Stop Rules Library

Stop rules protect teams from marching forward when risk outpaces confidence. Capture your stop conditions or Browse the runbooks index. Define them before work starts so everyone knows when to pause, escalate, or roll back.

When to write a stop rule

• The plan hinges on a guardrail metric staying green.
• Work depends on external approvals or time-limited windows.
• A previous incident showed that drift goes unnoticed until it is too late.

Crafting effective rules

1. Name the condition. Describe the observable signal—not a vibe.
2. State the action. Pause, rollback, escalate, or regroup. Keep it unambiguous.
3. Assign the owner. One role pulls the brake and communicates next steps.
4. Set the time box. Clarify how long the pause lasts or when to reassess.
5. Link to the metric. Reference the dashboard or data source that triggers the rule.

Format

| Condition | Action | Owner | Time box / Follow-up | |