Covering a Second Factory When Its IT Team Left

Executive summary

In 2023 I supported IT only for the Pathein factory. Then the IT staff at the group’s second factory, in Thanlyin (Yangon), all left. I went to Thanlyin to support its users on site and kept supporting Pathein remotely. Thanlyin’s IT had not been looked after for a long time and there was no handover, so I had to fix many things from the first day while learning the whole system on my own. After about three months, I was appointed IT Executive for both factories.

Context

• Pathein factory: nearly 60 users. I had looked after it every day, so it was in good shape.
• Thanlyin factory: more than 100 users, no IT staff left, and IT that had not been looked after for a long time.

My role

• On site at Thanlyin: day-to-day IT support for more than 100 users, and fixing problems that had built up.
• Learning without a handover: worked out how the whole Thanlyin system was set up, on my own.
• Remote for Pathein: supported nearly 60 users with AnyDesk, TeamViewer, UltraViewer and phone calls.
• Same-day trips: when a problem could not be fixed remotely, I travelled to Pathein, fixed it, and came back to Thanlyin the same day.

Project journey

1. 01
   IT staff leave

   Thanlyin has no IT support and no handover.

2. 02
   Fixing from day one

   Many problems at Thanlyin had built up over time.

3. 03
   Learning the system

   Worked out the whole Thanlyin set-up without documents.

4. 04
   Pathein, remotely

   Remote tools and calls; same-day trips when needed.

5. 05
   Permanent role

   Appointed IT Executive for both factories.

Challenges & risks

• No handover: nobody was left to explain how Thanlyin’s IT was set up. Understanding the whole system alone was exhausting.
• Built-up problems: IT at Thanlyin had not been looked after for a long time, so there was a lot to fix from the start.
• Two sites, one person: more than 160 users in two places, with only one of them on site.

Results

• Both factories kept their IT support for about three months.
• More than 100 users supported on site and nearly 60 remotely.
• Appointed IT Executive for both factories, the role I held until becoming IT Manager in 2026.

Lessons learned

• A well-kept site needs less of you. Because Pathein had been looked after every day, I did not need to worry about it while I was away. Thanlyin, left alone for a long time, needed fixing from the first day.
• Handover matters. Without one, the next person has to learn everything from scratch.