Legacy Application Shutdown Readiness Assessment

This document is a guide designed for government IT leaders to assess the readiness of legacy applications for shutdown. It outlines a structured approach to evaluate whether an organization can safely retire a legacy application while minimizing cost, risk, and dependency on the application. The assessment includes a snapshot of the application, identifying key stakeholders and critical data associated with the application. It also lists high-risk shutdown signals that indicate potential issues, such as unknown business ownership or unclear retention schedules. The guide provides a triage checklist to evaluate business dependency, information requirements, post-shutdown access, and associated costs and risks. Based on the responses, it offers a decision guide to determine the appropriate retirement path, including options for controlled retirement, access planning, and discovery requirements. The final readiness test ensures that necessary information remains accessible and secure post-shutdown, addressing compliance and legal considerations.