What the French toast is a runbook? A good runbook is a comprehensive, clear, and actionable guide that enables IT and operations teams to manage and troubleshoot systems efficiently. It serves as a critical resource for both experienced professionals and those new to a system, ensuring consistent and effective handling of routine tasks, incidents, and procedures. Here are the key characteristics that make a runbook effective:
A runbook must provide step-by-step instructions that are straightforward and easy to follow. Each step should build towards achieving a specific outcome, with unnecessary details omitted to keep the document concise and focused on the task at hand[1][6][8].
The runbook should be easily accessible to all relevant team members. This includes being stored in a location that team members are aware of and can easily retrieve when needed. The runbook should support alerts and be searchable, with metadata such as type, creation date, and major systems referenced to assist in discovery[6].
It must contain correct and up-to-date information. Inaccuracies can lead to confusion, errors, and inefficiencies. Engaging subject matter experts in the creation and review process, and documenting all updates, are practices that help maintain accuracy[1][6].
The runbook should be recognized as the definitive source of information for the procedures it covers. It should be built and endorsed by experts and serve as the single source of truth within the organization[1].
It should be flexible enough to be updated as systems and processes evolve. A good runbook is not static; it should be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changes in the IT environment, incorporating feedback from users to improve clarity and effectiveness[1][6].
While being concise, a runbook should also be comprehensive, covering all necessary aspects of a procedure, including prerequisites, tools required, permissions needed, and any constraints on execution. It should also outline escalation procedures and identify decision-makers for critical actions[15].
Runbooks should be tested with the same rigor as application code to ensure their reliability. This includes verifying that the steps achieve the intended outcome and that any automated components function correctly[15].
Use clear and simple language, and include diagrams or screenshots where necessary to aid understanding. The runbook should avoid technical jargon or, where unavoidable, provide definitions to ensure it is understandable by its intended audience[16].
Where appropriate, manual procedures documented in the runbook should be automated to increase efficiency and reduce the risk of errors. This transition from manual to automated processes should be done carefully, ensuring that automation scripts are reliable and well-tested[15][16].
In summary, a good runbook is actionable, accessible, accurate, authoritative, adaptable, comprehensive, tested, clearly documented, and, where possible, automated. These characteristics ensure that runbooks are effective tools for managing IT operations, reducing downtime, and improving overall system reliability.
Citations: [1] https://scribehow.com/library/runbooks [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/devops/comments/e2np4q/what_makes_a_good_runbook/?rdt=61004 [3] https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/small-business/it-management/articles/runbook/ [4] https://help.cutover.com/en/articles/8210478-runbook-best-practice-guide [5] https://firehydrant.com/docs/configuring-firehydrant/runbook-best-practices [6] https://www.transposit.com/devops-blog/itsm/what-makes-a-good-runbook/ [7] https://www.blameless.com/blog/runbook-automation-best-practices [8] https://helpjuice.com/blog/runbook [9] https://www.process.st/create-a-runbook/ [10] https://www.squadcast.com/sre-best-practices/runbook-automation [11] https://www.pagerduty.com/resources/learn/what-is-a-runbook/ [12] https://fatfinger.io/runbook/ [13] https://document360.com/blog/create-a-runbook/ [14] https://www.inoc.com/blog/noc-runbook-guide [15] https://wa.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/2020-07-02T19-33-23/wat.concept.runbook.en.html [16] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/runbook-template-best-practices-example-squadcast [17] https://www.reddit.com/r/devops/comments/106kcp3/what_do_you_use_to_document_your_manual/ [18] https://octopus.com/blog/runbooks-best-practices