Predefined, repeatable incident response procedures for specific scenarios guiding human decisions.

• A. Runbooks
• B. Checklists
• C. Playbooks
• D. Standard Operating Procedures

Answer: (C)

A playbook is a scenario-specific, repeatable set of incident response procedures that guides human decisions. It lays out what to do, in what order, who should do it, and what to do next based on what actually happens in the incident. This structure often includes decision points and escalation paths, so responders can handle common IR scenarios consistently and quickly (for example, ransomware, data breach, or phishing incidents).

This fits best because it focuses on guiding people through known scenarios with clear branching decisions, rather than just listing automated steps (runbooks), basic task checklists, or broad, organization-wide procedures (SOPs). Runbooks emphasize automation and scripted actions; checklists ensure steps are not missed but don’t provide scenario-specific decision logic; SOPs provide general operational methods but not the tailored, decision-driven responses for particular incidents.