The Prepare phase

In this second phase, your objective is to prepare your environment for Windows 11 deployment. You’ll do so by closing the gaps you’ve identified in the previous phase across your entire environment:

• Operations
• Applications
• Infrastructure
• Configurations
• Devices
• Users

Let’s review each of these areas one by one, outlining the tasks and deliverables that can help you accomplish the objective of this phase. For each deliverable, consider a format that's easy to share with others and collaboratively edit throughout the life of the project.

Phased or ring-based approach to deploying Windows

Throughout this module, we talk about deployment rings and different project phases. It's common for some of the terms to be used interchangeably, but for clarity, here’s how we’ll define the different phases of a deployment project in this module:

• Proof of Concept (PoC). An optional phase often performed in a lab environment. It’s most useful at the earliest stages of the project to test basic functionality and assumptions. Sometimes called a Limited Pilot.

• Pilot. The first phase you perform in the production environment, used to test wider infrastructure, connectivity, and application compatibility.

• Broad deployment. One or more further deployment phases in the production environment, known as rings. In Windows Autopatch, these are called first, fast, and broad rings, eventually targeting the majority of the estate.

Helpful reports across the deployment phases

Windows diagnostic data provides the information for Windows update compatibility reports, so it’s not necessary to install agents. You can use Microsoft Intune (preferred) or Microsoft Configuration Manager to deploy diagnostic data settings to the clients you want to report on.

Suggested reports

Prerequisites for report use