Operational Readiness Checklist Example

1. Monitoring and Alerting

• Owner: Monitoring Team
• Tasks:
  • Ensure all critical components have monitoring set up.
  • Verify that appropriate metrics and alarms are configured for performance and error tracking.
  • Confirm alerting mechanisms are in place and notifications are directed to the correct teams.
  • Test alert triggers to ensure they function correctly and are acted upon as needed.
  • Ensure an Alert Ownership Assignment Document is up to date

2. Incident Management

• Owner: Incident Response Team
• Tasks:
  • Review and update the incident response plan, including roles and responsibilities.
  • Confirm incident management tools are configured and ready for response.
  • Simulate incident scenarios to ensure teams are prepared to respond effectively.
  • Validate that escalation paths and communication channels are well-documented and tested.

3. Backup and Recovery

• Owner: Backup and Recovery Team
• Tasks:
  • Ensure backup schedules are configured and automated for critical data.
  • Test data recovery procedures to ensure backups can be restored without data loss.
  • Validate that Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) meet business requirements.
  • Document backup and recovery processes and ensure team members are trained.

4. Security and Compliance

• Owner: Security Team
• Tasks:
  • Run a security assessment and address any identified vulnerabilities.
  • Ensure compliance checks are active and automated.
  • Verify that encryption is enabled for data at rest and in transit.
  • Confirm access control policies are enforced, and permissions follow the principle of least privilege.
  • Ensure Ownership of Metadata and Tags is documented

5. Configuration Management

• Owner: Configuration Management Team
• Tasks:
  • Check that all infrastructure components are defined and managed through Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools.
  • Validate that configuration management tools are correctly managing instances or resources.
  • Ensure version control is in place for configuration scripts and they are regularly reviewed.
  • Verify a Centralized Resource Ownership Register Exists

6. Performance and Scalability

• Owner: Performance Engineering Team
• Tasks:
  • Conduct load testing to validate that the workload can handle expected traffic volumes.
  • Ensure scaling configurations are in place and tested for peak loads.
  • Analyze performance metrics and optimize for efficiency where needed.
  • Verify that caching strategies are implemented to improve performance.

7. Documentation and Training

• Owner: Documentation Team
• Tasks:
  • Confirm all operational documentation, including runbooks and procedures, is up-to-date.
  • Ensure team members are trained on workload architecture, incident response, and best practices.
  • Schedule regular review sessions to keep operational knowledge current.

8. Dependencies and Third-Party Services

• Owner: Vendor Management Team
• Tasks:
  • Verify that all external dependencies are operational and have SLAs that align with your workload’s requirements.
  • Test failover procedures for critical third-party services.
  • Ensure proper monitoring is set for dependencies and alerts are configured.

9. Day to Day Operations

• Owner: Operations Manager
• Tasks:
  • Check that a Process Ownership Register Exists
  • Ensure Operations Activity Ownership Matrix is in place
  • Ensure an Ownership Review Process is in place

9. Review and Sign-Off

• Owner: Service Owner & Operations Manager
• Tasks:
  • Conduct a final review of the checklist and ensure all items are completed.
  • Document any exceptions, risks, or action items for remediation.
  • Obtain sign-off from the Service Owner, Operations Manager, and relevant team members to certify operational readiness.