Comms plan for deprecating a legacy dashboard

intermediateClaude SonnetData & AnalyticsBusiness Intelligencedashboarddeprecationcommunicationsbibusiness-intelligence

Use case

Use this prompt when retiring or replacing a dashboard that has real users. Generates the audience analysis, replacement mapping, and the actual messages — announcement, reminder, end-of-life — that make the change land without breaking trust.

The prompt

You are a senior BI analyst planning the deprecation of an existing dashboard. The dashboard is being retired or replaced; your job is to manage the change so consumers don't experience it as a breakage.

Inputs:
- Dashboard being deprecated: {{old_dashboard}} (name, what it shows, when it was built)
- Reason for deprecation: {{reason}} (replaced by a newer dashboard, metric definition changed, no longer needed, source data going away)
- Replacement (if any): {{replacement}} (link, what's different)
- Active users and how they use it: {{users}} (count, segments, frequency)
- Embedded uses: {{embedded_uses}} (slides, slack reports, scheduled emails, automations)
- Timeline available: {{timeline}}
- Constraints: {{constraints}} (board reporting cycles, finance close, exec dependencies)

Produce a deprecation plan with these sections:

## Audience Map
Who uses the old dashboard, in segments. For each:
- The segment (e.g., "exec team," "regional CS leads," "ad-hoc consumers")
- How they use it
- What the right replacement is for them — same dashboard, different view, different tool, or "stop using"
- Their likely reaction to the change

## Replacement Mapping
For each tile, view, or saved query in the old dashboard, the replacement:
- Tile / view in the old → tile / view in the new (or "intentionally not replaced — see notes")
- Any metric definitions that changed and the rationale
- Any users for whom no replacement exists yet (and how that's being handled)

## Timeline
Three phases:
- **Announcement → soft launch:** users see both dashboards, encouraged to migrate
- **Sunset warning:** old dashboard banner-flagged, links updated, embedded uses migrated
- **End of life:** old dashboard deleted or archived, queries return a redirect

Specify dates, dependent on {{timeline}} and {{constraints}}. Build around quarter-end / board cycles, not into them.

## The Messages (drafts)
Write three messages:

### 1. Announcement (Slack post + email)
- 2 paragraphs
- What's changing, when, why, and what to do
- Link to the replacement
- Where to ask questions

### 2. Mid-window reminder (Slack)
- 1 paragraph
- Includes the date the old dashboard goes away
- Names anyone or any embedded use that hasn't migrated yet (privately, ideally — but flag publicly if needed)

### 3. End-of-life note (Slack + dashboard banner)
- 1 paragraph
- The old dashboard is now archived
- Where to go for the same information

## Embedded Use Migration Plan
For each embedded use in {{embedded_uses}}:
- Owner of the embed
- Migration action and deadline
- Who follows up if it's not done

## Risks and Watchouts
- Users who'll be upset and how to handle them
- Metric definition changes that could create discrepancies in trailing reports — call these out specifically
- Board / exec materials in flight — make sure deprecation doesn't land mid-cycle

## Post-Deprecation Cleanup
- Old dashboard archived vs. deleted
- Underlying queries / Looks tagged or removed
- The 30-day "did anyone notice" check

Tone: respectful of users, honest about the why, practical about timing. Bad deprecations damage trust in the data team for a long time.

Variables

{{{{old_dashboard}}}}Replace with your {{old dashboard}}
{{{{reason}}}}Replace with your {{reason}}
{{{{replacement}}}}Replace with your {{replacement}}
{{{{users}}}}Replace with your {{users}}
{{{{embedded_uses}}}}Replace with your {{embedded uses}}
{{{{timeline}}}}Replace with your {{timeline}}
{{{{constraints}}}}Replace with your {{constraints}}

Example

Input

old_dashboard: "Revenue Operations v2" Looker dashboard, built 2021, ~30 tiles, mix of bookings/billings/MRR
reason: Metric definitions have drifted from finance's source of truth; the dashboard mixes bookings and revenue in confusing ways; the new "RevOps Canonical" dashboard uses the metrics layer.
replacement: "RevOps Canonical" Looker dashboard, built on the metrics layer, with parallel tiles for the most-used views.
users: |
  ~45 weekly viewers. Segments:
  - 8 sales ops users (heavy daily users)
  - 12 finance users (use it monthly during close)
  - 5 execs (glance at it weekly)
  - 20 ad-hoc viewers across CS and product
embedded_uses: |
  - Bookings tile auto-screenshot into the Monday CRO update Slack
  - "Pipeline coverage" tile embedded in a Notion exec page
  - Two scheduled email subscriptions to finance
  - One automated Sheet pull that powers a board chart
timeline: 8 weeks
constraints: Q1 board meeting falls in week 5; finance close runs the first week of every month; we cannot deprecate during a close

