Trigger Events

To understand what a “trigger event” is, one must first define it. A trigger event is “any event that sets a course of action in motion or an event that precipitates other events.” Using this definition, trigger events can relate to just about anything that has potential to harm a corporation, a community, or the public at large.

A trigger event can necessitate that a series of activities be implemented over time and—depending on the situation—can also create other responses. For example, the activation of a contingency plan because of a system outage can have financial implications: fines might be implemented if the system isn't restored in a timely manner. So the trigger event for the system outage can be the cut of a power line by a neighboring construction company, but the trigger event for financial fines being applied is the inability to restore and recover the systems impacted. Trigger events are what cause crisis management teams to implement contingency strategies based on an appropriate response to the situation at hand.

Trigger events can be internal or external and can be created through human-made activities or natural/environmental conditions.

Internal triggers originate from within a corporation or community; examples include such events as a failed system change request (SCR) not being fully vetted for impacts or a worker mishap because the worker didn't follow the rules for a specific procedure.

External triggers originate externally to the corporation and community that neither has control over and that did not originate with them. These would be such things as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunamis, to name but a few.

The threat of a potential trigger event should initiate the implementation of activities that help mitigate the threat and/or the impact of the potential crisis. A crisis management team (CMT) may implement safety measures for an impending tornado warning by alerting the community to be watchful and prepared in the event the tornado occurs. Though it has not occurred yet, the tornado has already triggered specific activities.

They are two kinds of trigger events: immediate and delayed. The threat of a flood can trigger precautionary measures to be implemented and thus, it is an immediate event. Fires, floods, and earthquakes don't come with much warning and thus are immediate trigger events. When they occur, there is an immediate need to implement a response strategy because a delay can cause loss of life and property. There is no discussion about what to do, but rather trained personnel respond into action at the outset of the disaster.

However, some trigger events aren't seen at all because they happen with no one—or very few—even knowing that they occurred. For example, an information technology (IT) change may have been made and only known by the individual making the change; from their perspective, no impact is found. It is not a trigger event in this case. However, days later, another individual tries to generate a specific report but is unable to do so because the IT change didn't implement as expected. Now the IT change has become a trigger event, as investigation and resolution activities begin, as well as those that have to be performed by the group(s) awaiting the report to continue their own operations. Some may not even be known for some time; using the previous example, a report that is generated each month may be corrupted by the change. But the change was done weeks earlier and thus not noticed until such time. Now, at the end of [Page 955]the reporting period, when systems are intended to provide information, it cannot be done because the trigger event that occurred actually happened much earlier than when it was identified. To mitigate this so that a crisis does not occur, sufficient change management processes should be in place.

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