Source: [Original HTML page](https://stolenorbit.com/en/templates/ai-monitoring-runbook/)

Language: English

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# AI operations runbook

Make it clear who watches the system and what they do when work stops or quality declines. Monitoring includes detecting missing cases, not only reported errors.

[By Stolen Orbit](https://stolenorbit.com/en/about/) Revision 2026-09-24

## When to use it and what to produce

[Source for this section](https://stolenorbit.com/en/templates/ai-monitoring-runbook/#template-purpose)

Before production handover and when defining ongoing support between your business and its implementation partner.

Instructions available to the responsible team: signals, alerts, initial diagnosis, recovery and periodic review.

Fill in the fields below and download your document. The website does not send or save answers: closing the page may lose them. Examples are illustrative and should be replaced with your process data.

[Download the complete blank template (.md)](https://stolenorbit.com/downloads/monitoring-runbook-en.md)

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## 1\. Decide what to observe

[Source for this section](https://stolenorbit.com/en/templates/ai-monitoring-runbook/#signals)

Connect signals to an operational outcome. A process can respond successfully without completing work or receiving all expected inputs.

**See a worked example**

Illustrative example: no errors are logged, but zero requests are processed during a normally active morning. Check the inbox connection before concluding that the service is healthy.

**Workflow health and expected inputs**

Record last event, cases received and completed, queue size, latency and checks for unexpectedly absent inputs.

**Quality and residual work**

Define checks for errors, human corrections, missing sources and cases routed to manual handling.

**Usage and operational limits**

Specify observable volume and costs, who investigates changes and which limits require action.

## 2\. Make alerts actionable

[Source for this section](https://stolenorbit.com/en/templates/ai-monitoring-runbook/#response)

Every alert needs a recipient and a first action. Define agreed coverage and response windows without assuming the team is always available.

**See a worked example**

Illustrative example: when a queue grows, check the ERP connection and reviewer capacity. If the ERP is blocked, pause writes while preserving queued work.

**Signal, threshold and recipient**

For each alert record an observable condition, the role notified and a monitored channel.

**Initial checks and access**

List dashboards, log references and non-destructive checks; do not include secrets.

**Escalation and containment**

Specify when to contact the next owner, restrict the workflow or start manual handling.

## 3\. Maintain the service

[Source for this section](https://stolenorbit.com/en/templates/ai-monitoring-runbook/#maintenance)

A backup operator must be able to use the runbook. Periodically confirm that links, permissions, sources and named people remain valid.

**See a worked example**

Illustrative example: after restoring ERP access, compare requests with created drafts before draining the queue. Add the successful recovery step to the runbook.

**Recovery and final checks**

Explain how to resume, reconcile pending cases and inspect partial effects or duplicates.

**Reviews and planned maintenance**

List checks for versions, access, sources, evaluation cases and service capacity.

**Intervention log and updates**

Record where incidents and changes are documented and who maintains these instructions.

## Pitfalls to avoid

[Source for this section](https://stolenorbit.com/en/templates/ai-monitoring-runbook/#template-pitfalls)

-   Sending alerts to an inbox nobody monitors.
-   Measuring technical availability without checking completion and quality.
-   Agreeing ongoing support without defining coverage, boundaries and ownership.

[Keep your automation manageable after the launch.](https://stolenorbit.com/en/services/automation-ai-maintenance/)

[Reliable automation knows what to do when the outcome is uncertain.](https://stolenorbit.com/en/resources/automation-failures-and-duplicates/)

[From AI pilot to production: increase exposure with concrete evidence.](https://stolenorbit.com/en/resources/rolling-out-ai-safely/)

[All templates and tools](https://stolenorbit.com/en/tools/)

[All guides](https://stolenorbit.com/en/resources/)

## Take the next step together.

Use this document to start a discussion about scope, evaluation and project ownership.

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## Turn the question into a next step.

-   [Rolling out AI](https://stolenorbit.com/en/resources/rolling-out-ai-safely/)
-   [AI rollout plan](https://stolenorbit.com/en/templates/ai-rollout-plan/)
-   [Automation operations](https://stolenorbit.com/en/services/automation-ai-maintenance/)