What still needs checking before contract signature or go-live?

Even 45/45 only means the buying team is prepared to evaluate. Before contract signature, require evidence for the proposed product, configuration, implementation scope and commercial offer—not merely a completed buyer questionnaire.

This desk recommends a separate decision record confirming:

• [ ] Essential workflows and specialist requirements have been demonstrated against agreed criteria.
• [ ] Security, privacy, resilience and supplier due diligence have been completed by the appropriate owners.
• [ ] Migration and integration assumptions have been tested sufficiently to support the proposed scope and price.
• [ ] Implementation responsibilities, deliverables and acceptance arrangements are agreed.
• [ ] Funding covers the approved scope and operating model.
• [ ] Material contractual, renewal and portability issues have been resolved or formally escalated.

Before go-live, require a further release decision covering actual migrated data, user acceptance, access tests, operational support, cutover and recovery arrangements. Microsoft’s implementation guidance explicitly separates these readiness and sign-off activities; they are not replaced by a pre-purchase assessment. (learn.microsoft.com)