diff --git a/deployed-server/deployed-server.yaml b/deployed-server/deployed-server.yaml
index 5f759bf917..7958a97be2 100644
--- a/deployed-server/deployed-server.yaml
+++ b/deployed-server/deployed-server.yaml
@@ -69,26 +69,6 @@ resources:
       software_config_transport: {get_param: software_config_transport}
       deployment_swift_data: {get_param: deployment_swift_data}
 
-  UpgradeInitConfig:
-    type: OS::Heat::SoftwareConfig
-    properties:
-      group: script
-      config:
-        list_join:
-        - ''
-        - - "#!/bin/bash\n\n"
-          - "if [[ -f /etc/resolv.conf.save ]] ; then rm /etc/resolv.conf.save; fi\n\n"
-          - get_param: UpgradeInitCommand
-          - get_param: UpgradeInitCommonCommand
-
-  UpgradeInitDeployment:
-    type: OS::Heat::SoftwareDeployment
-    properties:
-      name: UpgradeInitDeployment
-      server: {get_resource: deployed-server}
-      config: {get_resource: UpgradeInitConfig}
-
-
   InstanceIdConfig:
     type: OS::Heat::StructuredConfig
     properties:
@@ -102,7 +82,6 @@ resources:
       name: InstanceIdDeployment
       config: {get_resource: InstanceIdConfig}
       server: {get_resource: deployed-server}
-    depends_on: UpgradeInitDeployment
 
   HostsEntryConfig:
     type: OS::Heat::SoftwareConfig
diff --git a/puppet/role.role.j2.yaml b/puppet/role.role.j2.yaml
index 952d1e7f3d..8f8d1a97d7 100644
--- a/puppet/role.role.j2.yaml
+++ b/puppet/role.role.j2.yaml
@@ -500,36 +500,8 @@ resources:
             - {get_param: NetworkDeploymentActions}
           - []
 
-  {{server_resource_name}}UpgradeInitConfig:
-    type: OS::Heat::SoftwareConfig
-    properties:
-      group: script
-      config:
-        list_join:
-        - ''
-        - - "#!/bin/bash\n\n"
-          - "if [[ -f /etc/resolv.conf.save ]] ; then rm /etc/resolv.conf.save; fi\n\n"
-          - get_param: UpgradeInitCommand
-          - get_param: UpgradeInitCommonCommand
-
-  # Note we may be able to make this conditional on UpgradeInitCommandNotEmpty
-  # but https://bugs.launchpad.net/heat/+bug/1649900 needs fixing first
-  {{server_resource_name}}UpgradeInitDeployment:
-    type: OS::Heat::SoftwareDeployment
-    depends_on: NetworkDeployment
-    properties:
-      name: {{server_resource_name}}UpgradeInitDeployment
-      server: {get_resource: {{server_resource_name}}}
-      config: {get_resource: {{server_resource_name}}UpgradeInitConfig}
-      actions:
-        if:
-          - server_not_blacklisted
-          - ['CREATE', 'UPDATE']
-          - []
-
   {{server_resource_name}}Deployment:
     type: OS::Heat::StructuredDeployment
-    depends_on: {{server_resource_name}}UpgradeInitDeployment
     properties:
       name: {{server_resource_name}}Deployment
       config: {get_resource: {{server_resource_name}}Config}
diff --git a/puppet/services/tripleo-packages.yaml b/puppet/services/tripleo-packages.yaml
index daddc91090..9668ea773b 100644
--- a/puppet/services/tripleo-packages.yaml
+++ b/puppet/services/tripleo-packages.yaml
@@ -51,6 +51,20 @@ parameters:
       echo "and passed the upstream name (ocata, pike, queens) of the release as first argument"
       exit 1
     type: string
+  UpgradeInitCommand:
+    type: string
+    description: |
+      Command or script snippet to run on all overcloud nodes to
+      initialize the upgrade process. E.g. a repository switch.
+    default: ''
+  UpgradeInitCommonCommand:
+    type: string
+    description: |
+      Common commands required by the upgrades process. This should not
+      normally be modified by the operator and is set and unset in the
+      major-upgrade-composable-steps.yaml and major-upgrade-converge.yaml
+      environment files.
+    default: ''
 
 outputs:
   role_data:
@@ -62,15 +76,29 @@ outputs:
       step_config: |
         include ::tripleo::packages
       upgrade_tasks:
-        - name: Check yum for rpm-python present
+        - name: Package and repo update tasks
           when: step|int == 0
-          yum: "name=rpm-python state=present"
-          register: rpm_python_check
-        - name: Fail when rpm-python wasn't present
-          fail: msg="rpm-python package was not present before this run! Check environment before re-running"
-          when:
-            - step|int == 0
-            - rpm_python_check.changed != false
+          block:
+            - name: Run UpgradeInitCommand
+              shell:
+                list_join:
+                  - ''
+                  - - "#!/bin/bash\n\n"
+                    - "if [[ -f /etc/resolv.conf.save ]] ; then rm /etc/resolv.conf.save; fi\n\n"
+                    - {get_param: UpgradeInitCommand}
+            - name: Run UpgradeInitCommonCommand
+              shell:
+                list_join:
+                  - ''
+                  - - "#!/bin/bash\n\n"
+                    - {get_param: UpgradeInitCommonCommand}
+            - name: Check yum for rpm-python present
+              package: "name=rpm-python state=present"
+              register: rpm_python_check
+            - name: Fail when rpm-python wasn't present
+              fail: msg="rpm-python package was not present before this run! Check environment before re-running"
+              when:
+                - rpm_python_check.changed != false
         - name: Check for os-net-config upgrade
           shell: "yum check-upgrade | awk '/os-net-config/{print}'"
           register: os_net_config_need_upgrade