runbook-creation

1# Runbook Creation
2 
3Create effective operational runbooks, standard operating procedures, and
4troubleshooting guides that any on-call engineer can follow under pressure.
5 
6## Runbook Template — Full Structure
7 
8````markdown
9# Runbook: [Service / Process Name]
10 
11**Owner:** [Team or individual]
12**Last Reviewed:** YYYY-MM-DD
13**Version:** X.Y
14**Severity if unavailable:** SEV[1-4]
15 
16---
17 
18## Overview
19 
20Brief description of the service, why this runbook exists, and when to
21use it.
22 
23## Prerequisites
24 
25- [ ] Required access / IAM role: [details]
26- [ ] Tools installed: [kubectl, aws-cli, psql, etc.]
27- [ ] VPN connected to [environment]
28- [ ] Communication channel open: [Slack #channel]
29 
30## Procedure
31 
32### Step 1 — [Action Name]
33 
34[Explanation of what this step does and why.]
35 
36```bash
37# command here
38```
39 
40**Expected output:** [describe what success looks like]
41 
42### Step 2 — [Action Name]
43 
44```bash
45# command here
46```
47 
48**Expected output:** [description]
49 
50*(Continue with numbered steps...)*
51 
52## Verification
53 
54How to confirm the procedure succeeded:
55 
56- [ ] [Check 1 — e.g., health endpoint returns 200]
57- [ ] [Check 2 — e.g., no errors in logs for 5 minutes]
58- [ ] [Check 3 — e.g., metrics return to baseline]
59 
60## Rollback
61 
62If the procedure fails or causes unexpected issues:
63 
64### Rollback Step 1
65```bash
66# rollback command
67```
68 
69### Rollback Step 2
70```bash
71# rollback command
72```
73 
74## Troubleshooting
75 
76| Symptom | Likely Cause | Resolution |
77|---------|-------------|------------|
78…