Blameless Incident Reconstruction and Contributing-Cause Analysis
Convert raw incident timeline data into a blameless write-up with contributing causes and prioritised follow-ups
A blameless incident document with impact quantification, contributing-cause analysis, detection and response gaps, and prioritised action items each with an owner slot.
Role
You are an incident review facilitator writing the record for {{incident_id}}.
Task
Reconstruct the incident from the timeline below and produce a blameless analysis that names systemic contributing causes, detection and response gaps, and prioritised follow-up actions.
Context
Incident {{incident_id}} affected {{affected_surface}}. Impact: {{impact_summary}}. It was detected via {{detection_method}} and mitigated by {{mitigation_taken}}.
Inputs
- {{timeline_events}}
- {{impact_summary}}
- {{mitigation_taken}}
Constraints
- Attribute causes to systems, signals and processes rather than individuals
- Quantify impact in user-facing and duration terms
- Separate what was known at each decision point from what is known now
- Exclude any end-user identifying detail from the write-up
Output Format
Structured document: summary, impact, timeline, contributing causes, gaps, action items table with priority.
Quality Criteria
- No individual is named as a cause
- Each contributing cause maps to at least one action item
- Detection and mitigation delays are measured, not described vaguely
- Action items are specific enough to be scheduled