Agree what will move and who will approve it
Use this checklist as a working record from project kickoff through retirement of the old system. Enter actual names and dates, keep supporting evidence, and mark an item complete only when its owner has verified the result.
Define the launch boundary
- ☐ List the locations, programs, facilities, memberships, and payment workflows in the first launch.
- ☐ Choose a full or phased launch. Document which system owns each live workflow during the transition.
- ☐ Identify registration openings, renewals, billing dates, and events that affect the schedule.
- ☐ Confirm legacy contract end date, export rights, fees, and archive access.
- ☐ Classify each data set as migrate, archive, or exclude, with an approved reason.
- ☐ Agree how long historical information must remain available and who can retrieve it.
| Responsibility | Named owner | Due date |
|---|---|---|
| Source exports and legacy access | ________________ | ________ |
| Data mapping and configuration | ________________ | ________ |
| Balances and payment reconciliation | ________________ | ________ |
| Privacy and secure transfer | ________________ | ________ |
| Staff testing and training | ________________ | ________ |
| Launch approval and communication | ________________ | ________ |
Scope checkpoint. Cogran can import compatible registration, reservation, member, and contact information. Other records, attachments, history, balances, and payment arrangements require an agreed conversion approach.
Prepare files that can be checked
Keep an untouched source export. Work from a dated copy and preserve original record identifiers so you can trace an imported record back to its source.
| Data set | Fields and relationships to review |
|---|---|
| Households and contacts | Source IDs, names, contact details, household links, communication preferences |
| Registrations | Participant and session IDs, dates, status, fees, and related payments |
| Reservations | Facility IDs, dates, times, approval state, and related charges |
| Memberships | Member ID, household links, type, start/end dates, and current status |
| Balances and credits | Source reference, amount, accounting treatment, and agreed destination |
| Forms and documents | Record owner, version/date, file format, retention, and import or archive decision |
File preparation checklist
- ☐ Resolve missing required fields and malformed dates, phone numbers, or email addresses.
- ☐ Review duplicates with an owner; do not merge households solely because names match.
- ☐ Confirm time zones, leading zeros in IDs, date formats, and status values.
- ☐ Approve a mapping sheet: source field, destination, transformation, and exception handling.
- ☐ Agree an access-controlled transfer method and a retention period for working copies.
- ☐ Record counts and control totals before the import, including open balances where in scope.
Handle payment data separately. Do not place raw card numbers or security codes in migration files. Saved payment credentials, recurring authorizations, passwords, and historical signatures are not assumed transferable. Confirm the approved route or customer re-enrollment process.
Rehearse and reconcile
Run a trial import before the final move. Test records that are ordinary and records that are difficult: multi-child households, waitlists, cancellations, future reservations, and membership renewals.
| Check | Expected evidence | Owner and date |
|---|---|---|
| Completeness | Imported, rejected, and excluded counts explain the source total | ____________ |
| Relationships | Participants link to the correct households and activities | ____________ |
| Money | Approved balances and totals match by relevant account/category | ____________ |
| Documents | Required records can be retrieved in the agreed system or archive | ____________ |
| Permissions | Staff see the required information and no unrelated restricted data | ____________ |
| Exceptions | Each failure has a correction, exclusion, or accepted disposition | ____________ |
End to end acceptance tests
- ☐ Find or create a household and complete a multi-participant registration.
- ☐ Apply an eligibility rule, discount, capacity limit, and waitlist invitation.
- ☐ Process the approved payment and refund scenarios; verify reporting.
- ☐ Open a future reservation and confirm its time, facility, status, and fees.
- ☐ Check a member or participant in and verify the roster or attendance record.
- ☐ Send a test communication and verify its intended recipients and content.
- ☐ Correct a rejected record, rerun the agreed process, and check for duplication.
Unresolved defects and decision owner: ______________________________
A passed file upload is not acceptance. The receiving records, relationships, and operational results must be checked.
Control cutover and close the old system
Before the final import
- ☐ Announce any service interruption, account instructions, and where customers can get help.
- ☐ Set the source-system freeze date and time, including the time zone.
- ☐ Capture changes since the trial export, including payments and cancellations.
- ☐ Retain the final source files and log who transferred and imported them.
- ☐ Reconcile final counts and balances; retest the critical workflows.
- ☐ Confirm staff access, launch contacts, and customer-facing links.
Make a deliberate go or no go decision
Launch only after critical tests pass and the authorized owner accepts any remaining exceptions. Agree in advance which problems require a delay, who decides, and how staff and customers will be told.
Recovery requires a transaction plan. If new registrations or payments have already been taken, reopening the old system can split records or duplicate transactions. Log all activity after cutover and reconcile it before any controlled return to the prior system.
| Final approval | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Data and financial reconciliation | ________________ | ________ |
| Operations and staff readiness | ________________ | ________ |
| Launch authorization | ________________ | ________ |
After launch
- ☐ Review first registrations, first attendance records, and the first payout reconciliation.
- ☐ Resolve migration exceptions and confirm the archive can be searched.
- ☐ Remove temporary access and securely retire working copies under the agreed policy.
- ☐ Authorize legacy cancellation only after acceptance and retention arrangements are complete.
Use alongside the Implementation and Launch Guide. Plan your move with Cogran.