Output

## Audience Map
- **Sales ops (8 users, daily):** they live in this dashboard. Their use case maps cleanly to the new RevOps Canonical dashboard's "Daily Sales Ops" view. Likely reaction: friction at first; they have muscle memory for tile locations. Mitigation: side-by-side tile-mapping doc and a 30-minute walkthrough session in week 1.
- **Finance (12 users, monthly during close):** the bookings/MRR confusion is exactly what they want resolved. Their replacement is the new dashboard's "Finance Tie-Out" view with metrics-layer-backed numbers. Likely reaction: positive once the trailing-period reconciliation is shown. Mitigation: schedule a 15-minute reconciliation walkthrough before close week.
- **Execs (5 users, weekly glance):** they use ~3 tiles. Replacement: the new dashboard's "Exec Summary" view, which we're rebuilding to match their existing flow. Likely reaction: indifferent if the tiles look similar; sharp if numbers shift. Mitigation: pre-brief CRO and CFO on the metric-definition changes.
- **Ad-hoc viewers (20 users):** mostly link-followers from Slack. Replacement: redirect at the URL level once the old is archived; most won't notice. Likely reaction: a handful of "where did X go" questions.

## Replacement Mapping
- Most tiles map 1:1 to RevOps Canonical, with metric values aligned to the metrics-layer source of truth.
- **Definition changes that shift the number:**
  - "Bookings" in v2 included add-on services revenue; new dashboard excludes services per finance's definition. Trailing-period numbers will differ by 4–7%. Call this out.
  - "MRR" in v2 included paid trials; new dashboard excludes them. Trailing-period MRR is ~7% lower in the canonical view. Call this out.
- **Tiles intentionally not replaced:**
  - "Lead-to-Close Latency" — superseded by the dedicated Funnel Velocity dashboard; redirect viewers there.
  - "Top 10 Reps Leaderboard" — moved to the Sales Performance dashboard.
- **No replacement yet:** the "Win Rate by Source" tile is being rebuilt for v2 of RevOps Canonical (planned for next quarter). Interim: provide a saved Look that approximates it.

## Timeline (8 weeks, anchored around the Q1 board in week 5)
- **Week 1 (now):** announce. Both dashboards live. New dashboard has a "preferred" badge; old has an info banner pointing to the new.
- **Weeks 2–3:** office hours and the walkthrough sessions. Migrate embedded uses (Slack, Notion, scheduled emails).
- **Week 4:** mid-window reminder. Old dashboard banner shifts from "preferred" to "deprecating in 4 weeks."
- **Week 5:** Q1 board meeting. **No deprecation actions during this week.** Hold all messaging.
- **Week 6:** post-board, send the "two weeks until end of life" reminder.
- **Week 7:** finance close (first week of next month). Hold deprecation actions until close completes.
- **Week 8:** end-of-life. Old dashboard archived (not deleted) and a redirect note posted. Underlying Looks tagged `deprecated_2024_q1`.

## The Messages

### 1. Announcement (#data, #revops, email to active users)
> Heads up: we're replacing the "Revenue Operations v2" dashboard with a new dashboard called **RevOps Canonical** over the next 8 weeks. The new dashboard is built on our metrics layer, which means the bookings, MRR, and pipeline numbers reconcile cleanly with finance's source of truth — that's the main reason for the change. Most tiles map 1:1; a few are improvements; one or two have moved to other dashboards.
>
> Two metric definitions are different (Bookings now excludes services; MRR now excludes paid trials), so trailing-period numbers will shift slightly — we'll walk through the reconciliation in the office hours below. Both dashboards will be live for the next 6 weeks; the old will be archived in week 8.
>
> **What to do:** start using RevOps Canonical for new analyses. Office hours: [time] for sales ops, [time] for finance. Questions: #data or DM [BI lead].

### 2. Mid-window reminder (week 4, #data)
> Reminder: "Revenue Operations v2" is being deprecated in 4 weeks (week of [date]). All scheduled emails and embedded uses have migrated except the Notion exec page (owner: [name], action by week 6) and the board-chart Sheet pull (owner: [name], migrating during board prep). If you're still landing on the old dashboard from a saved link, please update — link-redirects will be added in week 8 but it's better not to depend on them.

