I recently posted the below on the SANS Internet Storm Center site.
Whether at the end of a project or at the end of your time with an organization, there are some low impact and high reward actions you can take to ensure that you leave things better than when you found them. Although it is not without risk for us as security professionals, if you have the opportunity it is ideal to spend time training your successor before you leave. Through a few intentional actions you can leave a legacy that can serve to inspire others to not only sustain but to actually improve operations.
This topic is particularly close to me now because I have recently started a new position. I had the opportunity to share my experience with others and found it to be rewarding and also a little uncomfortable for me and for the person who was assuming my duties. I found myself personally and professionally vested in the success of the program while recognizing that it was time for me to let go. There are of course certain circumstances that will prevent this sharing from happening. Sometimes policies will dictate that when someone resigns, the team members are escorted from the premises right away.
Even in you are not making your next career move, maybe you are transitioning from a project and can use this time to help others. The following are some suggestions on what you can provide to your successor:
- Operational guides
- Original installation media
- Configuration checklists
- Installation guides along with clear documentation of any deviations from the vendor instructions
- Lessons learned of things that must be done along with those that must *never* be done
- Key contacts to support sustaining the project such as administrators, change control tickets and project documentation
Even if you are not on the way out, I recommend that you “begin with the end in mind” today. Start by setting a monthly reminder on your work calendar to update and maintain your project or program documentation. You may very well recognize that the person this helps the most is you!
Use the comments section to share what are you doing to leave things better than when you found them.
Russell