> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://getmonitor.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Maintenance Updates

> Keep users informed during scheduled maintenance windows

## Overview

Maintenance updates allow you to communicate progress during planned downtime, letting users know how the maintenance is proceeding.

## Adding a Maintenance Update

To update an ongoing maintenance window:

1. Navigate to your **Status Page**
2. Click **Maintenance**
3. Select the active maintenance event
4. Click **Add Update** or similar button

### Update Fields

**Status:**

* **Scheduled** - Not yet started
* **In Progress** - Currently underway
* **Completed** - Finished successfully

**Message:**

* Current progress
* Any delays or issues
* Updated completion estimate
* What you're working on now

## Update Timeline

Provide updates at key milestones:

### Before Maintenance Starts

**24 Hours Before:**

```
Reminder: Scheduled maintenance begins tomorrow at 2:00 AM UTC.
Website and API will be unavailable for approximately 2 hours.
```

**1 Hour Before:**

```
Maintenance begins in 1 hour (2:00 AM UTC). All services will be
temporarily unavailable while we upgrade our database servers.
```

### During Maintenance

**When Starting:**

```
Status: In Progress
Maintenance has begun. Database servers are being upgraded.
Expected completion: 4:00 AM UTC.
```

**Mid-Maintenance:**

```
Status: In Progress
Upgrade is 50% complete. Proceeding as planned. Still expecting
completion by 4:00 AM UTC.
```

**If Delayed:**

```
Status: In Progress
We're experiencing a minor delay. New estimated completion: 4:30 AM UTC.
We'll provide another update in 30 minutes.
```

### After Completion

**Successful Completion:**

```
Status: Completed
Maintenance completed successfully at 3:45 AM UTC (15 minutes ahead
of schedule). All services are now fully operational. Thank you for
your patience.
```

**Early Completion:**

```
Status: Completed
Great news! Maintenance completed ahead of schedule at 3:30 AM UTC.
All systems are operational and performing well.
```

## Update Frequency

### Normal Maintenance (\< 2 hours)

* **Before start:** 24 hours and 1 hour reminders
* **At start:** Immediate update
* **During:** Update if longer than 1 hour
* **At completion:** Final confirmation

### Extended Maintenance (> 2 hours)

* **Before start:** 1 week, 24 hours, and 1 hour reminders
* **At start:** Immediate update
* **During:** Every 60-90 minutes
* **At completion:** Final confirmation with summary

<Tip>
  For maintenance longer than 1 hour, provide progress updates every hour so users know things are proceeding as planned.
</Tip>

## Best Practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Start and End on Time">
    Begin exactly when scheduled. If you finish early, that's a bonus. Running late frustrates users.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Communicate Delays Immediately">
    If maintenance will take longer than expected, tell users right away and provide a new estimate.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Provide Progress Indicators">
    "50% complete" or "2 of 4 servers migrated" helps users understand how much longer to wait.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Confirm When Services Resume">
    Don't assume users will check. Explicitly state "All services are now operational."
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Thank Users">
    Acknowledge the inconvenience and thank users for their patience.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Post-Maintenance Verification">
    After completing, verify all services are working before posting final update.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Handling Complications

### Unexpected Issues During Maintenance

```
Status: In Progress
We've encountered an unexpected issue during the database migration.
Our team is working to resolve it. We'll provide an update within
30 minutes with a revised completion time.
```

### Rolling Back

```
Status: In Progress
Due to compatibility issues discovered during testing, we're rolling
back the changes. Services will be restored to their previous state.
Expected completion: 3:30 AM UTC.
```

### Converting to Incident

If maintenance uncovers critical issues:

```
Update: During maintenance, we discovered a critical issue that requires
immediate attention. We're converting this to an incident and will
provide updates as we work toward resolution.
```

Then create an incident to continue communication.

## Communication Templates

### Infrastructure Upgrade

```
Pre-Start (24h): Reminder - Server upgrade tomorrow at 2 AM UTC
Start: Server upgrade in progress. Services temporarily unavailable.
Progress: Upgrade 75% complete. On schedule for 4 AM completion.
Complete: Servers upgraded successfully. All services operational.
```

### Database Maintenance

```
Pre-Start (1h): Database optimization begins in 1 hour
Start: Database optimization in progress. Read-only mode enabled.
Progress: Index rebuild complete. Running optimization checks.
Complete: Database optimization complete. Full service restored.
```

### Security Updates

```
Pre-Start (24h): Critical security updates scheduled for tomorrow
Start: Applying security patches. Brief service interruption expected.
Complete: Security updates applied successfully. Services fully operational.
```

## What to Include in Updates

**Do Include:**

* Current status and progress
* What you're doing right now
* Estimated completion time
* Any changes to the plan
* Impact on services

**Don't Include:**

* Internal team discussions
* Technical implementation details
* Internal tool names or ticket IDs
* Blame or excuses
* Unconfirmed information

## Notification Behavior

When you add a maintenance update:

* Status page is updated immediately
* Subscribers receive notifications for status changes
* Timeline is updated publicly
* Status badge may update
* Calendar feeds are updated

<Note>
  Not all updates trigger notifications. Typically only status changes (Scheduled → In Progress → Completed) generate notifications to avoid alert fatigue.
</Note>

## Completing Maintenance

Final update should include:

1. **Confirmation of completion**
2. **Actual vs estimated duration**
3. **Service status verification**
4. **Benefits delivered**
5. **Thank you message**

**Example:**

```
Status: Completed

Maintenance completed at 3:50 AM UTC. All database servers have been
successfully upgraded and are performing excellently. Initial tests
show a 40% improvement in query performance.

Thank you for your patience during this maintenance window.
```

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Schedule Maintenance" icon="calendar" href="/docs/incidents-maintenance/maintenance">
    Back to maintenance scheduling
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage Incidents" icon="triangle-exclamation" href="/docs/incidents-maintenance/incidents">
    Handle unplanned outages
  </Card>

  <Card title="Incident Updates" icon="comments" href="/docs/incidents-maintenance/incident-updates">
    Communicate during incidents
  </Card>

  <Card title="Notifications" icon="bell" href="/docs/notifications/alert-rules">
    Configure update notifications
  </Card>
</CardGroup>