Hypercare

Hypercare is a term used in information technology and project management to describe the intensive post-go-live support period following the deployment of a new system, application, or upgrade. During hypercare, the focus is on stabilizing operations, ensuring business continuity, and protecting user experience as the organization transitions from project mode to steady-state operations. It typically follows the go-live date and lasts for a defined window, ranging from a few days to several weeks, depending on system complexity, risk, and user volume.

Key activities in hypercare include enhanced monitoring of system performance and data integrity, rapid triage and resolution of critical defects, and escalation of issues to the appropriate vendor, development, or IT operations teams. There is often expanded staffing for service desks and on-site or virtual support, knowledge transfer to local support groups, and targeted training to address common user questions. Runbooks, issue categorization, and clear handover plans are developed to guide incident response and issue resolution.

The objectives are to minimize business disruption, reduce the backlog of issues, and build user confidence in the new solution. Success is typically measured by metrics such as incident resolution time for high-severity issues, defect leakage rate, user adoption indicators, and adherence to service-level agreements before transitioning to normal support.

Common challenges include higher costs, scope creep, unclear ownership of issues, and the risk of over-reliance on hypercare without long-term stabilization. Effective hypercare relies on prepared support processes, clear governance, and proactive communication with stakeholders.