# Handle recovery and close the site

Review held work and preserve records before the read window ends.

Source: https://help.smartfact.ai/manuals/worksteps/recovery-and-closure

Review edition: 25 October 2026

Roles: owner, supervisor

Recovery and closure require a deliberate operational handover. Have the Owner, Supervisor and people who can confirm the physical work available. An application recovery barrier does not reconstruct work performed after the retained database record.

## Review after recovery

Stop normal station entry when recovery holds are shown. Identify open attempts, the actual physical units and the last evidence whose acceptance can be established. The Supervisor reviews each held attempt and uses its permitted remedies. Do not resubmit an old completion or photo merely to make the restored screen look complete.

Earlier station sessions and commands can be refused because recovery authority changed. Sign in again when instructed and check current state. Preserve the original command identity when reporting uncertainty. A stale tab cannot establish that an action survived recovery.

Arrange any required replacement, cancellation, repeated evidence or further review through Supervision. Keep the original and subsequent attempts linked in the explanation given to the next shift. Missing retained files must be reported as missing; their absence is not permission to claim the earlier evidence was checked.

## Preserve the exit record

Before closing, use [history and exports](/manuals/worksteps/history-and-exports) to prepare and download the complete export. Confirm that it is ready and readable. Keep the inventory and the retained generation date. Complete or dispose of open physical work through the site's normal controls and record the WorkSteps decisions.

## Close WorkSteps deliberately

The Owner opens Team & stations and reads Close WorkSteps for this site. Inspect the disclosed read-and-export date and the site confirmation. Confirm only after checking the correct site and keeping the required records.

Closure stops writes, including station work, imports, issuance and supervised changes. Permitted reading and exports continue until the disclosed date. After that window, access is refused. The product does not offer reopening as an ordinary closure remedy.

Closing WorkSteps does not cancel subscriptions or alter another product. Use Accounts separately for the authorised commercial decision. Tell the people affected when work will stop and when records must be downloaded.

If closure or recovery is refused, retain the displayed reason and current site state. Ask the responsible Owner or support to investigate; do not create a second organisation or fresh unit identities to hide unresolved records.