IT Planning
Part of Small business IT continuity
Planning how staff work during a device failure
Plan the worker's temporary tasks, approved device and data access, then check and reconcile work when the original device returns.
Plan for a failed work device: decide which tasks the affected person must finish, where their current work is held and which approved device or colleague can take over. Give the worker a reporting route and a temporary assignment. A spare computer helps only if the worker can sign in and use the required records, applications and peripherals.
Decide what can continue
Ask what stopped and what the worker was doing immediately beforehand. Record whether the device will not start, an application fails or a peripheral is unavailable. Check whether colleagues can use the same service, so a wider outage is not mistaken for one person's hardware fault.
If there are signs of malware, unauthorised access or missing business information, use the incident route before reusing files or connecting the device elsewhere. If the device is missing, follow the business's loss-reporting process.
For an ordinary hardware fault, agree which tasks must continue today, which can be reassigned and which can wait. Tell the worker and manager who owns the repair and when they will receive an update.
Prepare a temporary workplace
Choose a spare business device, an approved shared workstation or another authorised worker. Check the complete task path:
| Need | Question before the handover |
|---|---|
| Sign-in | Can the worker use their own account and authentication method? |
| Work records | Can they open the current approved copy without the failed device? |
| Applications | Are the required versions and permissions available? |
| Peripherals | Do they need a scanner, headset, dock or specialist connection? |
| Location | Can they complete the task where they will actually work? |
A shared machine needs a sign-out and handover routine. Do not ask staff to exchange passwords or use a colleague's account. Keep the temporary device updated and protected by a screen lock.
If a current record exists only on the failed device, mark the task unavailable until an authorised recovery route is established.
Check the contents of any synchronised folder or backup rather than assuming it holds the latest work. Before resetting or sending away a device that may hold the only copy, have the data owner and support person consider recovery.
Hand back the work
Have the worker complete one representative task on the temporary setup: open the right record, make a permitted change or prepare a safe sample output, then confirm where the result is saved. Record whether the task works, works with limits or remains pending. Assign pending work to someone else or tell the affected customer when it can resume.
When the original device is repaired or replaced, confirm it is safe to use and the worker can repeat the interrupted task.
Move temporary work to its approved location, check for duplicate or conflicting versions, and remove temporary access that is no longer needed. Update the device assignment and support case. Close the work interruption when outstanding items have owners and the normal task works again.
