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Implementation Plan

Document template for Google Docs and Word

Make a copy in Google Docs
Type
Document
Price
Free
Pages
8 · US Letter
Style
Corporate
Difficulty
Beginner
Updated
November 1, 2026

Every page (8)

Overview

A decision is not a change until people are using it. This plan covers how a change lands: the objective and scope, phases on a timeline, tasks with one owner each, readiness criteria that can be answered yes or no, who hears what and when, and the measures that show whether adoption followed go-live.

The sample follows Cobbleton Partners as it moves 880 staff in four offices onto one billing platform in four waves, with a pilot first and four weeks of hypercare after each go-live. Replace the objective, waves, owners, dates and targets with your own, and agree the go or no-go criteria before you fix the date.

Useful for

  • Rolling out a new system to several offices in waves, with a pilot group going first
  • Putting a new policy or process into practice with training, messages and a go-live gate
  • Reporting to a steering group on readiness, risks and adoption after launch

What's included

  • Objective page with scope, the staff going live in each wave and three highlight cards
  • Phases page with a key-date timeline and a month Gantt of phases, tasks and owners
  • Tasks and owners checklist with due dates and a short Gantt for the pilot and second wave
  • Readiness page with go or no-go criteria for people, data and system, plus rules for the gate meeting
  • Communication schedule by audience and channel with a month calendar of sends and meetings
  • Measures pages with targets, a pilot scorecard and definitions, then a make-it-yours guide

How to use it

  1. 1

    Click Make a copy in Google Docs, then confirm on the Google page. The copy is saved to your own Google Drive.

  2. 2

    State your objective and the date it should be live, then replace the waves and phases with your own sites, teams or modules.

  3. 3

    Write go or no-go criteria that can be answered yes or no, and give every task a named owner and a due date.

  4. 4

    Set your post-go-live measures and book review dates at four and twelve weeks.

  5. 5

    Delete the guide page, then share the plan with your sponsor and project team.

What you need

Requirements

  • A Google account with access to Google Drive

Works with

  • Google Docs
  • Microsoft Word (download the .docx)

Questions

When should the go-live date be set?

After the readiness criteria are agreed. A date chosen first pushes teams to pass the gate rather than meet it, so write the criteria and then set a date you can defend.

How big should each rollout wave be?

Between 15 and 40 percent of users. A small pilot wave finds problems cheaply, and the later waves can be larger once training and support are proven.

Are Cobbleton Partners and its people real?

No. The organization, the people, the offices and every figure in the sample are fictional. They are there to show what a finished implementation plan looks like.

  • #implementation-plan
  • #rollout-plan
  • #go-live-checklist
  • #project-management
  • #readiness-criteria
  • #google-docs
  • #change-management
  • #hypercare

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