The WCPA Questionnaire

The WCPA process starts with a questionnaire that helps the software development team, the IT operations team, and the end user customer access the readiness of the complete environment surrounding the deployment of a new application. When used effectively, this questionnaire is filled out during the entire development process, rather than waiting until immediately prior to deployment. The first section of the WCPA covers the operational environment the application will be deployed in:

Hardware (CPU, memory, disk, network)
Operating system
Disk layout (RAID level, connectivity, etc.)
Filesystem table
Database requirements
Job/batch schedules
Error messages and handling

The second part of the WCPA questionnaire describes support requirements of the application, including:

Interdependencies of the application on other jobs and systems
Capacity planning
Systems availability (online availability, backup windows , etc.)
Testing plan (alpha, beta, preproduction, stress testing, and so on)
Training of users and IT support staff
Documentation for users, help desk staff, operations staff, etc.
Administration processes
Support procedures (hardware, OS, network, application, 3rd party vendors , etc.)

The third part of the WCPA questionnaire deals with exception procedures or any specialized requirements of the application including:

Security
System moves/changes
Critical system messages
Filesystem backup and archives
Disaster recovery