End-to-End Application / Technology Decommissioning Process

Phase 1: Initiation & Planning

• Identify business and IT owners of the system.
• Assess why the system needs decommissioning (e.g., migration to a new system, high maintenance costs).
• Conduct an impact assessment of integrated systems and dependencies.
• Develop a Decommissioning Plan, including risk assessment, timeline, and resource allocation.

PMO Role:

• Governance Setup: Define project charter, roles, responsibilities, and RACI matrix.
• Stakeholder Management: Engage IT, business, security, and compliance teams.
• Tracking & Reporting: Establish KPIs and reporting cadence using project management tools.

Phase 2: Data Archival & Migration

• Identify historical data that needs to be retained for compliance.
• Define a data migration strategy, such as transferring records to a new system.
• Conduct data validation to ensure post-migration integrity.

PMO Role:

• Risk Mitigation: Ensure regulatory compliance by coordinating with legal teams.
• Project Coordination: Align data engineers and business analysts on migration needs.
• Progress Monitoring: Track milestones and escalate blockers.

Phase 3: Dependency Mapping & Risk Assessment

• Identify all system integrations, APIs, and dependent services.
• Plan for structured decommissioning to avoid business disruptions.
• Disable user access and licenses before system shutdown.

PMO Role:

• Cutover Planning: Schedule controlled system shutdowns to minimize downtime.
• Security & Compliance Oversight: Revoke access and ensure compliance with IT security policies.
• Communication Management: Notify business users about the shutdown.

Phase 4: Business Readiness Validation

• Ensure all users and departments transition to the new system before shutdown.
• Conduct User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for business continuity.
• Provide training and onboarding for seamless adoption.

PMO Role:

• User Training Management: Monitor adoption rates and address user concerns.
• Reporting: Provide impact analysis to leadership.

Phase 5: Infrastructure Cleanup & System Shutdown

• Shut down legacy infrastructure after migration.
• Remove integrations, servers, and databases no longer in use.
• Perform final compliance checks before full decommissioning.

PMO Role:

• Ensure Zero Business Disruption: Plan system shutdown in phases.
• Final Security Review: Verify no data leaks or compliance failures.
• Compliance Documentation: Submit reports for audit.

Phase 6: Post-Decommissioning Review

• Conduct a post-mortem analysis on decommissioning success.
• Validate that the new system is fully functional with no business impact.
• Document lessons learned for future decommissioning.

PMO Role:

• Final Reporting: Submit closure reports on cost savings, risk mitigation, and operational improvements.
• Process Standardization: Document best practices for future projects.
• Stakeholder Closure Meetings: Conduct a review with leadership.