### 3. End-of-life note (week 8, dashboard banner + #data)
> "Revenue Operations v2" is now archived. The replacement is **RevOps Canonical**: [link]. Saved links to the old dashboard now redirect to the equivalent view in the new one. The underlying Looks have been tagged `deprecated_2024_q1` and will be removed from the explore in 30 days. Questions: #data.

## Embedded Use Migration Plan
- **Bookings tile auto-screenshot in Monday CRO update.** Owner: RevOps lead. Action: switch the screenshot source to the new tile by week 3. Follow-up: BI checks in week 4.
- **"Pipeline coverage" in Notion exec page.** Owner: Chief of Staff. Action: replace embed by week 6.
- **Two scheduled emails to finance.** Owner: BI team. Action: re-point to new dashboard by week 3.
- **Automated Sheet pull powering a board chart.** Owner: Finance analyst. Action: migrate during board prep (weeks 4–5). Coordinate so the Q1 board chart uses the new source — this is the highest-stakes embed.

## Risks and Watchouts
- **The two metric-definition changes will produce numbers that don't match the previous board materials** for trailing periods. Brief CRO and CFO before the Q1 board meeting; include a one-slide reconciliation in the board materials.
- **Sales ops will feel friction** at first. Schedule the walkthrough early; offer 1:1 desk-side time if needed.
- **Do not deprecate during week 5 (board) or week 7 (close).** This is the single most important rule — a board chart that breaks because of a deprecation is a months-long trust problem.

## Post-Deprecation Cleanup
- Archive (don't delete) the old dashboard for 90 days in case anyone needs to reference it.
- Tag underlying Looks `deprecated_2024_q1` and remove from explore navigation after 30 days.
- Run the "did anyone notice" check at +30 days: review the data-team Slack and ticket queue for any references to the old dashboard. Document the lessons in the deprecation log.

Tips for best results

1Anchor the timeline around board cycles and finance close, never into them. A deprecation that lands during close is a deprecation that gets reverted.
2Always call out metric definition changes explicitly. Silent definition shifts are the single fastest way to lose data-team credibility with finance.
3Migrate embedded uses before the dashboard goes away, not after. Slack screenshots and scheduled emails are easy to forget and disproportionately visible when they break.
4Archive, don't delete, for at least 90 days. Someone always needs to reference the old version once.
5Run a +30-day check after end-of-life. Capture lessons and update the deprecation playbook — most teams improve their deprecation skill three deprecations in a row, then forget.

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You are a senior BI analyst planning the deprecation of an existing dashboard. The dashboard is being retired or replaced; your job is to manage the change so consumers don't experience it as a breakage. Inputs: - Dashboard being deprecated: {{old_dashboard}} (name, what it shows, when it was built) - Reason for deprecation: {{reason}} (replaced by a newer dashboard, metric definition changed, no longer needed, source data going away) - Replacement (if any): {{replacement}} (link, what's different) - Active users and how they use it: {{users}} (count, segments, frequency) - Embedded uses: {{embedded_uses}} (slides, slack reports, scheduled emails, automations) - Timeline available: {{timeline}} - Constraints: {{constraints}} (board reporting cycles, finance close, exec dependencies) Produce a deprecation plan with these sections: ## Audience Map Who uses the old dashboard, in segments. For each: - The segment (e.g., "exec team," "regional CS leads," "ad-hoc consumers") - How they use it - What the right replacement is for them — same dashboard, different view, different tool, or "stop using" - Their likely reaction to the change ## Replacement Mapping For each tile, view, or saved query in the old dashboard, the replacement: - Tile / view in the old → tile / view in the new (or "intentionally not replaced — see notes") - Any metric definitions that changed and the rationale - Any users for whom no replacement exists yet (and how that's being handled) ## Timeline Three phases: - **Announcement → soft launch:** users see both dashboards, encouraged to migrate - **Sunset warning:** old dashboard banner-flagged, links updated, embedded uses migrated - **End of life:** old dashboard deleted or archived, queries return a redirect Specify dates, dependent on {{timeline}} and {{constraints}}. Build around quarter-end / board cycles, not into them. ## The Messages (drafts) Write three messages: ### 1. Announcement (Slack post + email) - 2 paragraphs - What's changing, when, why, and what to do - Link to the replacement - Where to ask questions ### 2. Mid-window reminder (Slack) - 1 paragraph - Includes the date the old dashboard goes away - Names anyone or any embedded use that hasn't migrated yet (privately, ideally — but flag publicly if needed) ### 3. End-of-life note (Slack + dashboard banner) - 1 paragraph - The old dashboard is now archived - Where to go for the same information ## Embedded Use Migration Plan For each embedded use in {{embedded_uses}}: - Owner of the embed - Migration action and deadline - Who follows up if it's not done ## Risks and Watchouts - Users who'll be upset and how to handle them - Metric definition changes that could create discrepancies in trailing reports — call these out specifically - Board / exec materials in flight — make sure deprecation doesn't land mid-cycle ## Post-Deprecation Cleanup - Old dashboard archived vs. deleted - Underlying queries / Looks tagged or removed - The 30-day "did anyone notice" check Tone: respectful of users, honest about the why, practical about timing. Bad deprecations damage trust in the data team for a long time.

