8Steps™

8Steps™ is our process tool for conducting an incident investigation.

It has, as the name suggests, 8 steps in the process.  The first 4 steps, Part A, relate to Understanding the Incident and the final 4 steps, Part B, relate to Analysis and Identifying Controls.  The 8 steps have been selected based on our experience of conducting investigations and includes critical steps that are often overlooked by others.

Utilising the 8Steps™ process tool in your organisation will provide a simple, consistent and repeatable approach to investigations.  It provides a framework for conducting the investigation and also for reporting.

8Steps™ is unlike other investigation tools in that it is purely an investigation process tool as distinct from an investigation analysis model.  Our experience is that when organisations introduce just an analysis model that the quality of scoping, data collection and understanding of the incident is often thwarted by an attempt to start analysing to identify the cause and the solution.  People are often more focussed on the analysis than on acquiring a quality understanding of the incident.  It is common, for example, for investigations to be named after the analysis model.  It is critical for success that investigators seek to understand the incident in detail BEFORE attempting to solve the problem.  8Steps™ provides this focus and ensures quality data is fed into the analysis model at Step 5.

The 8Steps™ process tool can be applied to all levels of investigation but is typically most useful for higher level incidents.  Part B is based on using the InterSafe Essential Factors™ or ART-T™ analysis models but can be modified to suit your particular analysis tool of choice.