Plan and Phase: Outline the integration with clear timelines, milestones, and a phased rollout to reduce disruption. Prioritize critical features first, allowing gradual adaptation. Conduct Rigorous Testing: Use staging environments for comprehensive testing, including load, performance, and user acceptance tests, to catch issues early and ensure stability at scale. Prioritize Compatibility and Backward Support: Ensure new features work with existing systems to minimize disruptions and maintain current functionality. Communicate and Train: Inform stakeholders about changes, and provide targeted training Monitor and Iterate: Post-launch, track key metrics, gather feedback, and make adjustments to improve performance and user experience

Upgrade and Test the upgrade first to ensure status quo use cases work perfectly. Then involve your SMEs and take advantage of the software release notes to understand the new features available to you. Together you can decide which features you want to "turn on" and learn how to use them. Update your SOPs and then train your users on the new features as part of the upgrade. You don't need to do this every release but at least once a year look at all the new features available to you. At least one will make your teams job more efficient and then you will be the star of the IT team. :-) Happy Upgrading!