As the year winds down, it’s easy to let things slide. Maybe your team is riding high after hitting their quarterly targets, or perhaps everyone’s simply waiting for the holiday season to start. But make no mistake: The end of the year is crunch time for service desks and IT teams, and those who aren’t prepared are setting themselves up for failure. That’s why it’s useful to have an annual service desk checklist.
A lot of teams drop the ball when it comes to service desk end-of-year tasks. They’re too focused on crossing the finish line that they don’t stop to think about setting themselves up for next year. But this checklist is your ace in the hole. Let’s dig in.
Checklist: End-of-year tasks at the service desk
1. Master the code freeze
Too many service desks treat code freezes as an annoying formality, but they are a litmus test for whether your team has its act together. The teams that crush it during a freeze are the ones who’ve already sorted out their priorities.
Critical fixes? Handled. Documentation? Updated. Knowledge base? Refined. The teams that fail are the ones running around at the last minute, trying to slap a Band-Aid on issues that should have been dealt with weeks ago.
Use the freeze as an opportunity to do all the non-code work that gets pushed aside during the chaos of regular operations. Think documentation updates, internal process improvements and strategic planning.
Make the code freeze work for you, not against you. Get the team focused on the big picture and set them up for a stronger post-freeze period. This is your window to fix the things that will stop being annoying and start becoming catastrophic next year if left unattended.
2. Reconnect with stakeholders and get brutally honest
Most help desks aren’t communicating nearly enough with their stakeholders. You see it all the time: The end of the year rolls around, and suddenly, everyone realizes there’s a massive disconnect between what’s being delivered and what’s expected. And that’s not just a slip-up, that’s a failure in leadership.
So here’s your mission: Set up stakeholder meetings and make them uncomfortable. Don’t just ask the usual, “How are we doing?” Dig deeper. Ask, “Where have we fallen short? What did we promise and not deliver? What do you need from us next year?” These conversations can be tough, but if you’re not asking these questions, you’re walking into next year blind.
More important, these conversations give you leverage. When stakeholders are honest about their expectations, you can turn around and align your team’s goals to meet them. Don’t wait until next year to realize you’re off-course; course-correct now. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re not blindsided by unexpected priorities.
3. Uncover your weaknesses with internal audits
While some teams may groan at the thought of audits, the service desks that understand their value are the ones that come out on top. Internal audits are where you uncover the cracks before they turn into canyons.
Too many teams treat internal audits as a box-checking exercise. However, they should be treated as a deep dive into your operation’s underbelly. Security protocols should be tight, but are they? What about your compliance with industry standards – are you up to date, or are you playing catch-up?
If your service desk isn’t using internal audits to find and fix weak points, you’re just asking for trouble next year. What are you going to do when a security breach happens because you didn’t patch that vulnerability flagged during your audit? Or when a compliance violation costs your organization time and money?
This is the time to stop sweeping issues under the rug. Dig into every process, review everything from your SLAs to your Ticket Management, and make sure your team is fully prepared for the challenges coming in the new year. Be proactive; not reactive.
4. Resource review: Are you prepared for what’s next?
One area that tends to get overlooked in the flurry of help desk end-of-year tasks is resource planning. Now is the time to assess whether your team has the skills and capacity to handle the next year’s workload.
Do you need to invest in team development? Is there a talent gap that’s holding your team back from reaching its potential? These are the kinds of questions to ask before the new year hits, so you can plan for training, certifications or even new hires if necessary.
Are the inventory levels, equipment and tools supporting your team up to par? Remember that your teams are one of the most important stakeholders involved in IT Operations, so take the time to adjust their tooling to make them their best!
Vendor Management is also key here – are your current tools and partners supporting your goals? Or are they simply dragging you down? Now’s your chance to make changes.
5. Budgeting: Are you allocating your resources wisely?
IT budgeting is more than just making sure you’ve got the funds to keep the lights on. You want to align your resources with the company’s larger goals. And that means asking tough questions. Is your budget supporting innovation and improvement? Or is it just the status quo?
Take the time to review whether your current spending aligns with both your short-term needs and long-term strategy. Identify areas where you can cut back (without cutting corners), and where an extra investment could make a big difference.
Don’t be afraid to make bold moves. If you can make the case for increased spending in areas like automation, training, or better tooling, do it. Playing it safe with your budget is a surefire way to fall behind.
Bonus focus areas: Don’t forget the details
The general checklist will get you 90% of the way there, but you can’t afford to overlook specific focus areas. Think of these as the difference between a good service desk and a great one:
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Security: It’s no secret that security threats are evolving faster than ever. If you’re not conducting regular reviews of your security protocols, you’re leaving the door open for disaster. And don’t just look at your network security – review your social and physical security, too. Is your team ready for the next wave of attacks, do they know when to question authorization and when to act or are you still relying on last year’s playbook?
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Compliance: Regulations are getting more complex, not less. Use the end of the year to ensure you’re not only compliant with current regulations but also prepared for any changes on the horizon. If you’re behind here, it’s going to come back to bite you – hard.
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Knowledge Management: Too many teams let their knowledge base turn into a graveyard of outdated information. Not you. The end of the year is the perfect time to overhaul your documentation. Make it a living resource that helps your team and your customers, not a dust-covered relic that’s more outdated than helpful.
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Vendor Management: Take a hard look at your vendors. Are they delivering what they promised? Are they pushing you forward, or are they dragging you down? If they’re not performing, it’s time to renegotiate or replace them.
Plan now, thank yourself later
So there you have it – the ultimate end-of-year checklist to keep your help desk on track. By planning ahead and addressing these tasks now, you’ll not only finish the year strong, but also set your team up for a more productive and less stressful year ahead.
Don’t wait until December to start thinking about these end-of-year service desk tasks. The earlier you tackle them, the better positioned you’ll be to handle whatever comes next. And trust me, if you follow this checklist, you’ll be in better shape than your competitors, who will be kicking themselves for not being as prepared as you are.