Skip to main content

Monitoring

Continuous observation and tracking of a system, team or person, perhaps with respect to performance, security or availability.

Also Known As

Related

Addresses / Mitigates

  • Operational Risk: Ensures continuous observation to maintain operational stability.
  • Reliability Risk: Identifies and addresses potential issues before they impact system reliability.
  • Security Risk: Monitors for security breaches and anomalies.
  • Process Risk: Monitoring a process can ensure that when it misbehaves the issues are quickly caught.
  • Agency Risk: Monitoring the behaviour of agents, whether people or processes, helps identify when behaviour becomes counter-productive.
  • Emergent Behaviour: Implementing real-time monitoring of AI behaviour in deployment to detect and intervene in emergent risks.
  • Unintended Cascading Failures: Developing real-time oversight mechanisms to detect anomalies before they cascade into large-scale failures.

Attendant Risks

  • Complexity Risk: Implementing comprehensive monitoring solutions can add complexity.
  • Reliability Risk: Creates dependency on monitoring tools and their accuracy.
  • Funding Risk: High-quality monitoring tools and systems can be costly.

Used By

  • DevOps: Monitoring and logging, along with observability, are critical for identifying issues and opportunities for improvement in DevOps.
  • Extreme Programming: Monitoring progress through daily stand-ups and frequent releases is integral to XP.
  • Lean Software Development: Lean implements pull systems where work is pulled based on demand, ensuring that no work is done until it is needed.
  • Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe): SAFe monitors progress through Program Boards, Kanban boards, and regular sync meetings.
  • Scrum: Monitoring progress through daily stand-ups and sprint reviews is integral to Scrum.
  • TameFlow: Buffer Management and Flow Efficiency Boards provide continuous monitoring of work progress.

Description​

"Network monitoring is the use of a system that constantly monitors a computer network for slow or failing components and that notifies the network administrator (via email, SMS or other alarms) in case of outages or other trouble. Network monitoring is part of network management." - Network monitoring, Wikipedia

Monitoring encompasses a wide range of practices designed to ensure that systems operate efficiently and without interruption. This includes tracking the performance, availability, and security of networks, systems, and applications. Effective monitoring helps in early detection of issues, allowing for prompt resolution and minimizing the impact on operations.

Variations​

Monitoring TypeDescriptionReference
Application Performance MonitoringTracking application behaviour, response times, and resource usage to ensure optimal performance.Application Performance Management, Wikipedia
Infrastructure MonitoringObserving servers, networks, and hardware to detect failures and capacity issues.Network Monitoring, Wikipedia
Log MonitoringAggregating and analysing log files to detect errors, security events, and anomalies.Log Management, Wikipedia
Security MonitoringContinuous surveillance for security threats, intrusions, and policy violations.Security Information and Event Management, Wikipedia

Used By​

DevOps

DevOps

A set of practices that combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to shorten the development lifecycle and provide continuous delivery with high software quality.

Why: Monitoring and logging, along with observability, are critical for identifying issues and opportunities for improvement in DevOps.

Uses:
  • Monitoring and Logging
  • Observability
Extreme Programming

Extreme Programming

An Agile software development methodology that emphasizes customer satisfaction, teamwork, and frequent delivery of small, functional software increments.

Why: Monitoring progress through daily stand-ups and frequent releases is integral to XP.

Uses:
  • Daily Stand-ups
Lean Software Development

Lean Software Development

An Agile software development methodology that emphasizes eliminating waste, building quality in, creating knowledge, deferring commitment, delivering fast, respecting people, and optimizing the whole.

Why: Lean implements pull systems where work is pulled based on demand, ensuring that no work is done until it is needed.

Uses:
  • Pull Systems
Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

A set of organization and workflow patterns for scaling lean and agile practices across large enterprises.

Why: SAFe monitors progress through Program Boards, Kanban boards, and regular sync meetings.

Uses:
  • Program Board
  • ART Sync
Scrum

Scrum

An Agile framework for managing and completing complex projects.

Why: Monitoring progress through daily stand-ups and sprint reviews is integral to Scrum.

Uses:
  • Daily Stand-ups
TameFlow

TameFlow

A management approach for knowledge work that integrates Theory of Constraints, Kanban, and Agile principles to optimize the flow of work, information, and value.

Why: Buffer Management and Flow Efficiency Boards provide continuous monitoring of work progress.

Uses:
  • Buffer Management
  • Flow Efficiency Boards