> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.obsy.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Roles & assignments

> Assign team members to structured roles during an incident.

Incident roles bring structure to chaotic situations. Each role has a clear responsibility so people aren't stepping on each other.

## Available roles

| Role                    | Responsibility                                                                                                 |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Incident Commander**  | Owns the incident end-to-end. Makes final calls, coordinates the response, and runs the bridge call if needed. |
| **Lead Engineer**       | Leads the technical investigation and fix. Works closely with the Commander.                                   |
| **Communications Lead** | Owns external and internal communications — status page updates, customer emails, Slack announcements.         |

## Assigning a role

1. Open the incident detail page.
2. In the **Roles** panel, click **Assign** next to the role you want to fill.
3. Search for the team member by name or email.
4. Click **Save**.

When a role is assigned:

* The assignee is **invited to the incident's Slack channel** automatically (if a channel exists).
* A timeline entry is added: "Jane Smith assigned as Lead Engineer".
* The member appears in the incident header and can be mentioned in Slack.

## Reassigning

Click the assigned member's name in the Roles panel and select **Reassign** to pick someone else. The previous assignee is not removed from the Slack channel.

## Unassigning

Click the assigned member and select **Remove** to clear the role without assigning a replacement.

## Best practices

* Assign the Incident Commander first — they should be the one calling for help, not jumping into the code.
* If you're a solo on-call engineer, you can hold all three roles. The structure still helps you stay organized.
* The Communications Lead should update the status page within 5 minutes of an SEV1/SEV2 being declared.