The same five-phased approach that most customers utilize during an initial Epic implementation should be replicated for an upgrade. It is highly recommended that an upgrade is led by a strong Project Manager who not only has excellent use of project management tools and methodologies but also possesses several years of Epic application experience along with a solid understanding of the technical infrastructure used to support and run the applications. Due diligence should be given to the development and execution of plans that support all five phases of the upgrade project.
After the February release of version 2018 (v2018), Epic began their 3-month release cycles in August 2018 to combine new features with fixes currently delivered as part of their Special Update (SU) packages. As part of the change, Epic is providing an 8-week project plan to guide organizations in balancing their maintenance with strategic initiatives. While this is an adjustment for organizations, it’ll be a more significant adjustment for organizations that are a few versions behind v2018.
