Sample Escalation Scenarios ; Resolution Paths: A Comprehensive Guide to Incident Prioritization Matrix

In present day’s fast moving business world organizations face out a great many challenges which in turn may cause incidents or disruptions to their operations. Therefore it is very important for companies to have a robust incident management system which in turn will help them to react effectively to such incidents. As for what is very much a key element of this system is the incident escalation process which includes the identification and reporting of incidents to the right teams for resolution. In this article we will talk about sample escalation scenarios and resolution paths also we will look at the importance of an incident prioritization matrix.

Scenario: A major system failure which causes great disruption to business operations.

Step 1: The issue is brought to the attention of the monitoring system which in turn reports it to the on call support team. 

Step 2: Support team tries to fix the issue remotely which they are unable to do within the set time frame. 

Step 3: We pass the issue on to the system admin team which has access to the back end. 

Step 4: System admin team looks into the issue in depth and determines the root cause.

 Step 5: We put in a solution which also see to it that the system is stable. 

Step 6: Issue is closed out and we do a post mortem to look at what we can improve in our incident management process.

Scenario: A massive data breach which sees off personal customer info.

Step 1: The issue is brought to the attention of the security monitoring which in turn reports to the security team. 

Step 2: The security team looks into the breach and determines the scope of the damage. 

Step 3: We pass the issue on to the legal team to evaluate the legal issues and we also inform affected customers. 

Step 4: We bring in the IT team to determine the cause of the breach and put in place security measures to stop it from happening again. 

Step 5: The communication team puts together a public statement and we handle media questions. 

Step 6: The incident is declared closed, at which time we do a post mortem to identify what we did well and what we didn’t do in the management of the incident.

Scenario: A network failure which impacts many systems and services.

Step 1: The issue is brought to the attention of the network monitoring system which in turn reports to the network admin team. 

Step 2: The team looks into the issue and determines the root cause. 

Step 3: We pass the issue on to the infrastructure team which has access to the network’s hardware components. 

Step 4: The infrastructure team puts in the fix which also includes action to see that the network does not go down again. 

Step 5: We close out the incident and we do a post mortem to identify what we can improve in our incident management process.

Impact is what we see in terms of business results from an incident which may play out in terms of financial loss, damage to our reputation, or loss of productivity. Urgency is a function of how time sensitive an incident is which may be determined by the number of users affected or the potential for the incident to get worse.

High impact and high urgency (critical), high impact and low urgency (important), low impact and high urgency (small), low impact and low urgency (notice).

Below is an example of an incident prioritization matrix:.

Using a priority matrix for incidents what we see is that it helps organizations to address them in a timely and efficient way which in turn is based on the issue’s business impact.

Picture a project going very well, we have things right where we want them. Then at a moment’s notice a major issue appears. May be a key team member leaves us high and dry, or a vendor drops the ball. All of a sudden that peaceful project turns into a total frenzy. Schedules come apart. Budgets blow up. Chaos breaks out. We have all lived it, don’t we? Project issues are a given. But how you deal with them is what makes the difference.

This is the stage of project escalation we are at. We aren't here to assign blame. It is to identify that which is too large for the team to handle. By ignoring we see delay, cost over run, and a frustrated team. Clients lose faith. Unchecked issues can bring down an entire project. This guide we put together of common project escalation issues. You will see out laid clear solutions to them. Prepare to get in there and out of the trenches with us as we talk project success.

Project escalation is a request for support from above. It is a formal way to report an issue to a manager or senior leader. This occurs when your team is unable to resolve the issue at its level. We do this to get the required resources, make large scale decisions, or to remove roadblocks. See it as coming to a stop and asking for a hand.

These which issues arise? Many factors trigger that. At times the project asks for what was not included in the plan which is scope creep. Also at other times you may not have enough people or resources. Technical issues tie up progress. We see also see issues with external vendors. Also we put out the call for help with issues that out of the blue appear which are out of our control.

Ignoring an issue will not make it disappear. With time issues grow which in turn affect projects. Also they cause delay in the plan. What may be a small issue at present can bring down an entire project in the future. You see projects missing their dead lines which in turn see an increase in the cost. You end up putting in more money just to get back on track.

Your team is affected as well. We see issues dragging out which in turn leaves people tired. They lose focus and do not care as much which in turn hurts what they put into the work. This in turn sees productivity drop. Also we see that some very bad issues can damage trust. Client and other key people see the issues which in turn causes them to lose faith in your team and your project which makes it hard for you to get work in the future.

Let’s take a look at what are very common project issues which at times require an upgrade in action. Identifying them early out performs.

Our client requests new features. What we are seeing is out of the scope of what was originally planned. They want these in right away and do not go through the normal approval processes. This is scope creep. We are adding work but not time or money.

This we see as soon as the issue presents itself. The team is assigned more work, at the same time the deadline is in stone. Also we see the budget drop. We are asking for more time or resources. Which in turn also means we have to reassign people from what was planned. For instance a large software project did this once. The client requested many small changes. Each one at the time seemed small but in the end they were many. These pushed out the launch date by months and also we had to put out a larger budget.

