Playbook Design
Modeling response workflows.
What a Playbook Is
A playbook is a codified response workflow: an ordered, branching set of steps the SOAR platform executes when triggered. It is the executable version of a runbook that used to live in a wiki.
Where a runbook says look up the IP reputation, a playbook actually calls the reputation API, parses the result, and branches on the score. Designing playbooks well is the core skill of automation engineering in the SOC.
Start From a Real Manual Process
Never design a playbook in the abstract. Start by documenting how analysts actually handle the alert today, step by step, including the decisions they make and the data they check.
Map each step to one of three categories:
- Deterministic action — same input always gives same output (safe to automate).
- Enrichment — gather data, no side effects (safe to automate).
- Judgment — requires context or accountability (keep human-in-the-loop).