Post-Incident Review Reports Guide

1. Introduction

• Purpose: The purpose of a Post-Incident Review (PIR) report is to analyze an incident, understand its root cause, document the response, and identify opportunities for improvement. This guide helps ensure that incidents are thoroughly reviewed to prevent recurrence and improve organizational resilience.
• Scope: This guide is applicable to incidents that impact business operations, including technical failures, security breaches, operational disruptions, and safety incidents.

2. Incident Summary

• Incident Description: Provide a brief overview of the incident, including what happened, when it occurred, and the systems or services affected.
• Impact Assessment: Describe the impact of the incident on operations, customers, financials, or other relevant areas. Include any metrics (e.g., downtime duration, number of affected users).

3. Root Cause Analysis

• Root Cause Identification: Identify the root cause of the incident. Use methods such as the “5 Whys” or Fishbone Diagram to determine the underlying cause.
• Contributing Factors: List any contributing factors that exacerbated the incident or made recovery more difficult.

4. Incident Response

• Initial Response: Document the actions taken in response to the incident, including who was involved and the sequence of events.
• Mitigation Measures: Outline the measures implemented to mitigate the impact of the incident. Include timelines and the effectiveness of each action.
• Communication: Describe how internal and external stakeholders were informed about the incident, including communication channels and timelines.

5. Resolution and Recovery

• Resolution Steps: Detail the steps taken to resolve the incident and restore normal operations. Include any troubleshooting activities and technical solutions implemented.
• Recovery Timeline: Provide a timeline of key events from the incident’s onset to full recovery.

6. Lessons Learned

• Identified Gaps: Identify any gaps in processes, systems, or skills that contributed to the incident or affected the response.
• Opportunities for Improvement: Document recommendations for improving processes, technologies, or training to prevent similar incidents in the future.

7. Action Plan

• Improvement Actions: List the actions to be taken based on the lessons learned. Assign ownership to specific individuals or teams, and include target completion dates.
• Follow-Up Review: Schedule a follow-up review to assess progress on the improvement actions and ensure that recommendations are being implemented effectively.

8. Roles and Responsibilities

• Incident Response Team: List the individuals or teams involved in managing the incident, including their roles during the response.
• Post-Incident Review Team: Identify the individuals responsible for conducting the PIR and documenting the findings.

9. Documentation

• Incident Report: Include all relevant details, such as timelines, response actions, and root cause analysis.
• PIR Report: Document the findings from the PIR, including lessons learned and the action plan.

10. Review and Distribution

• Stakeholder Review: Share the PIR report with relevant stakeholders for review and feedback. Ensure transparency and encourage input from those affected by the incident.
• Distribution: Distribute the final report to key stakeholders, including senior management, incident response teams, and other relevant parties.

11. Conclusion

• Summary: Summarize the key takeaways from the incident and the steps being taken to prevent recurrence. Highlight the importance of continuous improvement and the value of learning from incidents.

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This guide provides a structured approach to conducting Post-Incident Review reports, ensuring that incidents are thoroughly analyzed, and lessons are applied to enhance future resilience and response capabilities.