Uh oh. Something's gone weird. Production's down. Or we can't ship. Maybe we just found out that the Data Warehouse hasn't been refreshed since last Thursday. Whatever it is, people are in a tizzy and you need to stay in front of this as word works its way up the food chain.
First things first - prepare for a possible ambush. Let your immediate lead know that something's up in case they get the random message or text or hallway stop asking what's going on. Two or three main points for them to have in their pocket while you and the team are figuring out what's going on. "Hey Bob, production lies four through eight came offline and are now idle. Not sure what's going on but Jen's checking things out." Better to let them know you're already on it, instead of them getting caught off guard and having to find you instead.
As you start collecting info on what's going on, you should start getting in front of it with all the people who need to know. They may be your lead's peers, or their lead's peers, but whoever they are, they need to know the team is on top of it. (Depending on the organization this communication might come from you, or maybe your manager or even someone else - you may have to feel the culture out on this one, but if the situation is really urgent send the email and apologize later.
But what should it say? In this case there are only three things that matter, in this order: What? So what? Now what?
What? One statement on what is happening. "All - We are aware that production lines four through eight are currently offline in the Elgin facility. A tech is currently on site investigating."
So what? A statement on the impact of what's going on. "This is affecting Widget and Ultra Widget production. Right now only production is impacted, shipping will not be affected unless this stoppage continues through tomorrow."
Now what? A statement on the immediate next steps and when the next update should be expected. "As the investigation continues, we'll update all current recipients of this email in an hour or sooner." (Consider: Depending on what's happening, email updates may not be enough. An open conference or virtual call may be in order for leaders to call in for status, and for teams to collaborate real time.)
Repeat until the situation is resolved or settled down to a point where constant communications are non longer necessary.
-ep