Implementation Timeline Plan for the Battery Passport

An implementation timeline plan works backwards from the fixed passport date of 18 February 2027, placing scope, data, pilot and readiness in sequence, with enough time between stages for failures to be found and fixed. The timeline is a project sequence, not a restatement of the Regulation timeline, and it should be built by an operator for its own models, suppliers and systems, with dates that reflect the number of models and the difficulty of the data. A timeline that places pilot and readiness in the same week as the duty date leaves no time for failure, and a timeline that starts with system selection leaves no time for scope. The sequence matters more than the exact dates, and the plan should protect the sequence even when dates move.

The scope is implementation planning for Article 77, as checked on 28 October 2026. The plan states no durations as fixed, because durations turn on the operator, and it states no vendor or system dates.

How is the timeline built backwards from the duty date?

The timeline is built backwards by placing the duty date at the end, then placing readiness testing before it, pilot and roll out before readiness, data collection and supplier onboarding before pilot, and scope and category decisions at the start, with a buffer between each stage for failure and fix. The backwards method ensures that each stage has a predecessor that must be complete before it starts, and that no stage is planned to finish on the duty date itself. The timeline should be recorded as a dated sequence, with the owner for each stage, the output for each stage and the test that proves the stage complete, so that a delay in one stage shows its effect on the later stages. A timeline without owners, outputs and tests is a list of dates, not a plan.

What stages come first in the timeline?

Scope, category and data template stages come first, because they decide what must be collected and for which models, and every later stage depends on them. The scope stage produces the controlled model register, the data stage produces the category field lists and the supplier routes, and the two stages together produce the data collection plan. An operator who starts with system selection, before scope and data, will select a system without knowing what it must do, and will then adapt the scope to the system, which reverses the correct order. The first stages are also the cheapest to fix, because a scope error found early costs a document change, while a scope error found after roll out costs a record rebuild.

What stages come in the middle of the timeline?

Pilot, system selection and supplier onboarding come in the middle, with the pilot proving the method, the system selection following the pilot evidence, and supplier onboarding proceeding model by model alongside the pilot. The middle stages are where the method meets reality, and they need the most time for failure and fix, because supplier data gaps, carrier failures and tier access problems will appear here. The timeline should allow for at least one pilot failure and fix cycle, and for supplier gaps that take time to close, rather than assuming that the first pilot and the first supplier supply will succeed. A timeline that assumes first time success at every stage is not a plan, and it should be revised to include failure time.

What does a timeline table look like?

A timeline table shows the stage order, the output and the predecessor, without fixing durations. The table below uses general stages in backwards order from the duty date.

How are delays handled in the timeline?

Delays are handled by recording the delay, the cause, the affected stages and the revised dates, and by protecting the sequence, so that a delayed stage does not cause a later stage to start before its predecessor is complete. A delay in data collection, for example, should delay the pilot, rather than causing a pilot to start with incomplete data, because a pilot on incomplete data proves nothing. The timeline owner should review the timeline at regular intervals, record the review, and escalate a delay that threatens the duty date, rather than absorbing the delay silently. A timeline that is revised openly, with reasons, is stronger than a timeline that is kept unchanged while the work falls behind.

What should be ready well before the duty date?

Well before the duty date, the scope register, the data routes, the pilot proof, the system, the carrier and registry readiness, the roles and the readiness test should all be complete, so that the period immediately before the duty date is used for production records and for final checks, not for method building. The buffer before the duty date is the safety margin that absorbs a late supplier gap, a late system fix or a late scope question, and an operator who plans to finish method building on the duty date has no buffer. The plan should state a ready date well before the duty date, with the buffer stated explicitly, so that the buffer is protected rather than consumed by earlier delays without notice.

What limits apply to a timeline plan?

The limits are that a timeline is a plan, not a guarantee, and the duty date is fixed in the Regulation regardless of the plan. This guide gives general educational information only and is not individual legal advice. An operator with a specific preparation should check the Regulation text as checked on 28 October 2026 before acting.