Which document serves as a guideline for tasks and items during incident handling?

The choice of a checklist as the guideline for tasks and items during incident handling is appropriate because checklists provide a structured approach to ensure that all necessary steps are followed during an incident response. They help to streamline the incident handling process, minimize oversight, and ensure consistency in how incidents are addressed. Checklists can include specific actions to take, tools to use, and information to collect, which are crucial for a systematic response to incidents.

In incident management, a checklist is often used to guide responders through the various stages of an incident, from identification and containment to eradication and recovery. This ensures that responders do not overlook critical actions that could negatively impact the effectiveness of the response.

While an incident report documents the details of the incident after it has occurred, and a playbook outlines procedures for responding to incidents, checklists are particularly useful for real-time guidance. A policy document provides high-level principles and rules but does not offer the practical steps needed during an actual incident response. Thus, the checklist serves as an essential tool for ensuring comprehensive and efficient incident handling.