Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Received-System Checklist

ICS Received-System Checklist

Inheriting an industrial control system you did not design or commission can be risky. The system may be running, but that does not mean everything about it is understood, documented, validated, or recoverable.

The ICS Received-System Checklist gives engineers and technical teams a structured way to work through what they need to know when taking responsibility for an existing industrial control system.

It is designed to help you identify what is known, what is missing, what was assumed, and where caution is needed before the system surprises you.

What’s included:

• A printable Word document checklist for field use, reviews, and handover meetings
• An Excel spreadsheet version with dropdown status fields and progress tracking
• Nine practical review sections covering the major areas of an inherited ICS
• A structured way to capture gaps, unknowns, and follow-up items
• A summary view for tracking completion and areas needing attention

Use this checklist to review:

• Process and physical system context
• Instrumentation and field devices
• Control logic and configuration
• Networks and communications
• Documentation and change history
• Human knowledge and operational context
• Safety systems
• OT cybersecurity
• Backups, recovery, vendor support, and lifecycle concerns

This checklist is not meant to re-engineer the system. It is meant to help you understand what you have inherited before you are forced to troubleshoot it under pressure.

Best for: controls engineers, automation specialists, plant engineers, maintenance teams, system integrators, and technical leaders taking over responsibility for an existing ICS.