Templates › Delivery plan and milestones

Delivery plan and milestones

Format: Excel (xlsx)
Owning skill: programme-management:delivery-plan
Tailored from: organisation, goals, modules, estate, constraints, edition, modules_in_scope, roles, generated_on
Status: draft

How to use this template

The project manager ({{roles.project-manager}}) builds this plan in Initiate with the partner ({{constraints.partner}}) and the solution architect, working back from the target go-live of {{goals.target_go_live}}. Baseline it when the solution blueprint is approved and report progress against that baseline at every steering meeting. Re-baseline only through change control, and keep the earlier baseline in the file so slippage stays visible.

The plan is organised by Success by Design stage. Workstreams are listed per module in scope ({{modules_in_scope}}) plus the cross-cutting streams every Dynamics 365 project needs.

Guidance: Plan backwards from go-live as well as forwards from mobilisation. Fix the dates that are outside your control first (release waves, organisation change freezes, ERP releases, peak trading), then place UAT, training and cutover so none of them collides with those dates.

SMB: Use one combined workstream for the apps in scope, two-week sprints and a short Prepare stage. Keep the stage gates; a small project still needs a documented go/no-go.

Enterprise only: Give each module its own workstream lead and sprint backlog, add an integrated plan for SIT and UAT across modules, and decide early whether go-live is phased by module, region or business unit.

Sheet: Read me

Item	Detail
Organisation	{{organisation.name}}
Edition	{{edition}}
Modules in scope	{{modules_in_scope}}
Target go-live	{{goals.target_go_live}}
Known change freezes	{{constraints.change_freezes}}
Generated on	{{generated_on}}
Status values	Not started, On track, At risk, Late, Complete

Item

Detail

Organisation

Edition

Modules in scope

Target go-live

Known change freezes

Generated on

Status values

Not started, On track, At risk, Late, Complete

Sheet: Phases

Stage	Phase	Objective	Exit criteria (stage gate)	End	Owner
Strategize	Vision and business case	Agree outcomes, scope, budget and partner	Charter drafted, statement of work signed		{{roles.executive-sponsor}}
Initiate	Mobilise	Team, governance and environments in place	RACI agreed, sandboxes provisioned, backlog tool ready		{{roles.project-manager}}
Initiate	Fit-to-standard and design	Test processes against standard apps, close gaps by design	Solution blueprint approved by design authority		{{roles.solution-architect}}
Implement	Build sprints	Configure, extend and integrate in short iterations	All MVP backlog items accepted at sprint review		{{roles.project-manager}}
Implement	System integration testing	Prove end-to-end processes across modules and integrations	SIT exit criteria met, final mock migration passed		{{roles.test-manager}}
Prepare	UAT, performance and training	Business proves the solution and users are ready	UAT signed off, training delivered, performance accepted		{{roles.process-owner}}
Prepare	Cutover readiness	Rehearse cutover and decide go/no-go	Rehearsal completed in agreed window, go decision recorded		{{roles.project-manager}}
Operate	Go-live and hypercare	Stabilise and hand over to support	Hypercare exit criteria met	{{goals.target_go_live}} plus hypercare	{{roles.support-lead}}

Stage

Phase

Objective

Exit criteria (stage gate)

Start

End

Owner

Status

Strategize

Vision and business case

Agree outcomes, scope, budget and partner

Charter drafted, statement of work signed

Initiate

Mobilise

Team, governance and environments in place

RACI agreed, sandboxes provisioned, backlog tool ready

Initiate

Fit-to-standard and design

Test processes against standard apps, close gaps by design

Solution blueprint approved by design authority

Implement

Build sprints

Configure, extend and integrate in short iterations

All MVP backlog items accepted at sprint review

Implement

System integration testing

Prove end-to-end processes across modules and integrations

SIT exit criteria met, final mock migration passed

Prepare

UAT, performance and training

Business proves the solution and users are ready

UAT signed off, training delivered, performance accepted

Prepare

Cutover readiness

Rehearse cutover and decide go/no-go

Rehearsal completed in agreed window, go decision recorded

Operate

Go-live and hypercare

Stabilise and hand over to support

Hypercare exit criteria met

{{goals.target_go_live}} plus hypercare

Sheet: Workstreams

Workstream	Module	Lead	Key deliverables	Depends on	Peak stage	Include?
Sales	Sales ({{modules.sales.users}} users)	{{roles.sales-consultant}}	Lead to opportunity, products and price lists, quotes, forecasting	Product and customer data from {{estate.erp}}	Implement	{{modules.sales.in_scope}}
Marketing	Customer Insights - Journeys	{{roles.journeys-consultant}}	Journeys, segments, consent and preference centre, sending domain set-up	DNS changes, consent history from current systems	Implement	{{modules.marketing.in_scope}}
Customer Service	Customer Service ({{modules.customer_service.users}} users)	{{roles.customer-service-consultant}}	Case lifecycle, queues and unified routing, SLAs, knowledge, channels	{{estate.telephony}}	Implement	{{modules.customer_service.in_scope}}
Field Service	Field Service ({{modules.field_service.technicians}} technicians)	{{roles.field-service-consultant}}	Work orders, incident types, schedule board, Field Service Mobile, inventory	Inventory and invoicing in {{estate.erp}}	Implement	{{modules.field_service.in_scope}}
Integration and data	All	{{roles.integration-lead}}	Integrations, migration mapping, mock migrations, reconciliation	Source system owners	Implement to Prepare	Yes
Platform and ALM	All	{{roles.platform-administrator}}	Environments, pipelines, security roles, monitoring	Tenant and identity teams	Initiate onwards	Yes
Testing	All	{{roles.test-manager}}	Test strategy, SIT, UAT, regression pack	Stable test environments	Implement to Prepare	Yes
Change and training	All	{{roles.change-lead}}	Stakeholder plan, communications, role-based training, super users	Process sign-off	Prepare	Yes

Workstream

Module

Lead

Key deliverables

Depends on

Peak stage

Include?

