Custom software delivery milestones and acceptance

The first baseline describes users, important workflows, existing systems, constraints and the intended outcome. Record inclusions, exclusions, assumptions and dependencies. Identify the person who can confirm business rules and the people who will test the result.

Design review can include journeys, prototypes, architecture, record ownership and integration boundaries. Acceptance at this point means there is sufficient clarity to proceed with the agreed work; it does not mean every future detail is fixed. Unresolved questions stay visible with an owner and a planned decision.

Hosting readiness covers configuration, access, capacity, monitoring and the release process. Security review connects application permissions with the identities, devices and networks around them. Where communications or equipment are in scope, the same plan covers calling or messaging tests, device readiness and user guidance.

Each workstream has an owner and an agreed handover. A supplied device is not ready merely because it has arrived; the user needs the appropriate access and a working connection to the application. Similarly, a deployed application needs a route for reporting and investigating problems.

Handover can include runbooks, configuration guidance, known issues, training, access ownership and supplier contacts. The support agreement distinguishes incident handling, maintenance and new development, including coverage and response arrangements. Ticket submission availability should not be mistaken for a guaranteed resolution time.

Review the outcome after launch using appropriate service evidence: completed tasks, repeat support problems, response times or manual handovers. Put improvements into a prioritised backlog with a reason and an owner. This joins software maintenance and managed IT to the custom software journey rather than treating launch as the end.