What is the first step to take when preparing an incident report following a significant service disruption?

The first step in preparing an incident report after a significant service disruption is to develop a post-mortem to distribute to stakeholders. A post-mortem is essential as it thoroughly analyzes the incident, including the root causes, the timeline of events, and the impact of the disruption. This document serves as a foundation for understanding what went wrong and provides insights into areas for improvement.

Creating a post-mortem allows the organization to gather details while they are fresh and document the incident in a structured way. This information is critical not only for informing stakeholders but also for preventing future occurrences by putting forward actionable items or lessons learned.

Prioritizing the development of the post-mortem ensures that all subsequent communications, such as contacting stakeholders or issuing apologies, are based on a comprehensive understanding of the incident's context. This also helps in maintaining transparency and trust with stakeholders, as they receive factual information backed by thorough analysis.

Other options may seem important but are less effective as initial steps. For instance, directly calling stakeholders prematurely might lead to inconsistencies in the information shared, while sending a document without adequate context may not effectively communicate the necessary details. Requiring an apology email can also distract from the critical analysis needed to prevent future issues.