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Information management during a crisis is a complex matter. During a crisis, the crisis team is inundated with information from within the organization and from outside sources. This information is typically discussed during crisis meetings.
During these meetings, the logger plays a crucial role in managing and filtering all this information. For example, the logger must be able to distinguish between assumptions and facts. It is therefore important that loggers are given the right tools to effectively fulfill their role. There are a number of tips and tricks that make every logger’s job easier.
First, choose a decision-making framework and stick to it. A decision-making framework, such as the BOB framework, helps a decision-maker organize information into three categories: Situation Assessment, Evaluation, and Decision-Making. This framework then serves as a guiding principle throughout the crisis meeting.
Assessment encompasses all the information currently available. Evaluation involves all the questions raised by the facts. An example in the context of violence is: How do we ensure the safety of the staff on site? Decision-making then consists of the answers to these questions, and the actions that need to be taken follow from those answers.
It is also important to distinguish between facts and assumptions. Effective crisis management benefits from acting on the basis of facts rather than assumptions. An assumption may seem like a fact, but there is no evidence to support it.
By filtering out assumptions, the volume of information is already reduced. An assumption is someone’s perception, feeling, or thought about a particular situation. An assumption may be true, but it has not yet been verified. Therefore, ask yourself whether there is already evidence to support it or whether that evidence still needs to be provided.
Finally, it is important that a logger records information in a concrete, clear, and concise manner. On the one hand, this ensures that the logger can maintain an overview and does not miss any information during a meeting. On the other hand, the log files are clear, allowing the crisis team to see at a glance afterward what was discussed.
It is therefore crucial to distinguish between main points and secondary details. To do this, it is best to use several short log entries rather than a single long paragraph. These entries can then all be categorized as “overview,” for example. This way, it remains clear that the entries belong together and collectively form the current overview without becoming a block of text.
The recorder is a key member of the crisis team, and a skilled recorder can make a real difference in the information management process. That is why it is important to provide the recorder with the right tools to fulfill this role.
When implementing CrisisSuite, we also address this in our user training. We provide logger training sessions, short courses, and refresher exercises to ensure that loggers are always prepared for this task. These training sessions ensure that loggers are familiar with the software and confident in their abilities when they are needed most.
