> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.statuspal.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.statuspal.io/next/basics/incident-management.md).

# Incident Management

Incident Management gives your team a structured way to handle disruptions: assign who's responsible, track severity, and follow step-by-step runbooks — all while keeping your status page updated for subscribers.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Incident Management is not the same as a status page incident notice.** A notice is the public post your subscribers see on the status page. An incident is the internal record for your team's response. They work together — updates posted on an incident also appear on the linked notice — but they serve different audiences.
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="/files/RIGPSzGYSBdr4KHiwgh5" alt="Declare incident form showing fields for title, status, description, affected service, severity, commander, and responders"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Declaring an incident

Go to **Incident Management → Incidents** and click **Declare incident**. Each incident captures:

* **Title and description** — what happened and any initial context
* **Status** — where the response stands: Investigating → Identified → Monitoring → Resolved
* **Affected service and status** — which service is impacted and how severely (Operational, Degraded, or Unavailable)
* **Severity** — Sev1 through Sev5 to communicate urgency across the team
* **Commander** — the person leading the response
* **Responders** — team members helping to resolve it

Incidents can also be declared directly from Slack using the `/spal new` command, without leaving your Slack workspace.

## Slack integration

When your organization has connected a Slack workspace, StatusPal Next can automatically create a dedicated channel per incident and invite the commander and all responders. This happens when the incident matches a runbook that has a **Slack step** configured — the channel is created as part of executing that runbook step.

{% hint style="info" %}
A Slack channel is only created automatically if your organization has Slack connected **and** the incident matches a runbook with a Slack step. Incidents without a matching Slack-step runbook do not get a dedicated channel.
{% endhint %}

## Runbooks

Runbooks are reusable, step-by-step response plans you define in advance. When an incident is declared, any runbook matching the incident's service and severity is automatically triggered — team members check off steps as they work through the response, providing structure during high-pressure situations and a clear audit trail after. Runbook steps can include Slack actions (creating the incident channel), manual tasks, and more.

## Roles

Only **admins** can resolve or delete an incident. **Members** can declare incidents, post updates, and complete runbook steps.