Operational procedures for repeatable product work. If you do it twice, document it.
Runbooks are how you make good work repeatable without turning it into theatre.
This is KCS in practice: capture knowledge in the flow of work, make it findable, and keep it current enough that someone else can actually use it.
runbooks/
├── ai/
│ └── production-readiness-check.md
└── product/
└── quarterly-roadmap-planning.md
Runbook templates live in templates/template_runbook.md, not under runbooks/.
A runbook documents a repeatable process:
- When to use it: trigger conditions
- Prerequisites: what needs to be true before you start
- Steps: clear ordered actions
- Decision points: where judgment is required
- Outputs: what exists when you are done
- Owner: who keeps it current
| Type | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Runbook | Operational procedure for a specific recurring task | "AI production readiness check" |
| Workflow | End-to-end process with multiple stages | "New feature development" |
| Template | A reusable document structure | "PRD template" |
First time: do the work and take notes.
Second time: follow the notes and tighten them.
Third time: you have a runbook worth keeping.
Use templates/template_runbook.md as the starting structure.
- Update them when reality changes
- Remove steps that no longer earn their place
- Link them from templates, workflows, and project notes where they help
- Keep the title literal enough that someone can find it fast
Remember: runbooks are working documents. If they stop matching the real process, they stop being useful.