Incident response plans often fail during critical cybersecurity events, leading to severe consequences such as prolonged downtime, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage. Key reasons for failure include complex or vague plans that lack clarity, unclear roles and responsibilities, inadequate tooling and access, rigid and inflexible procedures, untested response strategies, lack of cross-functional input, and neglect of the human element. Experts highlight that effective plans must be clear, adaptable, regularly tested, and involve all relevant departments. Regular training, simulations, and clear decision-making hierarchies are essential to prepare teams for real incidents. Additionally, organizations should address human factors like stress and organizational culture to improve response effectiveness. Addressing these pitfalls can help organizations develop resilient incident response strategies capable of mitigating risks and minimizing damage during cybersecurity breaches.