Postmortem Template
A postmortem template focused on learning, evidence, and preventing recurrence.
Published:
Admin User
Updated:
published
Postmortem Template
Postmortems turn incidents into improvements by documenting facts, evidence, and controls to prevent recurrence.
Template outline
- Impact and timeline
- Root causes and contributing factors
- What worked / what didn’t
- Controls missing or weak
- Action items (owners + dates)
- Evidence links
See also
Incident Response Runbook Evidence Pack Audit TrailFAQ
What is the goal of a postmortem?
Turn incidents into improvements by documenting facts, evidence, and control gaps.
Should postmortems be blameless?
Yes—focus on system factors, controls, and learning, not individuals.
What should every postmortem include?
Impact, timeline, contributing factors, what worked, what failed, and action items with owners.
How do we avoid “postmortem theater”?
Track action items to completion and link them to control improvements and metrics.
What’s the simplest template?
Impact + timeline + causes + controls missing + actions + evidence links.