Identify the product and support conditions
End-of-support tracking begins with a sufficiently precise inventory: product, version, edition, use and owner. Verify the support terms applying to the product and, where relevant, the organisation’s contract.
Retain each deadline’s source and access date. Distinguish confirmed dates from information requiring verification. An unsourced deadline is difficult to interpret when preparing a decision.
Make migration dependencies visible
An upgrade may involve application owners, infrastructure, operations, validation teams and suppliers. List dependencies and required approvals before choosing a plan.
Identify change windows and preparation work too. A useful plan describes concrete stages, owners and points requiring a decision.
Prepare alternative plans
Depending on context, options may include upgrade, migration, replacement or retirement. Assess prerequisites, constraints and missing information for each.
If temporary continued use is chosen, document the decision, planned measures, owner and reassessment date. The register should explain why this plan was selected and what could change it.
Establish regular reviews
Usable tracking can start with a few columns: product, version, verified deadline, affected scope, owner, plan and next action. Adapt review frequency to deadlines and maintenance cycles.
At each review, identify approaching deadlines, blocked migrations and pending decisions. Assign the next actions to people who can move them forward.