Offline capability audit
Conduct an offline capability audit by disconnecting from internet and testing each critical tool for 10 minutes, grading as fully offline, partially offline, or fully dependent, then identifying local-first alternatives for any fully-dependent critical tool.
When This Fires
- Annually, or when adding a new critical tool to your stack
- Before any extended travel or location change where connectivity may be unreliable
- When a connectivity outage has revealed unexpected tool dependencies
- Complements Choose open portable formats (Markdown, CSV, JSON) over… (open formats) and 3-2-1 backup rule (backup rule) with the connectivity-resilience dimension
Common Failure Mode
Assumed offline capability: "Google Docs works offline!" — but only if you enabled offline mode in advance, only for recently opened documents, and only in Chrome. The actual offline experience may be far more limited than the marketing claims suggest.
The Protocol
(1) List your critical tools: the tools needed for your most important daily work (note-taking, writing, task management, communication). (2) Disconnect from the internet (airplane mode or WiFi off). (3) Test each critical tool for 10 minutes of actual use: can you create new content? Edit existing content? Access your data? Search? (4) Grade each tool: Fully offline (all critical functions work without internet), Partially offline (some functions work; others don't — document what's limited), Fully dependent (the tool is unusable without internet). (5) For any critical tool graded "fully dependent": identify a local-first alternative that can serve as a fallback during connectivity loss. For "partially offline" tools: document the limitations so you know what to expect.