The Prairie Dog Protocol
A comprehensive framework for building organizational crisis alarm systems based on biological alarm call principles.
A comprehensive framework for building organizational crisis alarm systems based on biological alarm call principles. Like prairie dogs encoding predator type, size, color, and speed in their alarm calls, organizations need alarm systems that communicate precise threat information rapidly to trigger coordinated responses.
When to Use The Prairie Dog Protocol
Use when designing or improving crisis detection, escalation, and response systems. Applicable to cybersecurity, financial fraud detection, operational incidents, PR crises, regulatory compliance, and any domain where rapid threat detection and coordinated response matter.
How to Apply
Know Your Predators (Map Threat Landscape)
Identify all threat types your organization faces: cyber, financial, operational, reputational, regulatory, competitive, natural. For each, estimate likelihood and impact. Prioritize high-likelihood AND high-impact threats for alarm system investment.
Questions to Ask
- What threats do we face in each domain?
- Which threats are high-likelihood AND high-impact?
- Are we preparing for yesterday's threats or today's?
Designate Sentinels (Assign Watchers)
For each threat type, assign sentinel teams. Ensure sentinels have resources to monitor effectively, authority to escalate without approval, and incentives to call alarms (performance reviews reward detection, not silence).
Questions to Ask
- Who monitors each threat domain?
- Do sentinels have adequate resources?
- Are sentinels empowered to escalate without approval?
- Are they rewarded for detection or punished for false alarms?
Design Clear Alarm Calls (Define Protocols)
Define referential alarm calls with severity levels (P1/P2/P3), escalation paths, communication templates, and decision authority. Document in incident management system.
Questions to Ask
- Are threat types clearly categorized?
- Do we have P1/P2/P3 severity levels with clear definitions?
- Who gets notified at each severity level, and how fast?
- Who has authority to approve responses?
Build the Cascade (Create Response Playbooks)
For each P1-level threat, create detailed playbook covering detection, escalation, initial response (first 15 min), crisis team roles, communication templates (internal/external), resolution steps, and post-mortem process.
Outputs
- Playbook for each major threat type
- Pre-assigned roles and responsibilities
- Communication templates (internal and external)
- Decision trees for common scenarios
Practice the Stampede (Drill and Simulate)
Run regular crisis simulations. Monthly tabletop exercises, quarterly red team exercises, annual executive crisis drills. Update playbooks based on lessons learned.
Questions to Ask
- When did we last run a crisis drill?
- Did drills test real systems and real decisions?
- Were playbook gaps identified and fixed?
Monitor the Herd's Survival (Measure and Improve)
Track alarm system performance: MTTD (mean time to detect), MTTE (mean time to escalate), MTTR (mean time to respond), true positive rate, employee trust. Set improvement targets and hold teams accountable.
Outputs
- Metrics dashboard
- Improvement targets
- Quarterly review process