Technology · Free tool
Incident Status Update
During an incident, stakeholders want four things fast: how bad it is, who is affected, when it started and when they will hear more. This template puts severity, impact, the start time and the next update on one page so the incident lead can send a clear status note in under a minute. It suits on-call engineers, support leads and managers.
- OutputA status note
- No sign-up
- Copy or print the result
- How it works ↓
Your entries stay in this browser. Use Fill example to see a finished page first.
What this technology tool gives you
The output is a short table of the four items, with anything missing marked Still blank and named underneath. Copy it into a status channel, an email to customers' account managers or an executive update, then refresh it at each update time. It is a status note, not a postmortem.
What you enter
- Severity: the level your team uses, for example SEV-2
- Impact: who or what is affected, in plain words
- Start: when the incident began, including the time zone
- Next update: when the next status note will go out
Worked example
The example incident is SEV-2. Impact: Monday note delayed for shops in the EU region. It started at 2026-03-12 09:10 UTC, and the next update is due at 2026-03-12 10:10 UTC. All four items are filled, so the note ends with only the reminder that this is a status note from the words you typed, not a postmortem.
What goes into an incident status note?
The tool lists the four fields in a table under Item and What you wrote. An empty field shows Still blank, and the note under the table names every blank item. There is no scoring and no severity logic; the tool uses the words you type.
Start and next update are free text rather than date pickers, so you can include the time zone, such as UTC, and a time of day. The note appears as soon as any one field has text.
Tips before you use the result
- Always include a time zone in the start and next update times; UTC avoids confusion across regions.
- Describe impact from the customer's side, for example "checkout fails for EU shops", not "database CPU high".
- Commit to a next update time you can keep, even if the update is "no change"; silence causes more escalations than bad news.
- Once the incident is resolved, move the timeline and root cause into a separate postmortem; this note is only for live status.
Frequently asked questions
What should an incident status update include?
A useful update states the severity, the impact on customers or systems, when it started and when the next update will come. Those four items are what this tool asks for. Longer updates may add current actions and a workaround, but the four basics should come first.
How often should incident updates be sent?
The tool does not set a cadence; it records the next update time you choose. The example promises an update an hour after the start. Many teams update more often for high-severity incidents. The key is to state the time and keep to it.
Is this an incident postmortem template?
No. It is a live status note for the duration of an incident. A postmortem comes afterward and covers the timeline, root cause and follow-up actions. Use this page for quick, repeated updates while the incident is open, then write the postmortem separately once it is resolved.
Will my incident notes stay private?
The text stays on your own device, saved in the browser as you type, and no sign-in is needed. Nothing is posted anywhere until you copy it. Use Clear between incidents so an old impact line is not sent by mistake.
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Results depend on the figures you enter; check them against your own records before you rely on them. Last updated: October 2026 · Kurums editorial team.