A Framework for Incident Response

Changing the Narrative around Incidents from Blame to Learning

In this paper, we will help you improve your overall organizational response to incidents with the following framework: Prepare, Respond, Review. We’ll help you point the northstar toward the ideal state and change the narrative about incidents from one of blame to one of learning over the long term. We’ll provide real-world, right-sized patterns and examples that can be used for incremental improvement to change behavior with a view to a long-term investment. We’ll also give pragmatic and tactile practices and patterns, with examples from some of the top practitioners and companies, to address a complicated topic that is hard to cover well.

What's inside

  • Improve Your Response — This paper illustrates a framework for modern organizations to quickly, effectively, and responsibly respond to incidents.
  • Expert Authors — This paper is written by experienced practitioners and leaders who have led their own incident response teams within large enterprise organizations
  • Practical Guidance — The papers Prepare, Respond, Review framework offers clear and effective guidance that readers can implement in their own organizations.
  • All Levels — This paper is written for leaders and technology practitioners in all industries, regardless of their level in the organizational hierarchy.
Publication Date
2020
Pages
80
Topics
Audit & Security · Software Delivery & Architecture
Formats
epub · pdf
License
Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

About the authors

4 authors
Josh AtwellSenior Director, Product and Solutions Marketing, ScienceLogic

Affiliation as of 2026-09-07

Multi-disciplined marketing and technology leader who has moved from hands on technology to leading marketing and advocacy teams to improve customer enablement and engagement.

Everything by Josh Atwell →

Jason CoxTechnology Executive

Affiliation as of 2026-09-30

Jason Cox is a technology executive, engineer, researcher, and longtime builder of large-scale systems. His work spans artificial intelligence, AI research and engineering, site reliability engineering, DevOps, developer experience, and enterprise technology, with a focus on turning emerging technologies into practical, scalable solutions. Jason is a frequent speaker who enjoys making complex ideas accessible, practical, and inspiring. He is a co-author of Investments Unlimited: A Novel About DevOps, Security, Audit Compliance, and Thriving in the Digital Age, an open-source contributor, and a firm believer that the future of technology is ultimately about amplifying people and elevating the human experience.

Everything by Jason Cox →

Erica MorrisonSVP of Technology, FNBO
Randy ShoupSVP Engineering, CircleCI

Affiliation as of 2026-09-04

Randy Shoup is a twenty-five-year veteran of Silicon Valley, and has worked as a senior technology leader and executive at companies ranging from small startups, to mid-sized places, to eBay and Google. Randy is currently VP Engineering at WeWork in San Francisco. He is particularly passionate about the nexus of culture, technology, and organization.

Everything by Randy Shoup →