# Write a go-live cutover plan with rollback steps

An hour-by-hour cutover runbook with owners, checkpoints, go/no-go points, and a tested rollback path.

- Topic: Projects & Operations
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Write, Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/write-a-go-live-cutover-plan-with-rollback-steps

## Prompt

```text
Help me write a cutover plan for a go-live.

**What is going live:** [SYSTEM, process, or site - and what it replaces]
**Cutover window:** [DATES and times, time zones, any blackout periods]
**Key steps I know about:** [e.g. freeze old system, migrate data, switch DNS, enable users]
**Teams and people involved:** [ROLES and on-call contacts]
**Dependencies:** [vendors, other systems, approvals]
**How we know it worked:** [smoke tests, reconciliation checks, business sign-off]
**Rollback option:** [what reverting looks like and the latest point it is still possible]

Build the plan with:
- **Pre-cutover checklist** (T-14 to T-1 days): rehearsals, backups, communications, access, freeze.
- **Runbook table**: step # | start time | duration | task | owner | backup owner | verification | status.
- **Go/no-go checkpoints** at key points, each with explicit criteria and who decides.
- **Point of no return** - clearly marked, with what must be true before passing it.
- **Rollback plan** - trigger conditions, steps, owner, and time needed.
- **Communication plan** - who is told what, when, and through which channel during the window.
- **Hypercare** - support coverage for the first 1-2 weeks and how issues are triaged.

Rules: do not invent times or system details; use [CONFIRM] placeholders. Flag any step with no owner or no verification.

Return the plan, then the 5 most likely things to go wrong and how the plan handles each.
```

## What to fill in

- SYSTEM, process, or site - and what it replaces
- DATES and times, time zones, any blackout periods
- ROLES and on-call contacts
- vendors, other systems, approvals
- smoke tests, reconciliation checks, business sign-off
- CONFIRM

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.