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Elevating System Management: The Role of Monitoring and Observability in DevOps

In the ever-evolving world of DevOps, the ability to gain deep insights into system behavior, diagnose issues, and improve overall performance is one of the top priorities. Monitoring and observability are two key concepts that facilitate this process, offering valuable visibility into the health and performance of systems. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they represent distinct approaches to understanding and managing complex systems. In this article, we will explore the differences between monitoring and observability, provide examples to illustrate their applications and highlight their respective benefits. We will also delve into the techniques and tools used for effective monitoring and observability.

Monitoring: Understanding System State

Monitoring focuses on collecting and analyzing data about the state of a system or application. It typically involves setting up specific metrics, thresholds, and alerting mechanisms to track the performance and availability of various components. Common monitoring techniques and tools include:

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The Kano Model: Developing for Value and Delight

Even though we have been developing software on the mainframe platform for decades we still have ways to learn and improve. We continually face the problem of meeting user needs with the resources we have on hand. This forces us to be careful about what we choose to do—we must look at whether we are focusing on the right things. While there are basic expectations that must be met, are we providing things that excite and delight? That is, the things that make users feel connected and generate passion. Users that feel a connection with your applications can obtain greater value from them.

How to provide things that excite while still delivering on basic needs is difficult to manage, but there are tools to help. For one the Kano model created by Japanese educator, lecturer, writer, and consultant in the field of quality management, Dr. Noriaki Kano. He sought to resolve these issues with a prioritization framework. The framework focuses on the three patterns of customer expectations versus the investments organizations make to delight their customers and do what it takes to positively impact customer satisfaction.