In the incident management lifecycle, who is responsible for an incident?

In the incident management lifecycle, the incident manager plays a crucial role in overseeing the resolution of incidents. The incident manager is responsible for coordinating the response to incidents, ensuring that they are addressed effectively and efficiently. This role involves tracking and monitoring the incident from the time it is reported until it is resolved, as well as communicating with relevant stakeholders, including service agents, the affected customers, and possibly other teams like the DevOps team if their involvement is necessary.

The incident manager develops strategies for incident resolution, employs best practices, and ensures that the processes are followed to minimize the impact on services. Their leadership is essential for maintaining service quality and user satisfaction, as they decide how resources are allocated and which teams are brought in to assist with the incident resolution.

In contrast, while service agents may handle the initial response to incidents and provide support, and customers report incidents, they do not have the overarching responsibility for managing the incident lifecycle. Similarly, the DevOps team may contribute to technical resolutions but are not responsible for the holistic management of all incidents across the organization. Therefore, the incident manager is identified as the key figure accountable for incidents within the management lifecycle.