Post-incident reviews are a crucial step in Incident Management. As we explain on our Post-Incident Review page, a post-incident review will evaluate the effectiveness of a response to an incident or disruption by assessing the outcomes from an incident, including what worked well and the areas that need further improvement.

The review, which usually takes place immediately after the incident, assists participants to understand a range of issues and outcomes from the incident, including:

• The sequence of events
• The causes and consequences of the incident
• The individual experiences of the people involved
• The impact on people and property as a result of the incident
• Gaps or areas for improvement in the incident management plan

We have provided 5 key reasons why post-incident reviews are important for continuous improvement in your incident management:

1. Drive continuous improvement by fostering a mindset of learning and adaptation. Organisations that regularly review incidents and actively seek opportunities for improvement in their incident management plans are more likely to identify emerging trends, recognise patterns, and make incremental changes that lead to long-term efficiency.

2. Identify incident management vulnerabilities by exposing weaknesses in systems, processes or workflows. By addressing these weaknesses, organisations can enhance their resilience and minimise the risk of future incidents.

3. Promote an environment where individuals feel safe discussing incidents and failures openly without fear of retribution. Post-incident reviews should focus on understanding the contributing factors rather than assigning fault to specific individuals.

4. Encourage collaboration and communication among team members who were involved in the incident by gathering their experiences, insights, and recommendations. Encouraging diverse viewpoints enables organisations to understand the incident holistically and generate more effective solutions moving forward.

5. Implement preventive measures and strategies in the incident management plan using insights gained from the incident. Organisations can identify and implement changes in processes, training, infrastructure, or policies to mitigate the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future.

In summary, post-incident reviews are vital for continuous improvement as they enable organisations to learn from mistakes, identify vulnerabilities, promote a safe environment, promote collaboration, and implement preventive measures. By leveraging the knowledge gained from these reviews, organisations can adapt, evolve, and improve their incident management plans.

At Bounce, we utilise several different approaches to post-incident reviews to ensure the most effective outcomes and learnings are obtained, including:

• Designing and issuing online surveys
• Interviews and/or workshops with the response and management teams
• Interviews and/or workshops with other stakeholders involved
• Provision of a report with recommendations on what should be continued and recommendations for improvement

If you would like to learn more about how Bounce Readiness can assist your organisation with post-incident reviews and/or take our Conducting Debriefings e-learning short course, please get in touch.