Hardware Lifecycle Refresh Checklist Template

Run it two or three months before the client sets its budget.

• Open the refresh for the client and budget year — record the start of the client’s financial year, its refresh policy and who signs off hardware spend
• Export the hardware inventory from the RMM — model, serial, first-seen or purchase date, processor, memory, storage, OS version and last check-in for every device
• Add warranty end dates — from the manufacturer’s warranty lookup or the documentation platform, and flag devices with no warranty record
• Check Windows 11 eligibility for every Windows 10 device — TPM 2.0, UEFI with Secure Boot, a supported processor, 4 GB of memory and 64 GB of storage
• Reconcile the RMM with the documentation platform — devices in one but not the other are found now, not after the order is placed

• Flag devices past their refresh age — by device class, using the client’s agreed cycle or your standard where it has none
• Flag devices losing OS support — Windows 10 devices not enrolled in ESU, servers on an operating system near its end date and network kit with no further firmware
• Flag devices with a poor repair history — repeat hardware tickets, disk health alerts and worn batteries, whatever their age
• Build the devices-due list — each device with its user, reason and priority: replace now, replace this year or review next year
• Confirm whether servers or network equipment are in this refresh — answer Yes or No; Yes adds the infrastructure phase

• Choose standard models for each role — from your standard device list, so builds, docks and spares stay consistent
• Build the quote — hardware, accessories, setup labour, data migration and disposal, split across the client’s budget periods
• Check the quote against the technology roadmap — explain any difference from the hardware line the client already approved
• Present the options to the client — replace now, defer with a warranty extension or ESU, or retire the device without replacement
• Approve the refresh order — the account manager records the client’s written approval as an attachment and answers Approved or Not approved before anything is ordered

• Place the order against the approved quote — and ask the reseller to register the devices for Windows Autopilot where they can
• Check deliveries against the order — serials, condition and accessories, then tag each device and add it to the documentation platform
• Confirm Autopilot registration and profile assignment — or apply your standard image where devices are not cloud-managed
• Provision the standard build — compliance policies, disk encryption, RMM agent, EDR and backup, checked on each device before it leaves the bench
• Book a handover slot with each user — agreed with the client contact, so nobody is swapped in the middle of month-end

• Copy what the old device holds locally — files outside OneDrive or the file server, browser profiles, printers and application settings
• Hand over the new device — the user signs in, OneDrive syncs, and line-of-business applications, printers and peripherals are tested with them
• Record the user’s acceptance — after a working day on the new device, not at the desk during handover
• Collect and quarantine the old device — labelled with its asset tag, held for the agreed grace period and logged into custody

Shown only when servers or network equipment are in the refresh. A laptop-only refresh goes straight to Phase 7.

• Book the maintenance window — under an approved change record, with the client told what will be unavailable and for how long
• Back up configurations and firmware versions — a verified server backup and exported switch, firewall and access point configurations
• Write the migration and rollback plan — cutover steps, the point where you decide to roll back and how long rollback takes
• Cut over in the window — follow the plan and record each step’s start and finish time
• Run the post-cutover checks — services, DNS and DHCP, VPN, Wi-Fi, backup jobs, monitoring and a user test at each site
• Hand the old server to decommissioning — dependencies, DNS records, firewall rules and backup jobs removed before the hardware leaves

• Deregister retired devices from Intune and Windows Autopilot — delete each device from Intune first, then remove its Autopilot registration
• Send retired devices to disposal — as one batch through your disposal process, with sanitisation and a certificate per device
• Remove retired devices from the RMM, EDR and backup — so no agent, seat or job keeps running for hardware that has gone
• Update the documentation platform and agreement device counts — so next month’s invoice matches the estate
• Set the next refresh review date — and record every device deferred this year and why