At Clappia, we have a structured on-call process within the Engineering team where each member is on-call for a week, once every 6-8 weeks. During this week, the person directly looks at any issues or bugs faced by our customers and tries to resolve them on priority. This process ensures that we maintain system reliability and provide prompt responses to any issues that arise. Here’s a deeper look into why this practice is essential.

Our On-Call Process

Our on-call rotation ensures that every team member is responsible for handling customer facing issues and maintaining the system's uptime for a designated week. Each person gets a turn every 6-8 weeks, which balances the load and ensures no single individual is overburdened. This rotation allows the team to stay prepared and responsive to any technical issues, ensuring consistent system performance and reliability.

Benefits

1. Accountability and Commitment: Sharing on-call duties fosters a sense of accountability among all team members. Everyone feels equally responsible for the system’s reliability and performance, leading to a stronger commitment to quality and uptime.
2. Empathy and Understanding: When everyone experiences the challenges faced by our customers, it builds empathy towards the customers and gives everyone a better understanding of the business use-cases. Understanding the difficulties faced by the users helps in making more informed decisions about the processes and the roadmap.
3. Continuous Improvement: Direct involvement in on-call activities highlights inefficiencies and areas for improvement that might not be visible from a distance. This firsthand experience drives enhancements in incident response procedures and system architecture.
4. Team Cohesion: Sharing the on-call load builds trust among the team members. It promotes a culture of mutual support and collaboration, essential for handling high-pressure situations effectively.
5. Technical Relevance: Regular participation in on-call duties keeps everyone, including senior team members, technically engaged and up-to-date with the latest developments and challenges in the system.

Drawbacks

1. Stress and Burnout: On-call duties can be stressful and demanding, especially when issues occur frequently. This may lead to burnout if not managed properly.
2. Potential for Inefficiency: Given the high priority of the issues, team members might tend to make short-term fixes to resolve these issues. But in the long term, these fixes might adversely affect the platform. So, if not well-coordinated, the on-call process can lead to inefficiencies.

Conclusion

The on-call process is a crucial component of maintaining system reliability and fostering a culture of accountability, empathy, and continuous improvement within the Engineering team. While it has its challenges, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks when managed effectively. By ensuring everyone participates, we not only enhance our technical capabilities but also build a stronger, more cohesive team.