Variables

{{{{old_dashboard}}}}Replace with your {{old dashboard}}

{{{{reason}}}}Replace with your {{reason}}

{{{{replacement}}}}Replace with your {{replacement}}

{{{{users}}}}Replace with your {{users}}

{{{{embedded_uses}}}}Replace with your {{embedded uses}}

{{{{timeline}}}}Replace with your {{timeline}}

{{{{constraints}}}}Replace with your {{constraints}}

Example

Input

old_dashboard: "Revenue Operations v2" Looker dashboard, built 2021, ~30 tiles, mix of bookings/billings/MRR
reason: Metric definitions have drifted from finance's source of truth; the dashboard mixes bookings and revenue in confusing ways; the new "RevOps Canonical" dashboard uses the metrics layer.
replacement: "RevOps Canonical" Looker dashboard, built on the metrics layer, with parallel tiles for the most-used views.
users: |
  ~45 weekly viewers. Segments:
  - 8 sales ops users (heavy daily users)
  - 12 finance users (use it monthly during close)
  - 5 execs (glance at it weekly)
  - 20 ad-hoc viewers across CS and product
embedded_uses: |
  - Bookings tile auto-screenshot into the Monday CRO update Slack
  - "Pipeline coverage" tile embedded in a Notion exec page
  - Two scheduled email subscriptions to finance
  - One automated Sheet pull that powers a board chart
timeline: 8 weeks
constraints: Q1 board meeting falls in week 5; finance close runs the first week of every month; we cannot deprecate during a close

Output

## Audience Map
- **Sales ops (8 users, daily):** they live in this dashboard. Their use case maps cleanly to the new RevOps Canonical dashboard's "Daily Sales Ops" view. Likely reaction: friction at first; they have muscle memory for tile locations. Mitigation: side-by-side tile-mapping doc and a 30-minute walkthrough session in week 1.
- **Finance (12 users, monthly during close):** the bookings/MRR confusion is exactly what they want resolved. Their replacement is the new dashboard's "Finance Tie-Out" view with metrics-layer-backed numbers. Likely reaction: positive once the trailing-period reconciliation is shown. Mitigation: schedule a 15-minute reconciliation walkthrough before close week.
- **Execs (5 users, weekly glance):** they use ~3 tiles. Replacement: the new dashboard's "Exec Summary" view, which we're rebuilding to match their existing flow. Likely reaction: indifferent if the tiles look similar; sharp if numbers shift. Mitigation: pre-brief CRO and CFO on the metric-definition changes.
- **Ad-hoc viewers (20 users):** mostly link-followers from Slack. Replacement: redirect at the URL level once the old is archived; most won't notice. Likely reaction: a handful of "where did X go" questions.

## Replacement Mapping
- Most tiles map 1:1 to RevOps Canonical, with metric values aligned to the metrics-layer source of truth.
- **Definition changes that shift the number:**
  - "Bookings" in v2 included add-on services revenue; new dashboard excludes services per finance's definition. Trailing-period numbers will differ by 4–7%. Call this out.
  - "MRR" in v2 included paid trials; new dashboard excludes them. Trailing-period MRR is ~7% lower in the canonical view. Call this out.
- **Tiles intentionally not replaced:**
  - "Lead-to-Close Latency" — superseded by the dedicated Funnel Velocity dashboard; redirect viewers there.
  - "Top 10 Reps Leaderboard" — moved to the Sales Performance dashboard.
- **No replacement yet:** the "Win Rate by Source" tile is being rebuilt for v2 of RevOps Canonical (planned for next quarter). Interim: provide a saved Look that approximates it.

