Simple is Never Simple: A Lesson Learned on a Friday

Friday. The last day of the week. A day when everyone is mentally exhausted after a demanding week of work, pondering how to make the most of the upcoming weekend.

It was supposed to be a quiet day, as we usually avoid deploying new features to minimize the risk of encountering issues that might require us to work overtime. But earlier in the week, the executives presented us with a tempting opportunity: a variation of our product that required adjustments. The pay was generous, so why not accept? It seemed simple enough. A tweak here, another there, and we’re done.

As the week progressed, the eagerly awaited special request didn’t materialize. But, as always, it decided to show up at the most inconvenient time: on Friday.

The process to handle this request should have been straightforward. Stop the system, manually adjust some settings in the file, and restart it. However, we decided to try a more efficient approach: a new feature that would automate the changes. We thought it would be a quick and effective solution. However, the system responsible for this part was a tangled mess of complexity. With no proper testing, configurations embedded in the code, it was a true chaos. Testing the development flow to ensure everything worked correctly? We didn’t have time for that. It seemed too simple to fail.

We broke the first rule: deploying new features on a Friday. But after all, it was supposed to be something simple, right? Around 3 p.m., we completed the deployment. We were anxiously monitoring. Then, a flurry of alerts started flooding our inboxes. We asked the executives if the request had been registered, and the response caught us off guard: no. The feature had erroneously altered all configurations, including those of the “normal” requests. We rushed to identify and correct the error. It was 6 p.m.

After manual corrections, we thought we had overcome the obstacle. A lesson learned. But then, the unexpected happened. The special request was not in the system, even after all our interventions. Panic ensued. We called the operations team for manual intervention, but the workday was ending, and they couldn’t fully assist us. We agreed to resume on Monday, but it took hours for everything to be resolved. It was 9 p.m.

This experience taught us a valuable lesson: new workflows should not be tested on Fridays, no matter how simple they may seem. The system always has surprises in store. It’s crucial to communicate with all teams involved so they can act swiftly in the face of any issues. Synchronization between teams is essential to avoid setbacks like this in the future.

Join the Conversation: Share Your Tech Tales and Lessons Learned!

This is a series of stories from the daily life of someone immersed in the world of technology, where important lessons are learned. Can you relate to any of these situations? Have you experienced something similar in your own work? Share your experience in the comments below!