Why do we need a runbook?

the alert is only a signal, the very first step; reducing MTTR and solving the customer problem is the ultimate goal;

an actionable alert is one of the repetitive tasks; Adding a runbook for the repetitive task will help to increase debugging, accuracy, and efficiency in the triaging process.

We all hate time wasters. Documentation often is seen as one of these time wasters, mostly because it is boring to do. Planning is often seen as kind documentation, so there is a natural tendency to just skip this step for efficiency. However, people forget the hidden cost of skipping this documentation step: no agreement on shared understanding may cause the project will take a lot longer than people think, and this is only the beginning of other disadvantages of not having proper documentation.