What is on call?

On-call duty is a critical aspect of many technical roles, especially in software engineering, system administration, and IT operations. It involves being available outside of normal working hours to respond to urgent issues and incidents that may arise.

Here's a breakdown of key information about on-call:

• Purpose: The primary goal of on-call is to ensure the stability, reliability, and availability of critical systems and services. This often involves resolving outages, performance degradation, security breaches, or other emergencies.

• Responsibilities: On-call responsibilities typically include:

  • Monitoring system health and performance.
  • Responding to alerts and notifications.
  • Troubleshooting and diagnosing issues.
  • Implementing temporary fixes or workarounds.
  • Escalating complex issues to the appropriate teams or individuals.
  • Documenting incidents and resolutions.
  • Participating in post-incident reviews (Post-Incident Review).

• Rotation: On-call duties are usually rotated among a team of engineers or operators to distribute the burden and prevent burnout. The frequency and duration of on-call rotations vary depending on the size of the team, the complexity of the systems, and the severity of potential incidents.

• Tools and Processes: Successful on-call programs rely on a robust set of tools and processes, including:

  • Monitoring and alerting systems: to detect issues proactively.
  • Incident management platforms: to track and manage incidents.
  • Communication channels: to facilitate rapid communication and collaboration.
  • Runbooks and documentation: to provide guidance on common issues.
  • Escalation policies: to ensure timely escalation of complex problems.

• Compensation and Support: On-call engineers are often compensated for their time and effort, either through additional pay, time off, or a combination of both. It is crucial to provide adequate support and training to on-call personnel, including access to documentation, mentorship, and on-call buddies.

• Reducing On-Call Burden: Organizations strive to reduce the on-call burden by investing in:

  • Improving system reliability and resilience.
  • Automating repetitive tasks.
  • Implementing robust monitoring and alerting.
  • Reducing alert fatigue.
  • Improving documentation and knowledge sharing.

• Importance of Well-being: It's important to acknowledge the impact of on-call on personal well-being. Companies should promote healthy work-life balance, encourage proper rest, and provide resources for managing stress and fatigue.