Recovery Planning Worksheet (RPO / RTO + Restore Evidence)
A simple worksheet to turn recovery planning into written decisions, evidence, and practical next steps.
Continuity Backup RTO RPO
Why this exists
Backups alone are not recovery planning. This worksheet helps SMEs write down how fast systems need to come back, how much data loss is acceptable, and what restore evidence actually exists.
1) Top systems worksheet
| System / data set | Owner | Why it matters | Target RTO | Target RPO | Current evidence |
|---|
| Email | | | | | |
| File shares / SharePoint | | | | | |
| Business app / CRM / accounting | | | | | |
2) Restore evidence checklist
- Do we have a documented restore path for each critical system?
- Have we run a real restore test in the last 90 days?
- Do we know who makes recovery-order decisions under pressure?
- Can we access backup systems during an incident?
- Do we know the difference between backup “success” and restore “proof”?
3) Restore evidence log (copy/paste)
| Date | System tested | What was restored | Time to restore | Validation result | Issues / actions |
|---|
| | | | Pass / Fail | |
| | | | Pass / Fail | |
4) First-pass planning logic
- Choose the top 3 systems the business truly depends on.
- Write down the maximum tolerable outage for each one.
- Write down the maximum acceptable data loss for each one.
- Compare those targets to the evidence you actually have.
- Record the gaps and decide what must improve first.
5) Common gotchas
- Targets live only in people’s heads, not in writing.
- Backups are assumed to be fine because jobs are “green”.
- Email/files are considered, but key SaaS/app data is ignored.
- No one has practiced recovery order or communications.
Note: This document is general operational guidance and does not replace legal advice. It helps you establish a practical baseline and reduce common privacy risks.
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