C7: Diagnostics
Objective
Section titled “Objective”- Do now: Turn everything you know about FreshConnect into a one-page incident card.
- Input: Platform knowledge from C2-C6, plus any deployed resources and docs.
- Output:
agent-output/freshconnect/07-diagnostics-quick-card.md. - Required to move on: Top health checks, symptom-to-action flows, key commands or queries, and an escalation trigger.
- Decisions now: What to check in the first 60 seconds, what failures are most likely, and when to wake up someone else.
- Next: C8 uses this card as evidence that your solution is operable under pressure.
The goal is not a full runbook. It is a fast triage aid that works at 2 AM when the reader has no spare attention.
The Business Challenge
Section titled “The Business Challenge”At 2:17 AM on a Sunday, the FreshConnect API P95 latency spikes to 8.2 seconds and the on-call engineer is new to the rotation. They need a triage card that tells them what to check first, what symptoms mean, and when the problem is bigger than a quick fix.
Your Tasks
Section titled “Your Tasks”- Pick the top three health checks that should happen in the first 60 seconds.
- Add two or three symptom-to-action flows for the failures you think are most likely.
- Include the key Azure CLI commands or KQL queries that make the card actionable.
- Define the escalation trigger and save the final card at the required path.
Key Decisions
Section titled “Key Decisions”- Which checks tell you fastest whether the issue is platform, application, or dependency?
- Which failure modes matter most for FreshConnect based on your architecture and load-test results?
- What can an on-call engineer do safely without architect approval?
- How do you keep the card short enough to scan while still being useful?
Deliverables
Section titled “Deliverables”agent-output/freshconnect/07-diagnostics-quick-card.md- Top 3 health checks for the first minute of an incident.
- Two or three symptom-to-action flows.
- Key commands or queries for diagnosis.
- Escalation trigger and optional path to
agent-output/freshconnect/07-ab-diagnostics-runbook.mdif you add bonus depth.
Success Criteria
Section titled “Success Criteria”| Focus | What good looks like | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| First-minute triage | The card helps someone act immediately | Three health checks are specific and ordered |
| Symptom handling | Common failures map to concrete next actions | Two or more symptom-to-action flows are included |
| Actionability | The card is usable without extra explanation | Commands, queries, or portal checks are present |
| Escalation discipline | The card defines the handoff clearly | Clear trigger or threshold tells on-call when to escalate |
Tips / Hints
Section titled “Tips / Hints”What belongs on the card
Prioritize checks that answer “is it down, slow, or broken by a dependency?” Use Hints & Tips for example diagnostic flows and Quick Reference Card for example queries.
Watch Out
Section titled “Watch Out”- A diagnostics card full of paragraphs will not help during an incident.
- Vague escalation language creates unnecessary delay.
- Do not include five different branches if only two or three are likely to matter.
- Avoid commands that require hidden context the on-call engineer will not have.
Artifact Handoff
Section titled “Artifact Handoff”| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Input from | Deployed infrastructure, prior artifacts (architecture, IaC templates, ADR) |
| Your output | agent-output/freshconnect/07-diagnostics-quick-card.md (required), optionally agent-output/freshconnect/07-ab-diagnostics-runbook.md |
| Next challenge uses | C8 uses this card as evidence that your solution is operable, not just deployable |
Next Step
Section titled “Next Step”Challenge 8 uses this quick card alongside your diagram, ADR, and other artifacts to show operational maturity during the final presentation.