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Practice operations · guide

Keep a practice continuity inventory

Record critical systems, owners, dependencies, fallback locations, and the date each recovery path was last tested, without storing credentials, client data, or recovery secrets.

01

Understand the work

Before the checklist

What this work is really for

When a system is unavailable, the first problem is often not the outage itself—it is that nobody knows what else depends on it, who can make a decision, or where the latest fallback instructions live.

If you are new to ownership

Map only the workflows you truly need to keep the business moving. Record owners and safe evidence locations, but point to approved secret storage instead of copying passwords or recovery codes.

If you already run a practice

Use this to test the difference between having a backup and being able to recover. A last-tested date and observed result are more useful than a general claim that the practice is prepared.

Useful finished resultA non-sensitive inventory connecting each critical workflow to its systems, accountable owner, dependencies, fallback, evidence location, last test, known gaps, and next review date.
02

Start here

Immediate actions

Get oriented before doing the work.

  • Inventory dependencies and recovery evidence, not just product names.
  • Point to an approved secret store instead of copying credentials or recovery codes.
  • A tested date is more useful than an unverified readiness label.

Make sure this fits

Use this for a non-clinical inventory of systems and administrative continuity dependencies that can be recorded without personal or secret information.

Pause when

  • The work is active incident response, a clinical continuity plan, disaster-recovery certification, or a regulated records assessment.

Gather before you begin

  • A list of critical administrative workflows
  • A named inventory owner
  • An approved location for non-sensitive notes

Expected output

  • A dated systems-and-dependencies inventory with owners, evidence locations, test dates, gaps, and next reviews
Why owners make time for this

During an outage or staff absence, unclear ownership and undocumented dependencies can delay ordinary operations even when backups or fallback tools exist.

03

Do the work

Guided process

Work through it, one decision at a time.

  1. 01

    List critical workflows and systems

    OwnerInventory ownerTimingAt inventory creationWhyWorkflow-first mapping reveals dependencies that a product-only list can miss.Save thisWorkflow, system, accountable owner, provider contact route, and dependencies
    Pause or get help when

    Do not include client identifiers, credentials, recovery codes, private keys, or sensitive employee details.

  2. 02

    Record continuity evidence and safe pointers

    OwnerSystem ownerTimingFor each critical systemWhyA location and test date make evidence findable without duplicating sensitive content.Save thisFallback description, approved evidence location, last test date, observed result, and gaps
    Pause or get help when

    Use a pointer to the approved secret-management process rather than recording any secret.

  3. 03

    Prioritize gaps and schedule review

    OwnerInventory ownerTimingAfter reconciliationWhyOwnership and review dates turn unknowns into bounded follow-up work.Save thisGap owner, due date, review trigger, and next inventory date
    Pause or get help when

    Route privacy, security, records, legal, accessibility, staffing, billing, or clinical questions to qualified reviewers.

04

Finish well

Adapt, record, review

Leave a useful trail for the next person.

If your situation is different

  • Practices may maintain separate qualified plans for clinical continuity, records, security incidents, facilities, and workforce emergencies.

What good looks like

  • Each critical workflow has a system and owner
  • Dependencies, evidence locations, and last test dates are recorded
  • Every gap has an owner and date
  • The inventory contains no PHI, credentials, recovery codes, or sensitive personnel information

Editable worksheet

Record ownership and open questions.

Type here, keep the draft on this device, or print a working copy. Browser storage is not secure record storage. Do not enter client details, credentials, health information, financial account numbers, or sensitive employee information.

Your draft stays in this browser.

Keep a copy

Download a finished PDF or an editable Word document. Files are created on this device.

Removes the answers saved in this browser.

Common mistakes

  • Writing ready or backed up without recording what was tested, when, by whom, and what was recovered.
05

Verify the work

Sources and review

See the evidence boundary.

Scope: This inventory organizes non-sensitive continuity information. It does not certify disaster recovery, security, clinical continuity, legal compliance, or records readiness.

Approved claims and boundaries

Does a practice continuity inventory prove that operations can continue through an outage?

No. The inventory records systems, owners, dependencies, recovery evidence, and open questions; continuity depends on tested procedures, current access, and appropriate professional review.

Applies to: A non-clinical inventory of systems and dependencies that excludes client data, credentials, recovery codes, and sensitive personnel information.

  • It is not a disaster-recovery certification, security assessment, or clinical continuity plan.

Source record

  1. Practice Hub methodology and approved master directiveLudara · Governing project standardChecked 2026-07-23 · next review 2026-10-23 · SRC-METHOD-001

Review type: Editorial review. Completed: 2026-07-30. Reviewer: Ludara owner.

What was checked: Owner-approved implementation plan for low-risk administrative resources

Claim records: CLM-CONTINUITY-INVENTORY-BOUNDARY.

Fact-checked: 2026-07-30. Review applies only to the scope shown on this page; it does not approve a reader’s specific decision.

  • 2026-07-30: Initial owner-approved low-risk foundation version.
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