Crisis Response Plan (Prepared, Not Panicked)
This prompt creates crisis response playbooks that define scenarios, establish clear response protocols, assign roles and responsibilities, provide communication templates, and set decision-making authority. It helps teams respond with speed and confidence during high-stress situations.
GPT / Claude / Gemini4 variables
Prompt
Create a crisis response plan for {CRISIS_TYPE}.
Input:
- Crisis type: {CRISIS_TYPE}
- Potential triggers: {TRIGGERS}
- Stakeholders affected: {STAKEHOLDERS}
- Current capabilities: {CAPABILITIES}
Rules:
- Define specific severity levels
- Assign clear roles with backups
- Create step-by-step protocols
- Prepare communication templates
- Make it accessible during crisis
Output format:
CRISIS SCENARIOS
Scenario: {CRISIS_TYPE}
Potential triggers:
- [Trigger 1]
- [Trigger 2]
Severity levels:
- SEV-1 (Critical): [Definition and impact]
- SEV-2 (High): [Definition and impact]
- SEV-3 (Medium): [Definition and impact]
RESPONSE TEAM
Incident Commander: [Name, backup]
Role: [Overall decision authority, coordinates response]
Contact: [Phone, email, backup channel]
Communications Lead: [Name, backup]
Role: [All stakeholder communications]
Contact: [Phone, email]
Technical Lead: [Name, backup]
Role: [Handles technical resolution]
Contact: [Phone, email]
[Additional roles...]
RESPONSE PROTOCOL (SEV-1)
Within 15 minutes:
1. Incident Commander confirms severity
2. Communications Lead notifies response team
3. Technical Lead begins assessment
Within 30 minutes:
1. Team convenes on [platform]
2. Communications Lead sends initial holding statement
3. Technical Lead provides situation assessment
Within 1 hour:
1. Incident Commander makes go/no-go decisions
2. Communications Lead updates stakeholders
3. Technical Lead implements immediate mitigation
Ongoing:
- Status updates every [frequency]
- Stakeholder communication every [frequency]
- Leadership briefings every [frequency]
DECISION AUTHORITY
Incident Commander can:
- [Decision type 1]
- [Decision type 2]
Requires executive approval:
- [Decision requiring escalation]
- [Financial threshold: $X]
COMMUNICATION TEMPLATES
Internal Alert:
"[SEVERITY] [CRISIS TYPE] detected at [TIME]
Impact: [Description]
Response team: Convene immediately on [platform]
Status updates: Every [frequency] on [channel]"
Customer Communication:
"We're aware of [issue] affecting [scope]
Current status: [What we know]
Impact: [What customers experience]
Next update: [Timeline]
How to get help: [Support channel]"
Executive Briefing:
"Situation: [What happened]
Impact: [Scope and severity]
Response: [What we're doing]
Timeline: [Expected resolution]
Decision needed: [If any]"
ESCALATION PATHS
If [condition], escalate to [role]
If [condition], notify [external party]
If unresolved after [timeframe], escalate to [executive]
POST-CRISIS PROTOCOL
Within 24 hours:
- Send all-clear communication
- Begin postmortem documentation
Within 1 week:
- Complete postmortem
- Identify process improvements
- Update crisis plan
DRILL SCHEDULE
- Tabletop exercise: Quarterly
- Full simulation: Annually
- Plan review: Every 6 months
- Contact list update: Monthly
QUICK REFERENCE
Emergency contacts: [Link or embedded list]
Communication channels: [Platforms]
Runbook location: [Where to find detailed procedures]
Backup procedures: [If primary systems are down]
Crisis type: {CRISIS_TYPE}
Triggers: {TRIGGERS}Quick brief
Purpose
Prepare for potential crises so teams can respond quickly and effectively when they happen.
Expected output
A crisis plan containing: crisis scenarios with severity definitions, response team roster with roles and contact info, step-by-step response protocols, stakeholder communication templates, decision trees for common situations, post-crisis review process, and regular drill schedule.
Customize before copying
Replace these placeholders with your own context before you run the prompt.
{CRISIS_TYPE}{TRIGGERS}{STAKEHOLDERS}{CAPABILITIES}
Works well with
GPT
Claude
Gemini
Variations
Add legal/regulatory compliance section.
Include media relations protocols for public crises.
Make it cyber-specific (ransomware, breach).
Add customer compensation decision framework.
What this prompt helps you do
This prompt creates crisis response playbooks that define scenarios, establish clear response protocols, assign roles and responsibilities, provide communication templates, and set decision-making authority. It helps teams respond with speed and confidence during high-stress situations.
When to use it
Use proactively to prepare for security breaches, PR incidents, service outages, safety issues, legal problems, or any scenario that could significantly harm the business. Essential for risk management and business continuity.
How it works
The prompt structures plans by: defining specific crisis scenarios and severity levels, establishing response team and roles, creating step-by-step response protocols, preparing stakeholder communication templates, and setting escalation paths and decision authority.
Best practices
Identify likely scenarios through risk assessment. Establish clear severity levels. Assign specific roles with backups. Practice with tabletop exercises. Update contact lists regularly. Review and update plans quarterly. Keep plans accessible when systems are down.
Common mistakes
Planning for everything means preparing for nothing—prioritize likely scenarios. Vague roles and decision authority. No practice runs before real crisis. Contact lists out of date. Plans buried where no one can find them. Not learning from near-misses.
What you should expect back
A crisis plan containing: crisis scenarios with severity definitions, response team roster with roles and contact info, step-by-step response protocols, stakeholder communication templates, decision trees for common situations, post-crisis review process, and regular drill schedule.
Limitations
Can't prevent all crises or predict every scenario. Requires organizational commitment to practice. Plans become outdated without maintenance. Effectiveness depends on team training and empowerment. External crises may have uncontrollable elements.
Model notes
Compatible with all major models. Claude provides thorough communication guidance. GPT creates clear decision trees. Gemini sometimes identifies non-obvious scenarios. Works for any organization or crisis type.
Real-world applications
Security teams use this for breach response. PR teams use it for reputation crises. IT teams use it for outage management. Operations teams use it for safety incidents. Executives use it for business continuity planning.
How to tell if it worked
Successful plans mean faster response times in actual crises, lower impact from incidents, clear accountability during chaos, consistent communication quality, and organizational learning from each event. If teams are confused or slow during crises, plans aren't working.
Where to go next
Use Incident Postmortem after crises to improve plans. Pair with Stakeholder Communication for crisis messaging. Follow with Process Documentation to update procedures.