Runbook

A runbook is a step-by-step guide for a specific operational situation — how to diagnose a known failure, restart a service, fail over to a replica, or work through a recurring task. It captures hard-won knowledge so a responder doesn’t have to reinvent the procedure mid-incident, which shortens response time and reduces mistakes made under stress.

The best runbooks are concise, tested, and linked directly to the alerts or services they apply to, so an on-call responder can find the right one fast. They’re a practical backbone of consistent incident management.