An incident is an event that could lead to the loss of, or disruption to, an organization’s operations, services, or functions. If not managed, an incident can escalate into an emergency, crisis, or disaster. Incident management is therefore the process of limiting the potential disruption caused by such an event, followed by a return to business as usual.
What is the Incident Management Process
In simple terms, the incident management process is a defined process for logging, recording, and resolving incidents. It aims at restoring services as quickly as possible, often through a workaround or temporary fixes, rather than through trying to find a permanent solution immediately.
Effective incident management requires an organization-wide approach with clear points of accountability for reporting and feedback at all levels in the organization. The principles of transparency, accountability, and obligation to act. No blame culture and collaboration should be applied at each step of the incident management process.
Open communication and documentation should occur throughout the entire process.
Incident management should be done by relevant legislation, standards, and policies.
Benefits of Incident Management Process
Let us answer that question from this perspective:
Every incident needs a solution, and anyone who has once been involved in an incident will always look for avenues to prevent a repetition of the incident since the effects most time are not convenient.
It is the same with security incidents. Some time may pass without an incident, but they happen and will happen. Trend reports show that incidents are not becoming fewer. On the contrary, they are becoming more advanced and targeted. Although some targets will be more popular than others, there are no safe hide-outs. There are no exceptions to where incidents could happen; either in large or small establishments, wealthy establishments, or establishments with low financial status.
You should know that it has been reported that a substantial percentage of all incidents taking place have an internal source rather than an external one.
Incidents threaten the organization as a whole. The organization’s primary business process and all its other processes with its reputation. Every part of the organization is in jeopardy when incidents strike. Incident management seeks to control the effect of incidents when they happen. Therefore, incident management serves as the primary process and the organization as a whole.
Incident Management Process Steps:
The Incident Management Process refers to a structured set of actions organizations follow to identify, manage, and resolve incidents in a way that minimizes impact and prevents recurrence. Whether it’s a workplace accident, an IT outage, or a service disruption, the process ensures quick recovery and continuous improvement. The key steps include detection and reporting, classification, investigation, resolution, communication, and post-incident review.
Step 1: Incident Detection and Reporting
The process begins when an incident is identified. This could be a worker noticing a safety hazard, an IT system triggering an alert, or a customer reporting a service issue.
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Detection: Incidents are detected through monitoring systems, employee observations, or customer feedback.
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Reporting: Every incident must be logged using an agreed method, such as digital forms, hotline calls, or IT ticketing systems.
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Why it matters: Without proper detection and reporting, small issues can escalate into serious problems.
Encouraging a no-blame culture ensures employees feel safe to report incidents early, making resolution faster and easier.
Step 2: Incident Classification and Prioritization
Not all incidents are equal. Some require urgent intervention, while others may be low-risk. This step helps teams focus on the most critical issues first.
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Classification: Incidents are categorized by type (safety, IT, service, etc.) and severity (low, medium, high, critical).
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Prioritization: Based on impact and urgency, the organization assigns resources accordingly.
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Example: A factory fire is classified as critical and gets an immediate emergency response, while a minor slip that causes no injury may be logged as low priority.
This step ensures resources are used wisely and serious risks are never ignored.
Step 3: Incident Investigation and Diagnosis
Once classified, the incident is investigated to determine what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent it from happening again.
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Evidence gathering: Collect logs, witness statements, CCTV footage, or system data.
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Root cause analysis: Use tools like the 5 Whys or Fishbone Diagram to find the true cause, not just the symptoms.
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Team involvement: Engage staff closest to the incident for practical insights.
The investigation must stay objective and fact-based, focusing on improving systems rather than placing blame.
Step 4: Incident Resolution and Recovery
This is where the actual fixing happens. The goal is to restore normal operations quickly and safely.
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Containment: Prevent the problem from spreading (e.g., isolating faulty equipment, shutting down affected servers).
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Corrective actions: Fix the issue through repairs, patches, medical treatment, or system updates.
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Recovery: Validate that the solution works and the system or workplace is safe again.
Clear communication with stakeholders during this stage builds trust and avoids confusion.
Step 5: Post-Incident Review and Continuous Improvement
Once resolved, it’s important to learn from the incident. This step ensures the organization gets better with every incident.
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Debrief meeting: Discuss what went wrong, what went well, and what needs improvement.
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Incident report: Document findings, actions taken, and recommendations.
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Preventive measures: Update policies, training, or maintenance schedules to stop recurrence.
For example, if an IT outage was caused by a failed software update, the preventive measure may be to test updates in a safe environment before rollout.
Step 6: Communication Throughout the Process
While not a “separate step,” communication runs through every stage of the incident management process. Keeping employees, customers, and leadership informed prevents panic and strengthens trust.
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Early reporting → clear channels for employees
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During resolution → status updates to stakeholders
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After review → share lessons learned
Good communication transforms incident management from a technical process into a trust-building tool.
Incident Management Process at a Glance
Here’s a simple table showing the steps:
| Step | What Happens | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Detection & Reporting | Incident identified and logged | Ensures no issue goes unnoticed |
| Classification & Prioritization | Categorize and assign severity | Helps focus on the most critical issues |
| Investigation & Diagnosis | Root cause analysis | Finds real reasons behind the incident |
| Resolution & Recovery | Corrective and containment actions | Restores normal, safe operations |
| Post-Incident Review | Lessons learned and preventive actions | Prevents recurrence and improves resilience |
Incident Management Plan
An incident management plan is a structured approach to managing incidents when they occur.
Incidents within a structured organization are normally dealt with by either an incident response team (IRT) or an incident management team (IMT). These are often designated beforehand, or during the event and are placed in control of the organization whilst the incident is dealt with, to restore normal functions.
There is also the Incident Command System (ICS). It is a command and control mechanism that provides an expandable structure to manage emergency agencies. Although some of the details vary by jurisdiction, ICS normally consists of five primary elements: command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance/administration. Several special staff positions, including public affairs, safety, and liaison, report directly to the incident commander (IC) when the emergency warrants the establishment of those positions.
The incident management plan will set the headway for all incidents:
It will include:
- Incident escalation rules: A set of rules defining a hierarchy for escalating Incidents and triggers that lead to escalation. Triggers are usually based on Incident severity and resolution times.
- Incident prioritization guideline: Describes the rules for assigning priorities to Incidents, including the definition of what constitutes a major Incident.
- Incident model: Pre-defined steps that should be taken for dealing with a particular type of Incident.
- Responsibilities: Responsibilities should be allotted to workers on issues of incident management. An incident management team should be constituted, which will have the incident commander, chairman of the team, or director, as the case may be, with other members of the team.
Incident Management Policy
Writing an incident management policy is the first step to ensuring successful incident management in any organization. The incident management policy will draw out the general mission statement for incident management, allot responsibilities, and also draw out plans and procedures for the successful implementation of the incident management policy.
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