Managing an information technology (IT) team involves documenting and overseeing numerous tasks, such as routine procedures, DevOps and infrastructure updates. Personnel must perform jobs consistently and efficiently to avoid disrupting intricate tech networks businesses rely on. 

Runbooks document essential IT processes, empowering you to create standardized workflows that maximize operational efficiency and minimize risk.

What’s a Runbook?

A runbook is a document with step-by-step instructions for standard IT procedures, such as responding to outages and conducting routine security audits. These guides aim to provide clear, actionable process workflows so operational teams can maximize their efficiency when executing routine tasks or responding to a critical incident.

Runbooks go beyond simple process documentation, and most feature pre-written scripts that automate the procedure. For example, a runbook for auditing a web server might include a script that alerts users, redirects traffic and then takes the server offline.

Types of Runbooks

There are two types of runbooks, distinguishable by procedure complexity:

• General runbooks outline workflows for executing routine tasks, such as responding to low-level bugs and performing regular backups. The procedure they describe is always the same.
• Specialized runbooks describe dynamic workflows for executing complex tasks, such as responding to a security breach and tracking down an outage’s cause. They include branching variations that give personnel clear instructions for any possibility.

After determining how specialized your runbook should be, you must decide how much automation to include. A fully automated runbook is one long script with comments throughout to label each step. A fully manual one describes step-by-step instructions without offering pre-written scripts. Most runbooks are semi-automated — they provide manual instructions and offer scripts that automate select steps.

Runbook vs. Playbook: What’s the Difference?

Runbooks and playbooks serve similar purposes but have very different scopes. A playbook details strategies, goals and milestones for long-term or high-impact projects. In contrast, runbooks focus entirely on providing concise, repeatable instructions. They avoid the contextual, big-picture language of a playbook.

While runbooks prescribe workflows for distinct procedures, playbooks provide overarching action plans, sometimes including runbooks for essential steps. For example, you might have a playbook for incident management that includes several runbooks IT professionals can use to respond to an incident.

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How To Create Good Runbooks: 8 Steps

Here’s an eight-step guide for creating an effective runbook, using this example throughout: You’re defining how to notify personnel about a new security feature they must enable, which would involve sending out a company-wide email.

1. Clarify the Action

Identify the process your runbook will describe and reduce it to its simplest form. Your goal should be to describe the essential action you’re taking so your runbook is helpful for anyone referencing it.

Example: Rather than describing the initial request as “notify personnel about a new security feature,” you’d reduce it to “send a company-wide email” — the most basic element of what you’re trying to accomplish .

2. Research

Learn about all the potential use cases for your runbook. Note the tools you need to complete the task, such as task management platforms, text editors and code validators.

Example: There are several reasons for sending a company-wide email, so you need templates to cover common purposes like announcing updated guidelines. You might also use an automation tool like Scribe to generate instructions recipients should follow.

3. Assess Your Processes

Consider which runbook type addresses all the potential use cases you identified. If every use case follows the same process, you need a general runbook. If the process looks different for each circumstance, you need a specialized runbook.

Example: You need a general runbook because the process of sending out a company-wide email will always be the same. The content of the emails doesn’t alter the procedure.

4. Identify Automation Opportunities

Explore the tools involved, learning how to use their automation features to streamline your runbook’s instructions. If those features can manage the entire process, you’re creating an automated runbook. Otherwise, you need a manual or semi-automated one.

Example: Sending emails is mostly a manual process, but your runbook recommends readers use Scribe to automatically generate any instructions they need. That means the runbook will be semi-automated.

5. Pick a Template

Now that you know what kind of runbook you’re creating, choose a suitable template with the necessary sections. For example, the runbook template from the Scribe Gallery includes pre-formatted sections for your runbook’s objective, prerequisites and procedure.

Fill out the template with what you’ve learned about the use cases your runbook addresses and the tools you need to follow it.

Example: You’d fill in the runbook template with the use cases you learned about, which could include:

• Announcing a new procedure for requesting or returning devices.
• Acknowledging a security breach or outage.
• Recommending a new best practice to maximize security.

6. Draft instructions

Write the instructions that will make up the bulk of your runbook, including scripts and pre-written content the reader might need. 

‍Example: Here’s how you’d instruct your runbook readers on using Scribe for linking process documentation in a company-wide email:

• Install the Scribe plugin and enable it in the browser bar.
• Click Start Capture.
• Walk through the process recipients should follow.
• Click Complete Capture.
• In the new window that pops up, edit the Scribe as needed.
• Click Copy Link.
• Add the link to the email.

7. Test it

Follow the instructions you outlined to complete your various use cases, and ask your colleagues to test it, too. Their fresh perspective can help you detect new improvement opportunities.

Example: If you ask a peer to test your email runbook, they might recommend adding a list of group emails for different departments.

8. Finalize

Fill out the rest of your runbook template with any additional information that could help readers, such as troubleshooting tips or useful checklists. Then, add a final section inviting readers to provide feedback so you can continuously improve your guide. Use this guide to deliver your software update email.

Example: You might add a checklist readers can use to verify that their email configuration is correct. You can also provide a documented process for submitting feedback.

What Should a Runbook Include?

A well-crafted runbook includes the following sections:

• Objective: An overview of the goal the runbook helps readers achieve.
• Prerequisites: A checklist of tools, stakeholder signoffs or documents the reader should assemble before beginning the process.
• Procedures: Step-by-step instructions for executing the process the runbook describes.
• Troubleshooting: Tips for overcoming challenges the reader might encounter throughout the procedure.
• Feedback: Instructions for how readers can provide input about the runbook.

There are also five criteria that every runbook should meet to ensure they’re useful and easy to maintain:

• ‍Actionable — clearly and concisely outline the actions readers will take. 
• Accessible — offer easy-to-read instructions that avoid jargon and complexity whenever possible.
• Accurate — provide correct, up-to-date instructions.
• Authoritative — offer a single source of truth that supersedes any duplicate documentation.
• Adaptable — easy to modify as tools and procedures change.

Runbook Best Practices

Follow these best practices to ensure your runbook meets the above criteria:

• Leverage automation whenever possible. Automation significantly streamlines tasks, so take every opportunity to automate repetitive steps like deploying builds, updating software and writing processes.
• Run internal audits. Routinely audit your runbooks to ensure they reflect the latest developments in your infrastructure, workflows and configurations. If your documents require frequent updates, add an audit trail to track them.
• Incorporate visuals. Include diagrams that visualize workflows or screenshots demonstrating crucial steps.
• Store in a central location. Publish your runbooks in a knowledge base or cloud folder with permissions control so they’re accessible to everyone who needs them.
• Set up a monitoring system. Establish guidelines for reviewing and updating runbooks in response to operational changes, feedback or software updates.

Create Runbooks With Scribe

Runbooks empower IT professionals to standardize their processes and promptly respond to incidents. Creating and maintaining these valuable resources is integral to running a successful IT department — and Scribe can help. 

Scribe makes runbook creation, distribution and management easy by automatically generating instructions and capturing screenshots to document any process. We offer dozens of templates to help format your runbooks, establish IT documentation and create operational manuals. Our How-To Guide Generator tool can also auto-fill much of the content you need.

Sign up for Scribe and get started today.