Rule 26 of 33 · Chapter VI — When Things Break
During an incident, one person drives
Why this rule exists
When production is down, the worst thing that can happen is five capable people all fixing it at once, uncoordinated, tripping over each other, making conflicting changes that turn one problem into three. Incidents need a single coordinator, an incident commander, whose job is not necessarily to fix it themselves but to run the response: track what's known, decide what to try, delegate the actual work, and keep everyone pointed the same direction. This role exists because in a crisis the coordination is the hard part, not the technical fix, and without one person holding the whole picture, the response fragments into panic. The commander turns a scramble into a plan, and just as importantly, frees the people doing the fixing to focus on their piece while someone else holds the map. It also gives everyone else clarity: you know who's calling the shots, so you're not each independently deciding to restart the database. Clear command is how a small team punches above its weight in a crisis.
In practice
When something's clearly an incident, someone declares it and takes, or explicitly assigns, the commander role, out loud, so everyone knows who's driving. The commander coordinates rather than tunneling into the fix: they maintain the picture, decide what to try next, assign tasks to specific people, and keep communication flowing. If you're not the commander, take the piece you're handed and report back, and don't make significant changes without coordinating, because a well-meaning solo fix can undo someone else's or make things worse. The commander can and should pull in whoever's needed, and can hand off the role if they're getting tired or need to go hands-on. Keep the response calm and coordinated, since panic is contagious and the commander's steadiness sets the tone.
When it doesn't apply
A tiny, obvious, one-person issue doesn't need the full ceremony; not everything that breaks is an incident. And the commander role is about coordination authority during the crisis, not seniority or blame, so the most junior person present can hold it if they're the one with the clearest picture.