What truly sets resilient teams apart is not only how they handle the heat of the moment but also what they do afterward. The post-incident phase is an opportunity to reflect, learn, and improve so that teams can be even more prepared the next time things go wrong.
Here are some common tasks after an incident is resolved:
Conduct a post-incident review
An incident retrospective, or post-incident review, is a structured process for reflecting on and analyzing incidents. Post-incident reviews bring the team together to identify lessons learned and opportunities for improvement.
Traditionally, these are referred to as postmortems. However, many incident management practitioners have moved away from that term because of its association with death, which can feel counterproductive in collaborative environments.
The post-incident review is an excellent opportunity to raise customer concerns and see how communication can be improved both internally and externally.
Document and share learnings
Capture the incident's timeline, impacts, resolutions, and key takeaways in a central place. Sharing these insights across teams ensures everyone benefits from the lessons learned and reduces the likelihood of similar issues in the future.
Implement fixes and improvements
Address the root causes identified in the post-incident review and implement any other necessary changes in the incident response process. This might involve bug fixes, monitoring improvements, or refining the response and communication process.
Communicate with stakeholders
As we’ve already discussed, transparency is key. For more significant incidents, customers will likely be eager to learn what happened, even long after the incident is resolved. Don’t leave them hanging, as this can cause more frustration.
Let customers, partners, and other stakeholders know what happened, how it was resolved, and the steps you’re taking to prevent similar incidents. Remember to use plain language and focus on rebuilding trust.
Many organizations publish a post-incident review writeup directly on their company status page.
Monitor and validate fixes
Once fixes are in place, monitor systems closely to ensure stability and validate that the changes were effective. Stay close to the support queue to ensure residual effects are causing problems for customers.
Refine your process
In the spirit of continuous improvement, use the learnings from each incident to improve your overall incident response plan. Update playbooks, improve training programs, and simulate new scenarios to keep your team prepared.