Choose a business process
Start with one process your company depends on, such as order processing or customer support. Identify its data, identity services, applications and external dependencies. A successful file backup alone does not prove that the business process can restart.
Agree recovery goals
Ask the process owner how much work the company can afford to lose and how long it can operate without the system. Record those recovery point and recovery time goals. Check that the backup design can support them.
Restore in an isolated test
Select a representative recovery point. Restore into a safe environment, verify permissions and confirm the application can use the data. Avoid overwriting production during the exercise. Test who can retrieve recovery credentials if the normal identity provider is unavailable.
Record what happened
Measure recovery duration, missing dependencies and the age of recovered data. Ask the business owner to test the actual workflow. Record the result, name owners for fixes and schedule a retest after changes.
Keep the runbook usable
A runbook needs contact details, recovery order, access requirements, validation steps and a fallback communication method. Store a protected copy that remains accessible when the primary system is down.
Official reading
Prepared for operational planning · Reviewed 7 November 2026. Check official guidance for changes and requirements that apply to your circumstances. Checklist progress stays on this page until you leave or reload.