Cut Over Lead

Contract position

The Cutover Lead working closely with the Deployment Project Manager and Project Horizon Leadership team will execute and drive the precutover cutover and post cutover GoLive activity. The Cutover Lead will provide the strategy approach checklists and work plans to drive to a successful activation of the new ERP system including 3rd Party systems. They will develop the detailed cutover checklist.

Minimum requirements:

• Proven Track Record of similar type role on large scale ERP programmes
• Strong and experienced cutover lead required to ensure thorough planning execution and completion of all relevant cutovers during Project Horizon rollouts.
• Previous MS D365 cutover experience will be an advantage
• Vendor interaction and vendor activity tracking experience
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to work remote and drive active participation and task completion in an online environment
• Ability to work with diverse project teams
• Flexibility on working hours rollout and cutover phases necessitate some shift type patterns at times
• Possible travel when restrictions are lifted
• Tenacity and resilience to push through and remain positively focussed when extreme challenges are experienced
• Ability to be firm but approachable with diverse team of all backgrounds and experts in their own function and lead activities with positive mindset

Responsibilities:

• Develops detailed cutover checklist integrated and consolidated project plan incorporating all CutOver activities across Project Scope including technical data and operations or business tasks with inputs on Business Activity and project teams including potential Go Live scenarios.
• Conduct Workshops on CutOver activities with all related project streams and business and collect appropriate cutover steps to be performed and works closely with the workgroups to document the integrated cutover plan for each application
• Ensures proper integration between different streams to form one integrated set of activities for a one integrated cutover plan
• Responsible for detailed project management of the cutover and conversion deliverables to the new system/s resolving discrepancies or process issues related to cutover
• Responsible for ensuring successful planning and execution of integrated release cutover activities and associated system outages
• Plans the resources human and physical required for cutover activities and coordinates requirements for Go Live staffing and overall logistics
• Develops the cutover command centre logistics communication and escalation plan and command centre documentation (policies procedures downtime processes)
• Provides Cutover status reporting to project leadership and key stakeholders
• Ensures entry and exit criteria for each cutover is well articulated documented and agreed with all stakeholders
• Ensures entry into and exit out of cutover stage gates and audit requirements are met
• including the final Go/NoGo meetings for each rollout
• Acts as the final point of escalation for all Cutover issues proactively bringing about appropriate interventions when the Cutover/s may be jeopardized
• Leads integrated cutover activities for PreGoLive GoLive and Post GoLive for 6 Cut Over cycles:
• Leads integrated cutover activities for multiple countries simultaneously remotely post SA deployment
• Develops integrated RollBack Plan and Strategy and back out / contingency plans for Cutover/s
• Raise Risks and Issues and perform mitigating actions to minimize risk on Business Operations and Technical CutOver
• Ensure the security of the IT organisations data applications and infrastructure against accidental or unauthorised modification destruction or disclosure
• Ensure communication of the relevant components of the cutover plans including related dependencies with sub streams with all relevant stakeholders
• Develop own and lead a detailed operational/business preparation plan/s for buildup to cutover and cutover for each business function taking into consideration customers vendors employees business peak times downtime the business can handle how catchup will work etc.