Runbook

Definition

A runbook is a written, step-by-step procedure for a recurring or urgent task, such as a daily account check, a tracking fix or a launch. It is written so that a competent person can follow it without asking the author, which turns personal know-how into a repeatable process.

How to use it

A runbook states its purpose, who may run it, the inputs it needs, and each step in order with the result to expect. Each step should have a check, and the runbook should say what to do when a check fails. Mark the steps that change live accounts, so they go through the approval and change window rules first. Say whether a step can be run twice safely.

Test the runbook by having someone who did not write it follow it on a test account or on a quiet day. Note every place where they had to guess, and fix the text. Review each runbook when a tool or a process changes, and put the date of the last review at the top, so the team knows whether the steps can still be trusted.