EOL Checklist

Purpose

Turn a sunset decision into a phase-gated operational plan: what must happen, in which lifecycle phase, and who owns it. The output is a working checklist — sticky-note-sized items, each with a verb and a named function — not a strategy document.

The checklist is sized to the sunset. A deprecated internal tool gets a dozen items across three phases. A regulated hardware line gets a cross-functional playbook across six phases with gate criteria between them. Both are correct; using the wrong one is the failure.

Input

Works best with: The product being sunset and any dates you're already committed to.

Also useful: Customer and revenue scale, whether a replacement exists and how ready it is, contract or regulatory obligations, and whether hardware, inventory, or channel partners are in play.