Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Given the issues with unreliable search and record‑management functions, including duplicate results and limitations with merge/unmerge, what progress has been made to address these problems?
A: The unmerge workflow is currently under development. This work was previously dependent on onboarding the new Service Desk vendor; however, due to contracting timelines, the Project has moved forward with development of the technical components of the unmerge workflow.
Technical testing will be completed, and the timing will be confirmed. Once the new Service Desk vendor begins onboarding in early October, the Project will work with the vendor to validate the end-to-end unmerge ticketing process, including routing, assignment, notifications, and the ability to support the targeted 48-hour SLA.
The Project deployed additional enhancements and refinements to the Civica Search tool in the Production Simulation environment at the end of August 2026, including enhancements to the “AND/OR” search criteria. The Project continues to refine search functionality based on testing results and county feedback.
Q: What training and preparation will county Help Desk teams receive to ensure they are ready to support users at Go‑Live?
A: County Help Desk teams will receive targeted guidance and training to ensure they are ready for Go‑Live. The project is defining clear roles for Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 support, and policies and procedures for local Tier 1 help desks are currently being developed. A new service desk vendor begins at the end of September, and counties will receive information to help them understand the transition and what support will look like during cutover and Go‑Live. The Production Simulation (Prod Sim) team will remain in place to assist throughout this period.
Counties can leverage built‑in CWS-CARES tools and ServiceNow, which will guide users through basic troubleshooting and route issues to live support when needed. Some counties will use local Tier 1 help desks, while others without local support will contact the project help desk directly.
A small SME huddle will be convened to finalize help desk procedures, and counties are invited to provide input through county leadership and CWDA to the Project.
Q: What is the plan for system cutover, and how will downtime be minimized?
A: The plan for system cutover, as voted and approved by the Board of Directors on September 3, 2026, is to switch CWS/CMS to read‑only on Thursday at 5 p.m. This approach minimizes the amount of time counties operate in read‑only mode and helps reduce overall downtime. Because the cutover occurs shortly before Go‑Live, final validation and remediation are limited to one day prior, which reduces the time available for pre‑launch validation and issue resolution.
For full details, see the Important Update: CWS-CARES Go-Live Date Adjusted to December 7, 2026 communication on the CWDS website.
Q: How did the Project determine that referral work takes about 30 minutes, and will there be a walkthrough of that process?
A: In general, processing referrals in CWS‑CARES is expected to take roughly the same amount of time as in CWS/CMS. Staff considered 'expert' in CWS/CMS ran multiple referral scenarios to establish a time estimate: staff considered 'novice' in CWS/CMS completed the minimum requirements in about 30 minutes, and expert staff completed them in less time. The Project team is currently working to schedule walk-through sessions with Fresno and Los Angeles Counties to demonstrate the Hotline functionality, highlight recent enhancements to the Search tool, and gather additional feedback.
Counties later identified that search functionality contributed to concerns about overall processing time. In response, the Project has implemented improvements to search functionality. For more information on improved search functionality, see here.
Q: What factors will counties be told must be met during the go/no‑go decision process?
A: ELT received a walkthrough on August 24, 2026. The 60-day checklist can be obtained from CWDA.
Q: When is the code freeze scheduled?
A: Code freeze will occur August 24. In alignment with the September 3 Board of Directors decision to adjust the go-live date, the Defect freeze is now November 7.
Q: When is the April 2027 V1.3 release planned?
A: What was previously planned for April 2027 Version 1.3 (V1.3) release was adjusted to move forward with only two releases, rather than three. This allows additional time for post-launch stabilization and system validation. This schedule completes enhancement story delivery by May 1, 2027.
Q: When is the February 2027 V1.2 release planned?
A: What was previously planned for February 2027 Version 1.2 (V1.2) release is now scheduled for May 1, 2027.
Q: When is the December 2026 V1.1 release scheduled?
A: What was previously planned for December 2026 Version 1.1 (V1.1) release is now scheduled for March 1, 2027.
Q: What should counties expect from the Version 1.0 (V1.0) September Production Simulation release, and will they be able to test the new functionality?
A: Counties can expect the September V1.0 Production Simulation release to include a set of upcoming fixes that OTSI is currently compiling and preparing to share. This will give counties a clear understanding of what changes are included and what they should look for during testing.
Once a bug, defect, or story has been fixed, release notes will be updated so counties know when to go back in and retest the functionality. This provides counties with a clear feedback loop and ensures they can validate the new behavior as part of the Production Simulation release.