Cutover is the short window when you stop working in the old system and start working in the new one. It is the highest-risk moment in any ERP project, and the one that benefits most from rehearsal. This checklist applies to Business Central and Finance and Supply Chain Management alike.
Before cutover: the go/no-go decision
Hold a formal go/no-go meeting a few days before cutover. Go ahead only when:
- All critical and high-priority defects are closed or have an accepted workaround.
- User acceptance testing has been signed off by process owners.
- At least one full trial migration has reconciled to the old system.
- A cutover rehearsal has been completed and timed.
- Users have been trained and have access with the right roles.
- Integrations have been tested end to end with real partners such as banks.
- The support team and hypercare plan are confirmed.
Record the decision and who made it.
The cutover plan
Write the plan as a timed runbook, with an owner and a check for every step:
- Freeze changes to master data in the old system.
- Complete final transactions and close the period in the old system.
- Extract and transform final data.
- Load master data, then open balances and open documents.
- Reconcile each load before moving to the next.
- Switch integrations to the new system.
- Run smoke tests: create and post a sample order, receipt, invoice and payment.
- Confirm user access.
- Announce go-live to the business.
Rehearse it
Run the full cutover at least once in a test environment, using a recent copy of production data. Time every step. Most first rehearsals reveal missing steps, slow loads or dependencies nobody wrote down.
Reconciliation checkpoints
- Trial balance by account, matched to the old system.
- Open receivables and payables by customer and vendor.
- Inventory quantity and value by location.
- Open sales and purchase orders.
- Fixed asset values and accumulated depreciation.
Each reconciliation needs a named person to sign it off.
Rollback plan
Decide in advance what would make you go back, and how:
- Rollback triggers: for example, the trial balance doesn't reconcile, or a critical process can't be completed by a set time.
- Point of no return: the moment after which rolling back costs more than fixing forward, usually once new transactions start in the new system.
- Rollback steps: re-enable the old system, reverse integration switches, and communicate to users and partners.
Having a rollback plan rarely means using it. It means making the go-live decision calmly.
Communication
- Tell customers and suppliers about any changes to documents, bank details or portals.
- Give users a clear message about when to stop using the old system and when to start in the new one.
- Share a single contact for issues during the first days.
After cutover
Move straight into hypercare. Our post-go-live support playbook covers what that should include.
Next step
If a go-live is approaching and you'd like an independent check, request an implementation assessment. Our Advisory & Audit Services include readiness reviews.