> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.flashduty.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Manage Post-Mortem Templates

> Use templates to standardize your team's post-mortem process and ensure every review covers the key information.

## Why Templates

Having to think from scratch about "what should we cover" every time you write a post-mortem is both time-consuming and error-prone. Templates solve this by defining sections and guidelines upfront, so every report follows a consistent structure — and giving AI a clear framework to generate content from.

<Tip>**Plan requirement**: This feature requires an On-call Pro or higher subscription. [Learn more](https://flashcat.cloud/flashduty/price/)</Tip>

## Built-In Templates

The system comes with two ready-to-use built-in templates:

| Template                            | Language | Sections                                                                   |
| :---------------------------------- | :------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 默认故障复盘报告模板                          | Chinese  | Summary, Root Cause, Impact, Timeline, Corrective Actions, Lessons Learned |
| Default Post Mortem Report Template | English  | Summary, Root Cause, Impact, Timeline, Corrective Actions, Lessons Learned |

These two templates cover the most common sections in a post-mortem and work well for most scenarios. If your team has specific needs, you can create custom templates based on these.

<Note>
  Built-in templates cannot be modified or deleted.
</Note>

### What Each Section Is For

| Section                | What Question Does It Answer                                                |
| :--------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Summary**            | What happened? A few sentences to give anyone not involved a quick overview |
| **Root Cause**         | Why did it happen? What were the direct and underlying causes               |
| **Impact**             | How many users were affected, which services, and for how long              |
| **Timeline**           | From detection to recovery — what was done and when                         |
| **Corrective Actions** | What will be done next to prevent similar issues                            |
| **Lessons Learned**    | What did the team take away from this experience                            |

## Creating Custom Templates

If the built-in templates don't fully meet your needs — say your team wants to add a "Customer Communication Log" or "Cost Impact Assessment" section — you can create custom templates.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Template Management">
    On the post-mortem report page, click "Template Management".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in Basic Information">
    | Field                | Required | Description                                                       |
    | :------------------- | :------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Template name        |    Yes   | Give it a clear name, such as "Payment Team Post-Mortem Template" |
    | Template description |    No    | Briefly describe what scenarios this template is for              |
    | Owning team          |    Yes   | Select the team responsible for maintaining this template         |
    | Template content     |    Yes   | Define the section structure in the editor                        |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Design the Section Structure">
    Define your template sections in the editor. We recommend using H2 headings for section titles and adding a quote block under each one as a writing guide to tell authors what that section should cover.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click "Save" to finish. The new template will immediately appear in the template list and be available for all users when creating post-mortem reports.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  The template's section structure also serves as the framework for AI-generated content, so clear section definitions don't just help people write better — they also make the AI's output more targeted.
</Tip>

## Editing and Deleting Templates

Click any custom template in the template list to edit its name, description, owning team, or content. Templates that are no longer needed can be deleted.

<Tip>
  Deleting a template does not affect any post-mortem reports that were already created using it.
</Tip>

## Who Can Manage Templates

Anyone can create a template, but editing and deleting are controlled by team ownership:

| Role                                  | Edit and Delete                              |
| :------------------------------------ | :------------------------------------------- |
| Account-level user / Account admin    | Can manage all templates                     |
| Members of the template's owning team | Can manage their team's templates            |
| Other users                           | Can view and use only, cannot edit or delete |

<Tip>
  While editing and deleting have permission restrictions, all users can choose any template when creating a post-mortem report — including custom templates created by other teams.
</Tip>