The Importance of Post-Incident Reviews for Website Issues

Website downtime or technical glitches are a headache no business wants to endure, especially when your online presence is central to attracting and retaining customers. While resolving the issue swiftly is critical, there’s an often-overlooked yet invaluable step that follows: the Post-Incident Review (PIR).

At O’Brien Media, we believe PIRs are a cornerstone of maintaining reliable, high-performing websites. Here’s why they’re so crucial and how they can benefit your business.

What Is a Post-Incident Review?

A Post-Incident Review is a structured process undertaken after a technical issue is resolved. It involves analysing what went wrong, why it happened, and how to prevent it from happening again.

PIRs go beyond a quick debrief. They’re an opportunity to dig deep into the root cause of the problem, evaluate the response process, and implement learnings to improve your website’s performance and resilience.

Why Post-Incident Reviews Matter

1. Uncovering the Root Cause

Technical problems often have underlying issues that aren’t immediately visible. A PIR helps identify the root cause—whether it’s a server misconfiguration, a coding error, or an external attack. Addressing these underlying factors ensures that the same issue doesn’t crop up repeatedly, saving time, money, and frustration.

2. Improving Response Processes

How quickly and effectively your team responds to website issues can make or break customer trust. A PIR evaluates the response process: Were the right tools used? Was communication clear? Were backups and contingency plans sufficient? Answering these questions helps fine-tune response protocols for the future.

3. Minimising Business Impact

Downtime can cost businesses thousands in lost revenue and damage to reputation. By reviewing what went wrong and taking preventive measures, you reduce the likelihood of prolonged outages or recurring issues that can negatively impact your business.

4. Building Team Accountability

A PIR fosters accountability and collaboration within your team. Instead of pointing fingers, the review process encourages constructive conversations about what can be done better. This proactive approach builds a stronger, more unified team.

5. Enhancing Customer Confidence

Your customers trust you to provide a seamless online experience. When they see that you’ve learned from past issues and implemented measures to prevent them, it strengthens their confidence in your business.

What About Small Incidents?

Not every website issue requires a deep-dive PIR. For smaller incidents—such as a website page failing to load due to a minor configuration error—a short PIR write-up can still be invaluable.

For example, imagine a customer reports that a contact form isn’t working due to an expired plugin. The issue is quickly resolved by updating the plugin, but a short PIR could include:

• Summary of the Issue: Contact form stopped working due to an expired plugin.
• Root Cause: Automatic updates were disabled for the plugin.
• Response: Plugin updated manually; automatic updates re-enabled.
• Action Plan: Review all plugins regularly to ensure automatic updates remain active.

While the issue might have been small, the PIR ensures the team takes a proactive step to prevent similar incidents in the future. Even minor errors can impact user experience, so addressing them promptly and thoughtfully shows a commitment to quality.

How to Conduct an Effective Post-Incident Review

1. Gather Key Stakeholders
   Include team members who were involved in the incident response and those responsible for system maintenance and security.
2. Document the Timeline
   Outline what happened, when it happened, and the steps taken to resolve the issue. This creates a clear picture of the incident for analysis.
3. Identify the Root Cause
   Use tools like root cause analysis (RCA) or the “5 Whys” method to dig deeper into what caused the problem.
4. Evaluate the Response
   Assess the incident response: Was downtime minimised? Were communication channels effective? What could have been improved?
5. Create an Action Plan
   Based on your findings, create a plan to address weaknesses. This might include implementing new monitoring tools, updating your security protocols, or revising team workflows.
6. Share Learnings
   Document the PIR findings and share them with your team. Transparency ensures everyone understands the steps being taken to improve.

O’Brien Media: Your Partner in Reliable Web Performance

At O’Brien Media, we don’t just design stunning websites; we ensure they remain robust and reliable. By integrating regular Post-Incident Reviews into our processes, we help our clients mitigate risks, improve website performance, and maintain their competitive edge.

If you’ve experienced website issues and want to prevent them from happening again, contact us today. Together, we can create a resilient online presence for your business.