Sheet 07 · ART-15
AI system retirement checklist
Retirement is a lifecycle stage, not an accident. This covers what happens to the data, the records, the people using it, and the work it was producing.
Artifact details
- Format
- Worksheet
- Owner
- AI Program Manager coordinates; the tool or business owner executes.
- When it is used
- On any decision to retire a tool, pilot, prompt, or automation.
- Retention
- Permanent within the program record set.
Contributors: IT & Security, Risk, Legal & Privacy, Finance & Procurement, Affected users
Downloads
The blank template is a standalone worksheet with every field and its guidance, ready to fill in or print. Printing uses this page’s print stylesheet, which drops the navigation and the download controls.
Required fields
The guidance matters more than the field name. A field labelled “risks” with no guidance gets filled in with “standard AI risks” and the artifact stops being worth reading.
| Field | Guidance | Required |
|---|---|---|
| What is being retired and why | Linked to the decision record. | Required |
| Who is affected and how they are told | Before the access disappears, not after. | Required |
| What replaces it | Including 'nothing, and here is what that means for your work'. | Required |
| Data disposition | Export, retain, or delete — confirmed with Risk against retention obligations. | Required |
| Records to preserve | Decisions, evaluations, and outcomes stay even when the tool goes. | Required |
| Access and contract closure | Accounts disabled, licenses reclaimed, contract terminated, renewal stopped. | Required |
| Lessons learned | Captured before the people involved move on. | Required |
| Confirmation and date | Who confirmed each step, and when. | Required |
Worked example
Filled in against the sample record set, so the template can be judged on what a real entry looks like rather than on its headings.
Retirement — unapproved transcription tool, Denver office (EXC-03)
- What and why: an unapproved meeting transcription tool in local use since 2025. Covered by a 60-day wind-down exception approved 2026-06-12, expiring 2026-09-11.
- Affected: 14 users in one office. Notified at the start of the wind-down with a migration session and a named contact.
- Replacement: the approved assistant covers the same need. Migration session delivered 2026-06-24.
Disposition and closure
- Data: existing transcripts exported to the project record system. Vendor-side data deletion requested in writing, confirmation required before closure.
- Records preserved: the exception record, the migration plan, and the lessons learned.
- Access and contract: vendor account closed and the recurring charge stopped, confirmed by Finance.
- Lessons learned: the tool was adopted because the approved assistant's transcription was not discoverable in the interface, not because anyone was avoiding governance. That is a guidance and onboarding gap, and it produced a change to the approved-tool onboarding session.
Blank template
The same fields with nothing in them. Print this page, or use the download above to get a standalone file.
What is being retired and why
Linked to the decision record.
Who is affected and how they are told
Before the access disappears, not after.
What replaces it
Including 'nothing, and here is what that means for your work'.
Data disposition
Export, retain, or delete — confirmed with Risk against retention obligations.
Records to preserve
Decisions, evaluations, and outcomes stay even when the tool goes.
Access and contract closure
Accounts disabled, licenses reclaimed, contract terminated, renewal stopped.
Lessons learned
Captured before the people involved move on.
Confirmation and date
Who confirmed each step, and when.