runbook

Runbook is a documented collection of procedures that describes how to perform a specific operational task or respond to a particular incident. It is used in information technology operations, DevOps, and incident response to standardize actions, reduce ambiguity, and accelerate resolution by providing clear, repeatable steps for engineers and on-call staff.

A runbook typically includes the task objective, scope and prerequisites, required tools and contacts, step-by-step instructions, decision points, validation steps, rollback procedures, escalation paths, and success criteria. It may also specify inputs and outputs, time estimates, and possible failure modes. Content is often modular and stored in a repository or knowledge base, with version history and owner attribution.

There are several common types of runbooks. Incident runbooks guide responders through triage, containment, and recovery steps during outages. Maintenance runbooks cover routine tasks such as backups, patching, and health checks. Deployment or release runbooks document the steps to roll out software changes, while disaster recovery runbooks define procedures to restore service after a major incident.

Automation is increasingly integrated with runbooks. Some steps are automated via scripts or workflow engines; others require human validation. Effective runbooks balance automation with clear, auditable decision points and include testing and dry-run procedures.

Governance and lifecycle practices support quality, including assigning owners, scheduling reviews, and linking runbooks to incident management and change management processes. Properly maintained runbooks improve consistency, reduce mean time to recovery, and help scale operations, while outdated or incomplete runbooks pose reliability risks.