Severity Classification Matrix
Make severity levels clear and consistent.
Added October 15, 2026. Written with AI assistance and checked for clarity and placeholders; not reviewed by a lawyer, accountant, clinician or other professional. How these prompts are made
The Open buttons send the prompt text as currently shown below to that site only when you click. Fill in the placeholders first.
[VERIFY] is an editorial flag, not a blank to fill. Wherever the prompt shows [VERIFY], check that item against a reliable source before you use it (what [VERIFY] means).
Draft a severity classification matrix for incidents. Product and customer impact types (data loss, outage, degradation, security, billing errors): [IMPACT_TYPES]. Number of customers and regions: [SCALE]. Contractual commitments: [COMMITMENTS]. Create a matrix with four levels and criteria based on measurable impact (percentage of users, revenue, data integrity, security exposure), required response times, who is paged, communication requirements, and review requirements. Include twelve example incidents and the level assigned with a reason. Add guidance on how to handle uncertainty (start high, downgrade later) and how to deal with disagreements quickly. Provide a decision flow in numbered questions that takes under a minute. Mark legal or contractual obligations [VERIFY] with the person who owns them. Add guidance on re-classifying during an incident, including who may raise or lower severity and how that is recorded. Include a section of five edge cases, such as a security issue with no visible impact or an outage affecting a single large customer, and propose how the matrix handles each. Finish with a plan to review the matrix after six months using real incidents.
Fill in before use
Optional: type your details and the prompt above updates. Nothing is saved or sent.
Replace each bracketed placeholder with your own details, then paste into Any AI or another assistant.