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Critical Incident

A critical incident is an event which deviates from the expected norm. Usually it also implies negative consequences resulting from the incident.

Critical Incident Analysis

The critical incident analysis can be used to analysis what went wrong in a critical incident after the fact. The analysis identifies the different underlying expectations and norms.

  1. Identify all situation where something has happened with unforeseen or unintended consequences
  2. The situation should be objectively and neutrally described, including the beginning of the situation, its course and its ending
  3. Each person involved with as much information as possible (like their name, function, age group, gender, ...)
  4. The social and professional relationship between the persons involved must be named or described
  5. The place, time and occasion of the event
  6. The purpose of the actions which caused the critical incident
  7. All actions of all persons involved

To get the best result from the analysis, multiple people should evaluate independently the description of the critical incident. Each elevator writes a description from the perspective from a different involved person. Later, to analysis the incident, role playing can be used to reenact the critical incident under observation.

The following should be described:

  • What were the motivations and objectives from the participants?
  • How does their common history affect their decisions?
  • Are there other possible explanations for their behaviour?
  • What other actions would have been possible and would have let those to a better result and why?