

• Security constraints identified

• Evidence repository created

Discovery Exit Checklist

• Problem statement completed

• User needs identified

• Current state mapped

• Constraints recorded

• Risks and assumptions recorded

• Options assessed

• Recommendation prepared

• Alpha or next-phase scope drafted

• Decision recorded

Alpha Entry Checklist

• Discovery recommendation approved

• Alpha questions agreed

• Riskiest assumptions ranked

• Team roles confirmed

• Prototype approach agreed

• Technical spike plan created

• Security and data constraints understood

• Commercial authority confirmed

Alpha Exit Checklist

• Prototypes tested

• User feedback captured

• Technical feasibility assessed

• Security and data implications understood

• Preferred option selected

• Beta backlog created

• Beta roadmap drafted

• Commercial assumptions updated

• Proceed, stop or reshape decision recorded

Beta Entry Checklist

• Beta Statement of Work agreed

• Backlog prioritised

• Acceptance criteria agreed

• Environments planned

• Engineering standards confirmed

• Security approach confirmed

• Release approach agreed

• Support model design started

Beta Exit Checklist

• Critical journeys tested

• Service or product working for real users

• Security evidence complete or risk-accepted

• Accessibility evidence complete where required

• Performance evidence reviewed

• Support model ready

• Monitoring in place

• Live readiness approved

• Acceptance recorded

Live Entry Checklist

• Service owner confirmed

• Support process live

• Monitoring active

• Incident process agreed

• Access controls reviewed

• Operational documentation complete

• Release process agreed

• Service metrics agreed

Live Review Checklist

• Service performance reviewed

• User feedback reviewed

• Support tickets reviewed

• Incidents reviewed

• Security vulnerabilities reviewed

• Improvement backlog prioritised

• Technical debt reviewed

• Roadmap updated

Retirement Entry Checklist

• Retirement trigger identified

• Service owner engaged

• User impact assessed

• Data impact assessed

• Supplier impact assessed

• Contractual exit obligations reviewed

• Retirement approval route agreed

Retirement Exit Checklist

• Users informed or transitioned

• Data retained, migrated, archived or deleted

• Access removed

• Integrations closed

• Suppliers exited

• Redirects implemented where required

• Service decommissioned

• Closure evidence stored

• Final approval recorded