The 15-Minute Incident Rule

If you cannot describe what's happening in 15 minutes, declare an incident. The rule and the discipline that drives faster MTTR.

The rule

If a problem is not understood within 15 minutes of detection, declare an incident.

The act of declaring opens up resources: incident commander, war room, comms.

Why 15 minutes

Studies of MTTR show that the first 15 minutes are when the cause is most likely understood. Beyond that, complexity grows.

Hesitation to declare costs minutes. The rule removes the hesitation.

Avoid

Treating declaration as failure. Declaration is the right call when investigation is stalling.

Waiting for certainty. Certainty comes after declaration, not before.