Ability to roll-back changes from a specific time period

Description

The ability to roll-back changes from a specific time period can be helpful if a major mistake was made in the planning process. This means that if an error, unauthorized change or data mismatch occurs, users can revert the system to a previous state, ensuring data integrity and system stability.

Example Use Case

Scenario: A multinational clothing company uses CPM software to manage business operations. An analyst mistakenly modifies key financial data during a routine update. This mistake distorts forecast models and greatly affects the sales strategy for the next quarter.

Solution: Instead of manually trying to spot and rectify the erroneous data, the system administrator uses the software's roll-back feature. They select the exact time before the mistake was made, enabling the system to revert the changes, thereby restoring data integrity and saving considerable time and effort.

Considerations

Ease of Use: Administrators should be able to effortlessly carry out the roll-back operation. The software should provide a clear list of changes made and the corresponding timestamps.

Authorized Access: Roll-back operations should only be performed by a dedicated team or a person with appropriate permissions to prevent misuse.

Audit Log: Every roll-back action should be recorded in an audit log to ensure traceability.

Effect on Active Processes: How the roll-back feature impacts active processes should be considered. Ideally, it should not interrupt ongoing operations while restoring previous states.

Questions to Ask a Vendor

• Roll-back Time: How far back can changes be reversed in your system?
• Effect on Active Processes: How will the roll-back effect what we are working on today? Can it be specific, or is it all or nothing?
• Simple Undo: Instead of a system-wide roll-back, what if we wanted to do the equivalent of ctrl-z to part of the plan?