All terms are defined at the end of the document. A frequently cited analytical process for assessing and remedying the Year 2000 problem includes five basic phases. This step attempts to determine whether or not the systems or components identified in the inventory phase will be able to process information in a consistent manner before and after the rollover to Year 2000. Assessment may be as simple as contacting the system's vendor, or as complex as evaluating custom programs. Typically, individual systems or components are evaluated with a varying range of dates, using formal testing methodologies.
Some large companies operate large networks of subsystems.
These companies may first remediate and test a system in isolation or in a lab. Having finalized a plan, this remediation will then be rolled out to the company's entire system. These phases are fluid. Having completed one phase, a company may go back and repeat earlier phases. For instance, every action taken should, to the extent possible, be followed by testing.