Post-Incident Reviews

Chapter 5. Continuous Improvement

Successful organizations understand that continued success depends on a core value, lived daily, of continuous improvement. Entering a new market or defending an existing position requires a constant evaluation of the current state.

Retrospective analysis has become a commonplace exercise in many organizations, particularly as IT orgs have begun to fully adopt Agile software development and DevOps principles. Shortened software development and delivery cycles means reduced feedback loops to understand what went well, what didn’t, and how we can do better the next time. In fact, shortening the available time to identify problems, investigate options, and take action is a key reason why post-incident reviews have become so important and prevalent in modern IT organizations.

Continuously improving the development practices, delivery pipelines, and operational techniques provides the best environment for business success. Long cycle times to produce new features and lengthy service disruptions are a common property observed in organizations that have not begun their journey into modern IT incident management and retrospective analysis. Making the idea of continuous improvement a central part of company culture provides extraordinary value across the entire organization.

Creating Flow

Identifying what to improve can often feel like an exercise in who has the most authority. With so many areas of effort and concern in an IT organization, the decision ...