Action item template
We’re thrilled that you want to contribute to improving the system in the wake of an incident! For each post-incident action that you are proposing, we would appreciate it if you would fill out the following template.
Please estimate the expected benefits associated with implementing the action item. For example, if this reduces risk, by how much? Please document your risk model. How will you validate this estimate?
In addition, please estimate the opportunity costs associated with this action item: if this action item is prioritized, what other important work will be deprioritized as a result? What were the expected benefits of the deprioritized work? How do these unrealized benefits translate into additional costs or risks?
Given that we know we can never implement things perfectly (otherwise the incident wouldn’t have happened, right?), what are the risks associated with a bug or other error when implementing the proposed action item?
Even if the action item is implemented flawlessly, the resulting change in behavior can lead to unforeseen interactions with other parts of the system. Please generate a list of potential harmful interactions that could arise when this action item is implemented. Please be sure to track these and refer back to them if a future incident occurs that involves this action item, to check how well we are able to reason about such interactions.
