Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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When you work remotely, technology failures can cause confusion, eat up valuable time, and make you look unprofessional. You can reduce the impact of tech snafus by planning for them.

o For example, when you set up your remote work tools before a big conference call, catalog potential risks and think through worst-case scenarios.

o Brainstorm a plan B (what should you do if you’re kicked off the call?), and do a few trial runs to make sure it’s viable. And keep important information close by.

o You might even create a “technology crisis card” for quick reference, writing down the name and version of your computer’s operating system, account information for your most important tools, and contact information for a local, in-home IT service.

Adapted from Virtual Collaboration (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series).

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Also, you may wish to check out an anthology, Management Tips from Harvard Business Review, by clicking here.