Sales

Sales ({{modules.sales.users}} users)

Lead to opportunity, products and price lists, quotes, forecasting

Product and customer data from {{estate.erp}}

Implement

Marketing

Customer Insights - Journeys

Journeys, segments, consent and preference centre, sending domain set-up

DNS changes, consent history from current systems

Implement

Customer Service

Customer Service ({{modules.customer_service.users}} users)

Case lifecycle, queues and unified routing, SLAs, knowledge, channels

Implement

Field Service

Field Service ({{modules.field_service.technicians}} technicians)

Work orders, incident types, schedule board, Field Service Mobile, inventory

Inventory and invoicing in {{estate.erp}}

Implement

Integration and data

All

Integrations, migration mapping, mock migrations, reconciliation

Source system owners

Implement to Prepare

Yes

Platform and ALM

All

Environments, pipelines, security roles, monitoring

Tenant and identity teams

Initiate onwards

Yes

Testing

All

Test strategy, SIT, UAT, regression pack

Stable test environments

Implement to Prepare

Yes

Change and training

All

Stakeholder plan, communications, role-based training, super users

Process sign-off

Prepare

Yes

Guidance: Delete workstream rows for modules marked out of scope.

Sheet: Milestones

ID	Milestone	Stage	Baseline date	Owner	Evidence of completion
M01	Charter and business case approved	Initiate		{{roles.executive-sponsor}}	Signed approval page
M02	Solution blueprint approved	Initiate		{{roles.design-authority-lead}}	Design authority minutes, no open blocking findings
M03	Build complete	Implement		{{roles.solution-architect}}	Final sprint review accepted
M04	SIT exit	Implement		{{roles.test-manager}}	SIT exit report
M05	UAT signed off	Prepare		{{roles.process-owner}}	UAT sign-off form per process
M06	Go/no-go decision	Prepare		{{roles.executive-sponsor}}	Signed go/no-go record
M07	Go-live	Operate	{{goals.target_go_live}}	{{roles.project-manager}}	Production smoke test passed
M08	Hypercare exit	Operate		{{roles.support-lead}}	Exit criteria met, handover signed

Milestone

Stage

Baseline date

Forecast date

Owner

Evidence of completion

Status

M01

Charter and business case approved

Initiate

Signed approval page

M02

Solution blueprint approved

Initiate

Design authority minutes, no open blocking findings

M03

Build complete

Implement

Final sprint review accepted

M04

SIT exit

Implement

SIT exit report

M05

UAT signed off

Prepare

UAT sign-off form per process

M06

Go/no-go decision

Prepare

Signed go/no-go record

M07

Go-live

Operate

Production smoke test passed

M08

Hypercare exit

Operate

Exit criteria met, handover signed

Sheet: Sprint plan

Sprint

Start

End

Sprint goal

Workstreams

Review date

Status

Core data model, accounts and contacts, base security roles

Platform, all modules

Lead to opportunity and first integration stub

Sales, Integration

Case creation, queues and routing rules

Customer Service

Sheet: Release waves and freezes

Item	Why it matters	Date	Where to check	Action	Owner
Release plans for the next wave published	Shows new and changed features for in-scope modules	Check current release plans	Microsoft Learn release planning pages	Review features and deprecations for in-scope modules	{{roles.solution-architect}}
Early access window for the next wave	Allows regression testing in a sandbox before updates are applied	Check current dates	Power Platform admin center and Microsoft Learn	Enable on a sandbox copy and run the regression pack	{{roles.platform-administrator}}
Wave updates applied to production	Platform changes arrive in production	Check current dates	Microsoft 365 admin center Message center	Avoid go-live and cutover in the same window	{{roles.platform-administrator}}
Deprecation announcements	Features in the design may be withdrawn	Check before blueprint approval	Microsoft Learn deprecation notices	Log affected items in the RAID log	{{roles.solution-architect}}
Organisation change freezes	{{constraints.change_freezes}}		Internal calendar	Keep cutover and training outside freeze periods	{{roles.project-manager}}
ERP and telephony vendor releases	Interfaces may change		{{estate.erp}} and {{estate.telephony}} owners	Agree interface freeze from SIT to hypercare exit	{{roles.integration-lead}}

Item

Why it matters

Date

Where to check

Action

Owner

Release plans for the next wave published

Shows new and changed features for in-scope modules

Check current release plans

Microsoft Learn release planning pages

Review features and deprecations for in-scope modules

Early access window for the next wave

Allows regression testing in a sandbox before updates are applied

Check current dates

Power Platform admin center and Microsoft Learn

Enable on a sandbox copy and run the regression pack

Wave updates applied to production

Platform changes arrive in production

Check current dates

Microsoft 365 admin center Message center

Avoid go-live and cutover in the same window

Deprecation announcements

Features in the design may be withdrawn

Check before blueprint approval

Microsoft Learn deprecation notices

Log affected items in the RAID log

Organisation change freezes

Internal calendar

Keep cutover and training outside freeze periods

ERP and telephony vendor releases

Interfaces may change

{{estate.erp}} and {{estate.telephony}} owners

Agree interface freeze from SIT to hypercare exit

Guidance: Never type release dates from memory. Check the current Microsoft Learn release planning pages and the Power Platform admin center each time the plan is re-baselined.

Credit: Template from D365Forge by Simon Foote and Robert Peledie (https://github.com/SimonFoote-greensparx/D365Forge), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Keep this credit when you share or adapt the template; in your own completed document you may keep it as a footer or remove it.