What is an example of an incident response pitfall or anti-pattern?

An executive swoop refers to a scenario in which high-level executives or stakeholders intervene directly in an incident response, often without a clear understanding of the operational specifics or the established response protocols. This can lead to several issues: it may disrupt the workflow of the incident response team, cause confusion amongst team members, and distract from the systematic approach needed to resolve the incident in a timely manner. By stepping in without the necessary context or detailed knowledge of the ongoing situation, executives can inadvertently jeopardize the effectiveness of the incident handling efforts and create chaos rather than clarity.

This particular pitfall highlights the importance of maintaining a structured incident response process where roles are clearly defined and team members are empowered to address issues without unwarranted external interference. Fostering a culture that allows response teams to operate effectively while keeping stakeholders informed appropriately is crucial for successful incident management.

Other options, while they can present challenges, do not embody the same systemic disruption caused by an executive swoop. Defining severity too early can lead to misclassification of the incident's impact but might not drastically hinder incident resolution. Only updating management limits communication but does not introduce disruptive external pressures. Frequent email updates may saturate information channels but typically do not compromise the handling of an incident like an executive