Definition
A backout plan is a predefined strategy for undoing or reversing an implementation in a system in case of errors or compatibility issues. It is a safety measure that ensures system availability and data integrity.
Backout Plan Key Elements
- Pre-change Snapshot: Create backups, system configuration, or database snapshots of the system’s current state.
- Triggers: Design the conditions that set the backout plan in motion whenever the system fails, such as performance declines or any measurable metrics.
- Step-by-step instructions: List the steps required to revert the changes, such as commands, scripts, and configurations for restoration.
- Roles and responsibilities: Define roles and responsibilities in the backout procedure.
- Communication plan: Describe the process and the timing of how stakeholders will be notified of the backout plan.
- Testing: Test the plan to confirm its functionality and perform a similar test in a separate environment, replicating trigger conditions to help with restoration.
- Documentation: Note every trace, step, approach, and methodology and prepare a summary document for use during the restoration and post-action sessions.
- Post-backout steps: These can include system monitoring, user notification, and monitoring to ensure the system is functional after the restoration.
- Review: The review process notes the improvements or adjustments that may be needed.
Examples of Backout Plan
Here are real-life examples of backout plans:
- The 2018 Windows 10 Update: Microsoft released an update that caused data loss for some users. However, the company used a backout plan that halted the update rollout and reverted affected devices to the previous version.
- Data centre migration of a multinational corporation: During the migration of data centres to a new location, a backout plan ensured continuous operations during reconfiguration after the company discovered an incompatible network configuration.
- Cloud service adoption: A small business shifting its servers to cloud services used a backout plan to maintain backups on local servers. The plan also helped quick resolution of performance issues and reduced downtime.