What if a key team member out of the blue is no longer with us? They may call in sick, leave the company, or be put on another project. Which leaves your project at a stand still. We have counted on that person’s skills very specifically.

This is a large issue which your team is unable to progress beyond until that role is filled out. In some cases the project may come to a full stop. For instance a construction project in which the lead engineer called off suddenly due to illness. No one else on the team had that man’s in depth knowledge. We had to put all critical structural work on hold which in turn froze the building timeline until we brought in a suitable replacement and trained them up.

Projects also turn to external support. What if a vendor that we counted on to supply a component doesn’t through? Also they may not be as we discussed which is a issue. This breaks the project’s flow.

One small issue can bring the whole thing to a stop. If a supplier of hardware is late with servers for our IT projects the whole implementation process comes to a standstill. Your team is unable to install software or perform system tests. We may have to push back the go live date for the whole network. This domino action creates large scale issues in our final delivery.

At times your team may hit a roadblock. We may present with a problem that no one was prepared for. Also, two systems may simply not play well together. At present your team may not have the skills to fix it.

This is that you will have to re do a great deal of work. Also you may have to bring in expensive out side experts. For instance we had a large scale marketing campaign which had trouble getting off the ground. The new customer relationship module (CRM) did not play well with their past marketing tools. The integration issues were very complex. The campaign was put on hold till we got special tech help.

Knowing issues for sure. To fix them right is something else. You also need a clear plan.

First outine what is of high enough priority to require attention. Determine what you will consider to be a critical issue for your project. Also think of how issues play into time, money, quality or scope. Set out your criteria for when to pass an issue up the chain. Also map out who is the point of contact at each step. This creates a clear path which is easy to follow. All team members know who to go to. Also set time parameters. How fast should we see a response? How quickly should we see resolution? What you establish as Service Level Agreements (SLAs) will keep things moving.

Never catch your boss off guard with a big issue. Bring it to their attention early, even if it is just to alert them. That’s the “no surprises” principle. When you do bring it up, be prepared. Present the issue with facts and data. How serious is it? What does it affect? Don’t just report the issue. Put forth solutions. What do you propose for resolution? Include what resources you will need for each option. This shows you did your homework.

The best approach to handling escalations is prevention which in turn requires that you think through what may go wrong as you plan out your project. Identify what risks you may face. Also put in place backup plans. What will you do if a key team member leaves  do you have someone that can step in? Have your alternative resources ready which will save you time in the long run. Also do regular check ins on your project. By catching in early stages small issues that may grow into large problems you keep things on track. Also perform what we may call health checks of your project.

Good tools speed up problem resolution. They keep the team on the same page.

Many projects see value in using project management tools. We use software like Jira, Asana, and Trello which track issues. They also alert you when a issue becomes a major problem which in turn gets the right people in the loop immediately. Also use team chat applications like Slack or Microsoft Teams which are great for quick communication in the middle of a crisis. For more in depth discussion use separate email threads. In a crisis time and clarity in communication is of the essence.

Track which issues are going to higher levels of support. Also note how much time they spend in resolution. Identify what is causing them. This info in turn helps you see trends. You may be able to head off similar issues in the future. We use “Root Cause Analysis” (RCA). Tools like “The 5 Whys” help us get to the bottom of it. You ask why five times to get to the root of the problem. It goes past the surface level. “Data is your best friend when things go wrong, says a leading project management expert. “It enables you to make informed decisions, not guesses.

Every issue is a learning experience. Improve your projects through escalations.

After an issue is resolved we have a meeting. We look back at what transpired. How did the issue arise in the first place? What did we do well? What could have been improved? This is what we term a retrospective. We write down what we learned. These “lessons learned” are invaluable for future projects. We keep a special place for them. May be create a “lessons learned” folder just for escalation scenarios.

Use what I have taught you to improve your rules. Did your issue resolution process work? Did you leave out any steps? Update your model. Share out this new knowledge with your team. From team members’ past experiences we grow. We become a better, more smart team. One company used to experience many delays in delivery. They began to track down each issue. They learned from each and improved their process. Now their projects run very smoothly.

Managing project issues is not about avoiding what comes up. It’s about head on confrontation of them. We identify issues as they appear, we communicate clearly, and we have a step by step plan to fix it. Also we learn from each issue we face.

When you perfect these skills your projects go more smoothly. Your clients put more in to you. Your team works better as a unit. So get started with these today. Build a team which is a solution to the problem, not a band-aid. Make clear communication and smart problem solving a base element of your team’s DNA.

In that which we present, it is that which has a strong incident management system is very important for organizations which are to respond to incidents and disruptions in their operations. Also we see that sample escalation scenarios and resolution paths do present a structure for organizations to follow as they address many types of incidents. Also an incident prioritization matrix is used by organizations to put forward which issues are to be handled first based on that issue’s affect on business operations and the urgency of the required resolution. By putting in place these tools and processes what we see is that organizations are able to reduce the impact of incidents on their business operations and also at the same time assure business continuity.