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The First 90 Days After Go-Live: The Plan That Decides the Outcome
Launch day is not the finish line. It is the start, and the next three months decide whether the system is genuinely used.
Days 1 to 30: use it and fix it
The focus is making sure everyone actually logs in and uses the system for real work. What to do:
- Daily support in the first week, not just one training session.
- One channel for reporting problems, with answers within a working day.
- Quick fixes for small irritations, such as a confusing field.
- Close the old route gradually, so nobody drifts back to spreadsheets.
Days 31 to 60: tidy up and automate
Once the team is comfortable, add the automation you held back. By now you know what is genuinely repetitive. Also check incoming data quality: are key fields filled, are stages updated.
Days 61 to 90: measure and review
Compare against the pre-project situation: lead response time, number of quotes, invoicing speed, or whatever reason started the project. Hold a review with the team and list the next round of improvements.
Three warning signs
- Reports are still built by hand in spreadsheets.
- A team has not logged in since training.
- Nobody owns the system after the project ends.
All are fixable in the first month, and very expensive after a year. See CRM user adoption.