# What is Runbook?

> Step-by-step instructions for handling a known situation.

Canonical: https://www.decimal.app/glossary/runbook · Last reviewed: 2026-09-23

A runbook documents how to diagnose and resolve a specific alert, incident type, or support scenario, so anyone on shift can follow it.

## Why it matters

Runbooks turn expert knowledge into repeatable steps and cut response time for common issues.

## Best practices

1. Write them after incidents. The best runbooks come from real events.
2. Keep them executable. Include the exact queries and commands.
3. Test them. A runbook nobody has run may not work.

## How Decimal helps

Decimal can follow your runbooks during an investigation and flag where reality has drifted from what's written.

## Related terms

- [On-Call](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/on-call): The rotation of engineers responsible for responding to urgent issues.
- [Knowledge Base](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/knowledge-base): A library of help articles customers and agents use to answer questions.
- [Tribal Knowledge](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/tribal-knowledge): Know-how that lives in people's heads instead of in any document.
- [Incident](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/incident): An unplanned disruption or degradation of a service that needs an urgent response.

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