Incident Post-Mortem Template

An ops or product leader who just had an incident and needs a structured post-mortem document that captures what broke, why it happened, and what changes will actually prevent recurrence — before the team moves on and forgets.

- Five diagnostic questions that expose root cause, not just the trigger event

- Incident summary written so non-responders understand impact in 30 seconds

- Chronological timeline with timestamps, owners, and decision points

- Root cause analysis separating systemic issues from one-off failures

- What went well section that reinforces effective response practices

- What went wrong section tied to systems and processes, not people

- Numbered action items with owners, due dates, and priority tags (P0/P1/P2)

- Open questions section flagging what still needs investigation

Paste the prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI model. Answer five questions about the incident, timeline, root cause, warning signals, and audience. Get an 800–1,100 word post-mortem document structured for accountability and behavioral change.

Bundles or prompts related to incident management and operational resilience.