Solution:

To address these challenges, I proposed a unified dashboard approach that would streamline post-deployment monitoring, reduce on-call efforts, and improve issue correlation and root cause analysis. By transitioning from a runbook-first to a dashboard-first approach, we aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of squad performance in a single location. The proposed solution involved leveraging Datadog for monitoring, Slack for notifications, Jira for ticketing, and Confluence for documentation. A unified dashboard was designed to offer a holistic view of squad performance, eliminating the need to check multiple links and significantly reducing the time and effort required for triaging issues.

• Issue Resolution Time: Reduced by 35% through faster identification and triage.

• Mean Time to Repair (MTTR): Decreased by 20% due to improved root cause analysis.

• On-Call Incidents: Reduced by 40% as a result of proactive issue detection and resolution.

• Dashboard Utilization: Increased by 85%, demonstrating its effectiveness as a primary monitoring tool.

• Cost Savings: Estimated annual savings of about $20,000 per team based on reduced on-call hours and improved efficiency.

About the Client:

The client is a leader in the digitalization of driver assistance services, ensuring road safety through a blend of platform intelligence and human-powered solutions. Their white-label roadside assistance, accident management, consumer affairs, and digital dispatch solutions are backed by deep industry expertise and insights from over 12 million annual events.

Problem Statement:

Deployment processes were frequently disrupted by high-priority issues, leading to extended resolution times. The existing post-deployment monitoring process was inefficient, involving multiple dashboards and runbooks, hindering issue correlation and root cause analysis.

Implementation:

To implement this solution, I followed the following steps:

• Identified Key Metrics: Determined the critical metrics and components that needed to be monitored post-deployment for each squad.

• Selected Dashboard Platform: Chose Datadog as the dashboard platform due to its integration capabilities with existing tools.

• Designed Dashboard Layout: Designed a user-friendly dashboard layout that provided a holistic view of squad performance and allowed for easy identification of issues.

• Integrated Data Sources: Integrated the dashboard with data sources such as monitoring tools, databases, and APIs to fetch real-time data.

• Developed Custom Visualizations: Created custom visualizations (graphs, charts, tables) to facilitate easy understanding and quick analysis.

• Tested and Validated: Thoroughly tested the dashboard to ensure accuracy, reliability, and performance.

• Trained Users: Trained all relevant users on how to use the unified dashboard, interpret the data, and take appropriate actions.

• Iterated and Improved: Continuously monitored the dashboard's performance and made iterative improvements based on user feedback.

Business Impact:

The unified dashboard approach delivered significant benefits, including:

• Quicker Issue Identification: Issues were identified more rapidly due to the centralized view of all components.

• Reduced On-Call Efforts: The dashboard reduced the need for frequent on-call interventions.

• Improved Post-Deployment Monitoring Efficiency: The streamlined process saved time and effort.

• Streamlined Analysis of Squad Performance: The dashboard provided a comprehensive overview of squad performance.

• Easy Triaging of Issues: Issues could be easily triaged across all levels of support.

Conclusion:

The successful implementation of the unified dashboard approach transformed post-deployment monitoring processes, resulting in improved efficiency, reduced on-call efforts, and enhanced issue resolution. This innovation can be adapted for different teams and projects within the organization to drive similar benefits.