Using the form as the only alert
Someone away from their desk, or with the wrong app open, will never see a form. Keep the outage alert in the channel staff already watch, and use this form for the wording and the record behind it.
IT outage notification: record the facts before the message goes out
An IT outage notification is the short written notice that tells staff which system is down or degraded, what they can still do, and when they will hear next. This form captures those facts from the incident owner, so the wording can be checked before anyone publishes it. The form does not send the notice to staff, so the message still has to go out through the channel your company uses for outages.
What people search
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Field blueprint
The facts the notice is written from
| Field | Type | Required | Why you ask it |
|---|---|---|---|
Incident owner name | Short text | Required | Names the person who answers questions while the outage lasts. |
Incident owner work email | Required | Gives staff and leaders one contact address for questions, not a shared inbox that nobody watches. | |
System affectedFor example: the time-tracking app or the shared file server | Short text | Required | Names the exact system so people can tell whether it touches their work. |
What is not workingFor example: people cannot save timesheets, and the approval screen loads blank. | Long text | Required | Describes the symptoms staff will notice, in their own words rather than technical terms. |
Who is affectedOne teamSeveral teamsWhole companyCustomers as well as staff | Dropdown | Required | Sets the audience for the notice and decides who must be told first. |
Problem started at, with time zone | Short text | Required | Anchors the timeline in the notice. The time zone lets people in other offices read the right time. |
Current statusInvestigatingCause identified, fix in progressFix applied, monitoringResolved | Single choice | Required | Tells staff whether to wait or to start a workaround. |
Workaround availableYes, steps are belowNoNot known yet | Single choice | Required | Tells staff whether they can keep working. Choose Not known yet rather than guessing. |
Workaround stepsWrite steps people can follow. Never include a password or a sign-in link that carries a token. | Long text | Optional | Gives staff a usable path while the fix is in progress. |
Next update expected byFor example: 3 p.m. Eastern, or when the fix is confirmed | Short text | Required | Sets the time of the next message, even when the honest update is that nothing has changed. |
Message approvalA second person should read the wording against the facts above. | Section header | Marks the fields that a second reviewer checks before the notice goes out. | |
Second reviewer | Short text | Required | Records who checked the wording, so one person does not publish a notice alone. |
Try it
Read the notice the way staff will read it
Mistakes to avoid
Four habits that make outage messages worse
Promising a fix time nobody owns
Write 'expect an update by 3 p.m.' only when someone has agreed to own that update. A missed promise hurts more than an honest 'no update yet'.
Naming a cause before it is confirmed
'A failed database update' is a claim. Use 'investigating' until someone can point to evidence, and move to 'cause identified' only then.
Leaving out who is affected
'Some users may see errors' leaves each reader guessing whether it touches them. Name the team, the site or the product.
After a response arrives
Turning the form into a notice
Use the form as the record, not the broadcast
The form stores the answers, and its creator is notified after a scheduled job processes the submission. That job runs hourly in production, so the staff notice goes out through your existing outage channel, with this form as its source.
Read the latest submission before each update
Before you post the next update, open the latest submission in the grid, so the message repeats the facts you recorded rather than what someone remembers from the call.
Export the grid for the post-incident review
After a long outage, export CSV from the grid, so the review can list each recorded status and the time it was set.
Working checklist
Checks before, during and after the notice
Before you publish
- Confirm the system name matches what staff call it
- Check the start time and its time zone
- Name one owner who answers questions
- Get the second reviewer to confirm the wording
While the outage lasts
- Post the next update at the time you promised, even with no change
- Keep the workaround steps current
- Record each change of status with its time
When service is back
- Send a resolved notice that says what changed for staff
- Confirm the workaround is no longer needed before you remove it
- Book a short review of the cause with the owners
Frequently asked questions
What is an IT outage notification?
It is the short written notice that tells staff a system is down or degraded, what they can still do, and when they will hear next. Keep it factual. The form helps the owner gather those details before someone publishes the wording.
Is there a system outage notification form template?
You can copy the fields on this page and swap in your own system types. Keep the next-update field, because people waiting on a fix want to know when they will hear next.
Can this form send the notice to everyone?
No. Attain OS does not message staff. The form stores the answers and notifies its creator after a scheduled job processes the submission, so your team sends the notice through its own channel.
Should the notice name the cause?
Only after someone confirms it. Until then, describe the symptom and the stage of work. A confirmed cause belongs in the resolved notice, with the evidence behind it.
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How to build it
Choose a category and a form type in the wizard. Answer three Atty Suggestions questions, then give the form a title. Atty builds the fields in the background. Edit the fields and ask Atty to refine them, then publish and share the /f/ link.
