Hypercare is a dedicated phase between delivery and "Done" that ensures ongoing responsibility for shipped items, addressing post-release issues actively.
Shipping is not the finish line. What comes right after matters just as much.
This pattern adds an explicit Hypercare phase between delivery and Done — ensuring that responsibility for what was shipped doesn't end at deployment.
The Problem
Something ships. Everyone moves on. A week later, users are reporting issues, the on-call team is firefighting, and the original team has no visibility anymore. "Done" on the board doesn't match reality.
How It Works
A dedicated Hypercare phase is inserted between "Ship It" and "Done." Items in the Hypercare column are actively monitored. If problems surface — bugs, performance issues, user feedback — they're addressed immediately, by the people who built it. Only when the Hypercare phase completes stably does the item move to Done.
When to Use It
- Post-release issues are a recurring pattern
- "Deploy and forget" has caused quality or trust problems
- The team needs to stay connected to what they shipped, for a defined period
- Handoffs to operations are a friction point
Related Patterns
- Outcome vs. Output — Hypercare feeds into outcome measurement; both extend the board beyond deployment
Your play!
Get the cards and maps — all 18 FL2 Flow Patterns plus the new "Identify your Flow" companion map (A3 + A2 in EN, A3 in DE), ready to use in your next FL2 workshop or board design session.