Incident Response Template

This template provides a structured approach to handling production incidents, including detection, response procedures, communication protocols, and post-incident analysis for continuous improvement.

Sample Prompt

Create an incident response plan for a web application outage:
- Incident detection and alerting mechanisms
- Escalation procedures and team notification
- Communication plan for stakeholders and customers
- Investigation and diagnosis procedures
- Resolution and recovery steps
- Post-incident review and documentation process

What This Template Covers

• Incident detection and automated alerting systems for rapid response
• Response procedures with clear roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths
• Communication protocols for internal teams and external stakeholders
• Investigation techniques for rapid diagnosis and root cause identification
• Recovery procedures and service restoration strategies
• Post-incident analysis and improvement planning to prevent recurrence

Best Practices

1. Prepare response procedures before incidents occur with clear documentation
2. Establish clear roles and responsibilities for incident response team members
3. Implement automated alerting for rapid detection and notification
4. Practice incident response with regular drills and simulations
5. Communicate proactively with stakeholders during and after incidents
6. Document everything during the incident for later analysis
7. Conduct blameless post-mortems focusing on process improvements
8. Update procedures regularly based on lessons learned from incidents

When to Use This Template

• Preparing incident response procedures for production systems
• Training teams on incident handling and emergency procedures
• Conducting post-incident reviews and analysis
• Improving system reliability and response capabilities
• Meeting compliance requirements for incident management

The Script

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