Notice: applying this to your agency.
The IT Project Resources are not meant to replace your agency’s internal project management practices or prescribe how you must operate. Instead, they offer concepts and tools that can strengthen delivery by providing a scalable framework for project level coordination. All project documentation should be maintained throughout each stage in alignment with agency policies and, where applicable, WaTech requirements and oversight expectations.
Stage 7 is the point at which agencies and project teams complete comprehensive end‑to‑end testing, validate training and documentation, and confirm that system performance aligns with business requirements. This includes verifying that workflows function correctly, integrations operate reliably, and data conversion results are accurate and traceable.
For initiatives involving external customers, teams must also ensure that customer participation is intentionally incorporated into Stage 7 activities. This includes engaging representative customers in end‑to‑end workflow validation, confirming that the system supports real‑world customer behaviors, and ensuring that training, documentation, and support materials reflect the needs and expectations of the Washingtonians who will use the system. Applying a strong customer lens at this stage helps to ensure that the solution delivers a measurable improvement in customer experience and meets requirements from both the business and customer perspectives.
Defects are resolved, impacted groups gain confidence in the system’s performance, and all readiness criteria are aligned across agencies, vendors, and oversight partners. This stage ensures that sub‑projects are fully integrated into the enterprise solution and that the entire organization is prepared for the go‑live decision.
For Programs:
Programs use Stage 7 to ensure:
- Enterprise testing is complete and consistent across all agencies.
- Sub‑projects are fully integrated and function within the enterprise solution.
- Defects, issues, and risks are resolved or mitigated.
- Training materials, documentation, and communications are validated.
- Impacted groups are confident in system performance and operational readiness.
- Final readiness criteria are aligned across agencies and prepared for executive approval.
This stage confirms that the enterprise solution is stable, scalable, and ready for statewide deployment.
For Projects:
Projects use Stage 7 to confirm:
- End‑to‑end testing is complete and meets acceptance criteria.
- System performance, integrations, and data exchanges function as intended.
- Training materials, user guides, and support documentation are finalized..
- All technical and operational components meet deployment standards
- Defects are resolved and quality assurance certification is complete.
- Data conversion results are validated and traceable.
- The project is ready for executive approval of the go‑live decision.
This stage builds confidence that the solution is ready for production and ensures all requirements have been met.