Disaster Management Overview

Disaster Management Plan

• Prevention
• Detection
• Communication
• Resolution
• Recovery

Ideal communication flow for devs reporting a disaster:

1. Alerting the team: The developer should immediately notify a designated point of contact, such as the team lead. This notification should be clear, and concise, and include details about the nature of the disaster and its impact on the app.
2. Assessing the situation: The designated point of contact should gather information from the developer and any other relevant sources to assess the severity of the disaster and determine the best course of action. This might involve escalating the issue to the product owner (PO) or delivery manager (DM), another key decision-maker.
3. Communication with stakeholders: The PO (product owner) or DM (delivery manager), should then communicate with other stakeholders, such as customer service, marketing, and senior management. This communication should be transparent and keep everyone informed about the situation and the expected timeline for resolution.
4. Resolution and recovery: The team should work together to resolve the disaster as quickly as possible. This may involve rolling back to a previous version of the app, deploying a fix, or restoring data from backups. Once the disaster is resolved, the team should focus on recovery and preventing future occurrences.

What Not to Do When Disaster Strikes

1. Jumping the Gun: Don't rush to notify senior management or the PO without some initial validation. Take a moment to assess the situation. A flurry of false alarms can erode trust and waste valuable time.
2. Going Rogue: Resist the urge to bypass the designated communication chain. There's likely a protocol for a reason. Following it ensures everyone who needs to know gets informed efficiently.
3. Cry Wolf: A false positive or a false negative can be just as disruptive. Before raising the alarm, try to confirm the issue. Run basic diagnostics, check logs, and see if the issue is reproducible.
4. Information Vacuum: Don't leave your colleagues hanging. When reporting a potential disaster, provide as much detail as possible. This includes the nature of the problem, any error messages, and the potential impact on the app.
5. Playing Hero: Don't try to be a lone wolf. While taking immediate action to mitigate damage might be necessary, but complex situations require teamwork. Escalate to the designated point of contact for further assessment and coordinated response.

Remember: A measured and well-communicated response is more effective than a hasty one.

Designated point of contacts

Developers & Testers should never contact anyone outside the mentioned designated point of contacts