What to change
Include shutdown or continued protection in the drill's completion criteria. Ask the supplier to name the temporary website domain, its access policy and who removes or retains it afterward. Verify the public state while signed out and remove accidental production links to the copy. The organisation should keep the recovery evidence it needs without leaving an unexplained alternate publication behind. This is an operational closure step, separate from whether the restoration itself worked.
A worked example
Illustrative example
Illustrative test: An external reviewer cannot browse a supposedly closed recovery preview. A recovery preview may remain online after the technical drill finishes. The agreed closure owner applies the planned removal or continued protection and a signed-out reviewer checks the exact temporary address. Public links are inspected for accidental references. Your practice retains the useful recovery evidence while the environment's final state is recorded, rather than leaving an unexplained second website circulating after everyone considers the exercise complete.
What this means for your practice
A successful restore exercise can leave an unintended second copy of the practice website online. Include the final state of that temporary environment in the drill's completion criteria. Ask the supplier to list its addresses, access policy and removal or retention owner. Review the signed-out experience and check that public pages do not accidentally link to the copy. Keep the recovery evidence the practice needs without leaving an unexplained alternate publication behind. Finishing the technical tests is only part of closing the exercise. The handover should make clear whether the environment was removed, remains protected for a reason, or still requires an accountable follow-up action.
How to check the result
The exercise's temporary resources have an explicit controlled final state.
A mistake to avoid
Finishing the technical test does not automatically retire its public environment.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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