Shared Computer, One Deadline
The ward office of a rural municipality has three staff and one desktop computer running Windows 10 and MS Office 2016. A monthly progress report must reach the municipality’s planning section by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, either as a printed copy with the ward chair’s signature or as a scanned PDF by email. On Friday afternoon the computer shows a “low disk space” warning; the report file is named “final report.docx” and sits on the desktop. Two staff have edited it, and the latest version contains figures that differ from the handwritten register. The pen drive used for backup is not visible in File Explorer. The ward chair is away until Sunday evening. Electricity is scheduled to be cut on Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00. Staff also need to prepare 30 copies of a notice for a Sunday morning meeting. Describe what the office should do first, how to protect the report, and how to meet the Monday deadline without losing the verified figures.
1. Set out the first six actions the office should take, in order, and explain why each action comes before the next.
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Stop editing and preserve the current file: copy it to a folder named
REPORT_BACKUP_<date>before any cleanup. Reason: low disk space and multiple editors create a real risk that the next save overwrites the only version.Free space safely by deleting temporary files, old downloads and duplicates - not documents. Reason: a cleanup can itself delete evidence or the wrong draft.
Create two independent copies: one on a second office computer or external hard disk, and one sent to the ward’s official email address. Reason: a single pen drive is not a backup, especially when it is not detected.
Reconcile figures against the handwritten register with the staff who edited the file; mark each corrected figure with initials and date. Reason: the report must be verified, not merely completed.
Rename versions with a consistent convention and keep a “verified” copy separate from working drafts. Reason: prevents later edits from being mistaken for the verified version.
Plan the Monday submission around the Sunday evening signature: print two copies on Saturday after power returns, or prepare a scanned PDF and email it with a covering line, then obtain the chair’s signature on Monday if a hard copy is required. Reason: the deadline allows either signed print or scanned PDF; having both paths reduces dependence on one person and one machine.
2. The pen drive is not detected. What two backup alternatives should the office use, and what risk does each carry?
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The safest alternatives are (a) the ward’s official email account and (b) a second office computer or an external hard disk kept in a locked drawer. Email is convenient and creates a time-stamped copy, but it carries risks: attachment size limits, sending to the wrong recipient, account compromise, and the file sitting in “Sent” without being filed. Mitigate by using a clear subject line, sending to the office account, saving the sent item in a dated folder, and avoiding public links. The second computer or external disk is independent of the failing pen drive, but it can carry malware, be stolen, or be taken home. Mitigate by scanning it, restricting access, and never treating it as the only copy. Cloud storage is a third option, but it depends on connectivity and data protection; if used, restrict access to named staff. Do not keep retrying the pen drive as the primary backup; a drive that is not detected may be failing.
3. Draft a short version-control rule for this report and future reports.
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Use the pattern <office>_<report>_<BS date>_v<two digits>_<status>.<ext>. Example: WARD03_MonthlyProgress_2081-02-15_v01_draft.docx. After reconciliation, save as ..._v02_verified.docx. Rules: (a) never overwrite a verified file; (b) increase the version number only after a substantive change; (c) record editor initials and date in the file properties or a small log; (d) keep the verified PDF in a separate “submitted” folder; (e) name one person as file custodian. Reason: a name like “final report.docx” carries no date, status or owner, so staff cannot tell which figures are verified or which file was actually sent.