## Timeline (8 weeks, anchored around the Q1 board in week 5)
- **Week 1 (now):** announce. Both dashboards live. New dashboard has a "preferred" badge; old has an info banner pointing to the new.
- **Weeks 2–3:** office hours and the walkthrough sessions. Migrate embedded uses (Slack, Notion, scheduled emails).
- **Week 4:** mid-window reminder. Old dashboard banner shifts from "preferred" to "deprecating in 4 weeks."
- **Week 5:** Q1 board meeting. **No deprecation actions during this week.** Hold all messaging.
- **Week 6:** post-board, send the "two weeks until end of life" reminder.
- **Week 7:** finance close (first week of next month). Hold deprecation actions until close completes.
- **Week 8:** end-of-life. Old dashboard archived (not deleted) and a redirect note posted. Underlying Looks tagged `deprecated_2024_q1`.

## The Messages

### 1. Announcement (#data, #revops, email to active users)
> Heads up: we're replacing the "Revenue Operations v2" dashboard with a new dashboard called **RevOps Canonical** over the next 8 weeks. The new dashboard is built on our metrics layer, which means the bookings, MRR, and pipeline numbers reconcile cleanly with finance's source of truth — that's the main reason for the change. Most tiles map 1:1; a few are improvements; one or two have moved to other dashboards.
>
> Two metric definitions are different (Bookings now excludes services; MRR now excludes paid trials), so trailing-period numbers will shift slightly — we'll walk through the reconciliation in the office hours below. Both dashboards will be live for the next 6 weeks; the old will be archived in week 8.
>
> **What to do:** start using RevOps Canonical for new analyses. Office hours: [time] for sales ops, [time] for finance. Questions: #data or DM [BI lead].

### 2. Mid-window reminder (week 4, #data)
> Reminder: "Revenue Operations v2" is being deprecated in 4 weeks (week of [date]). All scheduled emails and embedded uses have migrated except the Notion exec page (owner: [name], action by week 6) and the board-chart Sheet pull (owner: [name], migrating during board prep). If you're still landing on the old dashboard from a saved link, please update — link-redirects will be added in week 8 but it's better not to depend on them.

### 3. End-of-life note (week 8, dashboard banner + #data)
> "Revenue Operations v2" is now archived. The replacement is **RevOps Canonical**: [link]. Saved links to the old dashboard now redirect to the equivalent view in the new one. The underlying Looks have been tagged `deprecated_2024_q1` and will be removed from the explore in 30 days. Questions: #data.

## Embedded Use Migration Plan
- **Bookings tile auto-screenshot in Monday CRO update.** Owner: RevOps lead. Action: switch the screenshot source to the new tile by week 3. Follow-up: BI checks in week 4.
- **"Pipeline coverage" in Notion exec page.** Owner: Chief of Staff. Action: replace embed by week 6.
- **Two scheduled emails to finance.** Owner: BI team. Action: re-point to new dashboard by week 3.
- **Automated Sheet pull powering a board chart.** Owner: Finance analyst. Action: migrate during board prep (weeks 4–5). Coordinate so the Q1 board chart uses the new source — this is the highest-stakes embed.

## Risks and Watchouts
- **The two metric-definition changes will produce numbers that don't match the previous board materials** for trailing periods. Brief CRO and CFO before the Q1 board meeting; include a one-slide reconciliation in the board materials.
- **Sales ops will feel friction** at first. Schedule the walkthrough early; offer 1:1 desk-side time if needed.
- **Do not deprecate during week 5 (board) or week 7 (close).** This is the single most important rule — a board chart that breaks because of a deprecation is a months-long trust problem.

## Post-Deprecation Cleanup
- Archive (don't delete) the old dashboard for 90 days in case anyone needs to reference it.
- Tag underlying Looks `deprecated_2024_q1` and remove from explore navigation after 30 days.
- Run the "did anyone notice" check at +30 days: review the data-team Slack and ticket queue for any references to the old dashboard. Document the lessons in the deprecation log.

Tips for best results

1Anchor the timeline around board cycles and finance close, never into them. A deprecation that lands during close is a deprecation that gets reverted.

2Always call out metric definition changes explicitly. Silent definition shifts are the single fastest way to lose data-team credibility with finance.

3Migrate embedded uses before the dashboard goes away, not after. Slack screenshots and scheduled emails are easy to forget and disproportionately visible when they break.

4Archive, don't delete, for at least 90 days. Someone always needs to reference the old version once.

5Run a +30-day check after end-of-life. Capture lessons and update the deprecation playbook — most teams improve their deprecation skill three deprecations in a row, then forget.