Operators & Executive Sponsors • Program Rescue Playbook

TMS Implementation Recovery Checklist (After Integrator Exit)

When an integrator exits mid-implementation, the risk isn't "delay" — it's losing control of scope, knowledge, and accountability. This checklist focuses on independent assessment, rapid stabilization, vendor alignment, and a clean path to go-live and support.

Back to Operators & Executives Start Here

Operator lens

Stop the bleeding, restore dispatch workflows, fix integrations, and stabilize service-level execution.

Sponsor lens

Re-baseline scope, reassign ownership, regain transparency, and enforce gates to prevent another failed cutover.

First 10 days: regain control

Independent assessment completed (what's done, what's broken, what's missing, what's risky).
Single owner and escalation path named (no "shared accountability" ambiguity).
Access recovered (environments, configs, integration logs, carrier setup, rate tables).
Issue inventory built (defects, configuration gaps, process gaps, training gaps).
Program re-baselined (scope, timeline, dependencies, staffing, decision gates).

Go-live gate (re-entry criteria)

End-to-end scenarios tested (plan → tender → track → POD → invoice → settle).
Exception scenarios tested (declines, re-tender, appointment edits, late milestones, duplicates).
Cutover plan and rollback posture defined (authority, triggers, how fast, comms).
UAT sign-off captured (Logistics Ops + AP/Finance + Customer team).
Hypercare staffing confirmed (ops leads + IT + vendor on-call + carrier escalation).

Key risk callouts

Risk: Hidden scope and missing ownership

If "what's left" isn't visible and owned, you'll repeat the same failure with a new vendor.

Risk: Vendor finger-pointing becomes the operating system

Without a single command center and shared logs, time is lost in debates instead of fixes.

Risk: No steady-state handoff

Even if go-live works, you can fail in Month 2 if support ownership and runbooks aren't complete.

Hypercare expectations (warranty period done right)

Hypercare window defined (coverage hours aligned to ship windows).
Severity SLAs agreed (response time + update cadence + workaround expectations).
Daily war room cadence (KPIs first, incidents second, change approvals last).
Exit criteria defined (no repeat Sev-1, KPI stability for 10 business days).
Handoff completed (owners, runbooks, known issues, monitoring, escalation ladder).

Long-term maintenance

Change control enforced (routing/rates/integrations don't change "informally").
Quarterly integration health review (failures, latency, duplicates, reconciliation quality).
Carrier performance governance (acceptance, service, claims, comms cadence).
Documentation stays current (runbooks, configs, owner map, escalation contacts).