SORF Project

Template

Continuity Notes

The Continuity Notes template helps an organization document essential information before a founder, owner, director, manager, maintainer, or other key person becomes unavailable.

Small organizations often depend on a small number of people who know how important work gets done. They may know which vendors matter, where records are stored, what renewals are coming up, who receives important notices, and what should be checked first during a disruption.

This template helps preserve enough context for others to understand the first practical steps.

It is not a legal succession plan or emergency response plan. It is a practical documentation tool.

Purpose

The purpose of this template is to help an organization document:

The goal is to reduce avoidable confusion during a difficult or urgent moment.

Who this template is for

This template is designed for:

Larger organizations may adapt it, but they may need more formal continuity planning, governance documents, legal review, insurance review, security planning, or professional support.

Important boundary

This template is not:

Organizations should seek qualified professional guidance where needed.

Use this template to document what should be known if a key person is unavailable.

Good first continuity notes may cover:

Start with the person or role the organization depends on most.

Template fields

The Continuity Notes template may include the following fields.

Key person or role

Record the person or role the note applies to.

Examples:

Where appropriate, include both a role and current person.

Role summary

Describe what the person or role is responsible for.

Examples:

The summary should be easy to understand.

Immediate first steps

List the first practical actions someone should take if the person is unavailable.

Examples:

Keep this list short and practical.

Critical responsibilities

List responsibilities that may need attention quickly.

Examples:

Critical responsibilities should connect to responsibility records where possible.

Critical vendors and services

List essential vendors and services connected to the person or role.

Examples:

Do not duplicate the full vendor inventory unless necessary. Link or refer to it.

Safe access references

Record safe references to access documentation.

Examples:

Do not record passwords, API keys, MFA recovery codes, private keys, seed phrases, payment card data, or other secret values in continuity notes.

Credential values should remain in the approved systems your organization uses to protect them.

Important contacts

Record contacts who may need to be informed or consulted.

Examples:

Avoid collecting unnecessary personal information. Use only what the organization is authorized and comfortable maintaining.

Decision authority

Record who can make decisions if the key person is unavailable.

Examples:

If authority is defined in bylaws, operating agreements, contracts, board resolutions, policies, or other governing records, refer to those records rather than trying to replace them.

Recurring obligations

Record recurring duties that could be missed.

Examples:

Use general awareness unless specific dates are safe and useful to include.

Important record locations

Record where important records are maintained.

Examples:

Use safe references. Do not expose sensitive documents to people who should not access them.

Backup owner

Record who can help if the primary person is unavailable.

Examples:

Critical roles should usually have a backup owner or escalation path.

Last reviewed

Record when the continuity note was last reviewed.

Review frequency

Record how often the continuity note should be reviewed.

Examples:

Status

Record the current status of the continuity note.

Suggested values:

Notes

Use notes for neutral, non-sensitive context.

Examples:

Do not use notes for credentials, recovery codes, private personal details, sensitive incident evidence, confidential legal information, or regulated data.

Minimum version

A small organization can begin with these fields:

Field Purpose
Key person or role Person or role the note applies to
Role summary What they are responsible for
First steps What to check first if unavailable
Critical responsibilities Duties that may need attention
Critical services Essential vendors or systems connected to the role
Access references Safe references to access records
Backup owner Who can help if unavailable
Last reviewed Date last checked

This minimum version is enough to reduce avoidable confusion.

Example entry

Field Example
Key person or role Founder
Role summary Maintains website, public documentation, vendor relationships, support inbox, and project direction
First steps Check support inbox, vendor inventory, access references, and current project notes
Critical responsibilities Domain renewal, website updates, payment account awareness, public communication
Critical services Domain registrar, website host, email provider, repository host
Access references “Primary Domain Registrar,” “Website Hosting Admin,” “Repository Admin”
Important contacts Website maintainer, finance owner, board chair if applicable
Decision authority Refer to governance records
Backup owner Operations backup
Last reviewed 2026-07-08
Status Active

When to update this template

Update the Continuity Notes template when:

What not to include

Do not include:

If sensitive information must be preserved, store it in an approved secure location and reference it safely.

Suggested first pass

A useful first pass may look like this:

  1. Pick one key person or role.
  2. Write a short role summary.
  3. List the first five things someone should check if that person is unavailable.
  4. List the critical services connected to that role.
  5. Add safe access-reference links.
  6. Add a backup owner or mark the backup owner as missing.
  7. Add a review date.

The goal is not to solve every possible disruption. The goal is to make the first steps clearer.

This template supports the Continuity Notes standard.

It also connects to:

License

This template is intended to be provided as a free public resource.

Unless otherwise stated on the project license page, the standards and templates are made available for use, adaptation, and sharing under the project’s open content license.

The project name, logo, and official identity are not included in the template license.

Download template

This template is provided as a free public resource. Review the guidance on this page before using it, especially the notes about sensitive information.

Download Continuity Notes

Status: Draft · Version: 0.1 · Last updated: 7/8/2026

Do not record passwords, API keys, MFA recovery codes, private keys, seed phrases, payment card data, confidential customer records, or other sensitive values in general templates.