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Overview

Action items are for tracking specific work that needs to be done during incident handling — things like “scale up the database connection pool” or “roll back the latest release”. The Actions card on the right side of the incident overview page manages all action items for the current incident, and each item supports a title, a description, and multiple assignees. An action item can be converted into a follow-up, which then enters the post-mortem process. Follow-ups share the same work-item model as action items (same fields and statuses); the difference is the phase they represent: action items cover the handling process, while follow-ups cover improvement work after the incident ends. A follow-up can be created directly on a closed incident without a post-mortem report first; if the incident already has one, the system automatically links the follow-up to it, and the item also appears in the report’s To-dos block.

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Overview Panel

The right side of the incident overview page now shows two cards — Actions and Follow-ups — whose editable phases are complementary, with the other card demoted to read-only:
  • Add button in the card header: Add an action for action items (or Add when items already exist) and Add a follow-up for follow-ups (or Add when items already exist)
  • While the incident is open, only existing follow-ups are shown (read-only); once it is closed, only existing action items are shown (read-only)
  • The editable card always comes first: action items on top while the incident is open, follow-ups on top once it is closed
Both cards use the same inline operations (edit, delete, complete, mark as won’t do). The sections below use action items as the example; the same operations apply to follow-ups.

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Creating and Editing Action Items

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Create

In the Actions card on the right side of the incident overview page, click Add an action (or Add when the card already contains items) and fill in the following fields in the dialog: Once created, the action item appears in the card and an “action created” event is recorded on the incident timeline. Members assigned as assignees receive a personal notification prompting them to follow through (sent via email and in-app push by default; you can adjust notification channels in Personal Settings).

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Edit and Delete

  • Members with incident update permission can click the item title, or use Edit in the More menu, to change the title, description, or assignees
  • Newly added assignees also receive a personal notification; removing an assignee does not trigger a notification
  • Delete in the More menu requires confirmation; deletion cannot be undone

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Status Transitions

Each action item’s status is managed through its checkbox and the More menu: The More menu also provides Mark as completed and Cancel completion shortcuts. Status changes are likewise recorded on the incident timeline.

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Converting to Follow-Ups and Linking to Post-Mortems

Follow-ups belong to an incident that has ended. The system converts unfinished action items automatically when the incident closes, and you can keep adding follow-ups afterwards:
  • Automatic conversion on close: When an incident is closed, the system converts every unfinished action item under it into a follow-up in one batch (the work-item type changes from Action to Follow-up) and writes a single timeline event — converted N unfinished actions to follow-ups: title, title… (i_wi_auto_converted). Action items that are already completed or marked as won’t do stay as they are and remain listed as (read-only) action items
  • Automatic post-mortem linking: When converting or creating a follow-up, if the incident already has a post-mortem report, the system links the follow-up to it automatically; if there is no post-mortem yet, the follow-up stays unlinked, and once a report is created for the incident the system binds every unlinked follow-up under that incident to it
  • Working in the post-mortem report: Once linked, follow-ups can also be edited, completed, or deleted in the report’s To-dos block, and those operations are recorded on the incident timeline (for example, “linked the follow-up item to the post-mortem”)
For writing and publishing post-mortems, see Create and Edit Post-Mortem Reports.

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Permission Model

Access to action items and follow-ups follows these rules: In addition, reading and writing action items are constrained by the incident’s collaboration space: only account owners, account admins, and members who can access the incident’s collaboration space may operate on them. Incidents created manually without a collaboration space remain visible account-wide, and all account members can access them. This matches the access rules of the incident itself.

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Closed Incidents

Once an incident is closed, the Actions card becomes read-only while the Follow-ups card unlocks for editing:
  • Actions: You cannot create, edit, or delete action items, nor change their status (the UI hides the add button and action entries, and the backend also rejects creating action items for closed incidents). At the moment of closing, the system already converted unfinished action items into follow-ups, so this card normally keeps only items that were completed or marked as won’t do
  • Follow-ups: You can add, edit, complete, or delete follow-ups directly under the incident without creating a post-mortem report first; if the incident already has one, the backend back-fills the post-mortem link on newly created follow-ups
  • There is no need to clear unfinished action items before closing an incident; if you want a piece of work to stay an action item, mark it Completed or Won’t do before closing, otherwise it will be converted into a follow-up on close

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Further Reading