Diary of a First-Time On-Call Engineer

The article discusses the importance of having engineers on call to ensure excellent service delivery and customer satisfaction. It highlights how companies can modify their on-call rotation process as they grow, using LaunchDarkly's experience as an example. The company transitioned from a two-team model to a squad model with service ownership, leading to changes in the on-call responsibilities. The new process involved regular business hours coverage by squad members and off-hours coverage by a volunteer-based group of engineers called Virtual On-Call squad. It emphasizes the need for an engineering culture that fosters learning and psychological safety when onboarding new engineers into the on-call rotation. The author shares their personal experience as a first-time on-call engineer, noting that most days were quiet with few alerts, but it was thrilling and provided opportunities to learn.