Is the task to be performed during 'incident reviews' a wrong direction?

In the article titled 'Why I Don't Like Discussing Action Items During Incident Reviews', the author from the Surfing Complexity blog begins by explaining why the traditional approach to incident reviews, which focuses on identifying corrective actions, can be ineffective. They point out that this approach often leads to superficial handling of issues, limiting discussions to a list of actions to take rather than concentrating on a deeper analysis of the situation. Such treatment of incidents can discourage open exchanges about what actually went wrong, which is key to team learning and development.

The author emphasizes that in incident reviews, it is essential to properly capture the context and circumstances that led to the problem's emergence. Instead of only focusing on actions, teams should discuss what caused the incident. It is also important to understand what can be done in the future to reduce the risk of recurrence of the issue rather than solely analyzing the actions that should have been taken. This deeper discussion can yield more value and practical insights for teams.

Furthermore, the article explains that instead of discussing specific actions, it is often more beneficial to examine processes that might be at the root of the problem. This approach fosters a more proactive culture, where the team feels comfortable sharing their ideas for improvement rather than fearing criticism for mistakes. The author suggests that in many cases, a better solution is to analyze incidents in a bigger context, such as examining related processes or systems that may influence the emergence of the issue.

Ultimately, the author stresses that changing the way we conduct incident reviews is not an easy task, but it is a process that takes time and team commitment. It is crucial to shift thinking and approaches to fully grasp the value derived from these reviews. If teams strive to focus on learning from experiences rather than just action items, they can ultimately build organizations that are better equipped to face future challenges.

In summary, the article addresses an important topic concerning the effectiveness of incident reviews and how we approach learning from them. Focusing on analyzing processes and the context of incidents can facilitate these reviews and make them more valuable for team development. It represents an essential step towards building a culture where mistakes are viewed as opportunities for learning rather than just experiences that need fixing.