Prove what was done at 3am.
The operator who works the window is not the person who will have to explain it a year later. The form is what passes between them.
A completed, mailed checklist
The problem
What happened overnight leaves with the shift.
The service came back up, the system was verified, and somebody decided not to restart one component for a good reason. None of those three is written down anywhere, and in six months nobody will remember them.
- 01
Build
Build the form in settings, with no code: single choice, multiple choice, free text or yes/no, and a required flag. One active form per update type.
- 02
Fill
During the window the form opens from the event. Operators can complete it without administrator rights — it is part of their job, not part of administration.
- 03
Summary
When every required question is answered, a summary goes to the system owner, the contacts and the event's creator. A later re-save that is still complete is marked as an update.
- 04
Retention
Answers are stored alongside the form structure that was in force at the time, so a later edit to the form does not strip meaning from old answers.
| Time | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 01:04 | Service stopped cleanly | Yes |
| 01:22 | Backup verified before the update | Yes |
| 02:10 | Restarted and the system verified | Yes |
| 02:31 | Notes | Reporting component left down at the owner's request |
The last row is the reason the form exists.
A checklist open inside an event, mid-window
Waiting on sign-off to publish the demo estate
The form is stored on your side and the summary goes out over your own mail.
- Exchange
- The audit log
- Excel export
A completed form, and an email
The questions, the answers, who filled them in and when — with a copy at the system owner, who does not have to log into anything to read it.
Show us your worst window.
Bring the one that keeps slipping. Thirty minutes, your estate, no slides.