All migration projects should start with a project plan. A project plan will define and document the scope, resources needed, requirements, potential risks, and mitigations for the migration. Throughout the execution of the project, the plan will serve as a roadmap to minimize scope deviation and diversion. It can also serve as a communication tool to stakeholders, setting clear expectations on project outcomes and reporting out on status. 

Objectives

  • Document the goal of the migration, the scope of work, a general roadmap for completion, a communication plan, and required resources

  • Define expectations for the project team, such as a timeline identifying milestones and expected completion, roles and responsibilities, and how the team will work together

  • Establish consensus with stakeholders

Suggested Collaborators

  • Project Sponsor (typically leadership responsible for the cost of the project)
  • Project Lead
  • Technical Lead
  • Developers
  • Functional Specialists, i.e. metadata librarians, digital preservation teams etc.
  • Any other stakeholders who are involved in the decision-making processes, i.e. UL, AUL etc.

Available Templates

Migration Project Plan Template

Examples

Instructions

Complete the project plan to the best of your knowledge at this stage. As you make discoveries during repository review and requirement gathering, continue to refine the plan. 

Here are some essential components to consider as you plan for migration:

  1. Goal of the project: What is your desired end result of the work?

  2. Scope: What will be included in this project? What won’t be included? Factors that may impact the scope include: 

    • Metadata remediation
    • Metadata mapping
    • Multiple repositories
    • Front-end theming and design work
    • Changes to workflows for system admins and repository admins
    • List of functional requirements
    • Communication and training for admins and users

  3. Deliverables: What work products will this project generate? Examples include:
    • Software to be installed
    • State of migrated data
    • Modified Index
    • Infrastructure, installation, and configuration requirements (compute and storage)
    • Interface updates
    • Documentation

  4. Requirements:
    • What technical and staffing/volunteer resources are necessary to complete this project?
    • What kind of system needs will be required?
    • Are there security and accessibility requirements to consider?
    • Does the metadata need to be modified and/or updated?

  5. Project Team Management:
    • What are the roles and responsibilities for groups or individuals involved?
    • How will project team conduct the work and collaborate with each other?
    • What are the communication channels and cadence for the team?

  6. Project Timeline 
    • When will the project begin?
    • What are some logical milestones that would signal progress?
    • When will deliverables be complete?

Next Steps

  • Continue to refine the project plan after reviewing the current state of the repository and gathering functional requirements.
  • Communicate with relevant stakeholders whose workflows and experience will be affected by the migration.
  • Identify and secure resources needed to complete the migration successfully.



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