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Foundational Incident Response

Each organization takes a different approach to setting up and configuring their incident resolution processes based on their unique needs, teams, and structure.

No two processes look exactly alike, but two styles are commonly used: DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and ITIL, as taught through Information Technology Infrastructure Library certifications.

Best Practices for Incident Management​

Effective incident management depends on the right approach. Four key best practices enhance the process:

  • Automate Incident Response – Reduce manual effort by automating critical tasks such as creating Jira tickets, initiating Zoom bridges, and running diagnostics.
  • Enhance Decision-Making with AI – Utilize AI agents to eliminate repetitive data gathering, generate real-time summaries, and provide intelligent recommendations for next steps.
  • Standardize and Optimize Response Processes – Use runbooks to define repeatable, structured response workflows that improve efficiency, ensure consistency, and enable seamless onboarding for new team members.
  • Unify Communication and Collaboration – Centralize incident-related data, discussions, and actions within a single platform to streamline response efforts and reduce context switching.
  • Deliver Real-Time Stakeholder Visibility – Combine dashboards, AI-driven summarization, and automated status updates to provide stakeholders with continuous incident insights while minimizing disruptions.

The DevOps and SRE Incident Management Process​

A more flexible and collaborative approach to incident management is commonly found in DevOps and SRE practices. Instead of a rigid framework, it emphasizes preparedness, collaboration, and continuous learning.

  • Preparedness – DevOps and SRE teams rely on data-driven metrics to proactively detect incidents. By continuously refining monitoring strategies, teams can foresee and prevent incidents before they escalate.
  • Collaboration – Unlike ITIL, where specific roles dictate responsibility, DevOps and SRE practices emphasize teamwork. Incident response is a shared responsibility, with engineers who built the system playing a crucial role in resolving issues.
  • Continuous Learning – Incident response is treated as an opportunity to improve. Engineers analyze failures, document learnings, and apply them to future development and operational processes.

The DevOps and SRE approach follows these general stages:

  1. Detection – Teams use telemetry, monitoring tools, and SLO/SLI-based indicators to proactively detect issues, ensuring applications and services meet expected performance levels even when no outright failures occur.
  2. Response and Resolution – An incident commander leads the response, assembling the right experts, gathering key data, and communicating with stakeholders to mitigate impact.
  3. Analysis and Preparation – Post-incident reviews focus on continuous improvement, using insights from incidents, SLO trends, and error budget consumption to refine processes, documentation, and engineering practices.

The ITIL Incident Management Process​

The ITIL approach to incident management relies on a structured plan with defined steps that map to specific roles. It is one of the most widely adopted IT frameworks and follows these steps:

  1. Identification and Logging – Identify an incident through testing, user feedback, infrastructure monitoring, or other means, and log the incident for future reference.

    Key details to log:

    • The exact or approximate date and time of occurrence
    • A brief description of the incident, including title and error codes (if applicable)
    • The name of the person who logged the incident
    • The assigned responder for follow-up
    • The current status of the incident
    • Relevant attachments, such as technical discussions, decisions, and approvals

  2. Classification and Prioritization – Categorize the incident based on its type (e.g., software, hardware, or service request) and prioritize it based on its impact, severity, and risk level.

  3. Investigation and Analysis – Gather information to determine the root cause and develop a resolution plan. Testing hypotheses and diagnosing issues help in preventing recurrence.

  4. Resolution and Recovery – Implement the resolution, validate it, and restore the system to its previous working condition.

  5. Closure – Retest the solution and confirm with the incident reporter that the issue has been resolved.

Next Steps​

Continue learning about incident response by getting started with the right role-based guides:

  • 🚀 Get Started as an Administrator
  • 🛠️ Get Started as a User