Observability Engineering

Chapter 21. An Observability Maturity Model

Spreading a culture of observability is best achieved by having a plan that measures progress and prioritizes target areas of investment. In this chapter, we go beyond the benefits of observability and its tangible technical steps by introducing the Observability Maturity Model as a way to benchmark and measure progress. You will learn about the key capabilities an organization can measure and prioritize as a way of driving observability adoption.

A Note About Maturity Models

In the early 1990s, the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University popularized the Capability Maturity Model as a way to evaluate the ability of various vendors to deliver effectively against software development projects. The model defines progressive stages of maturity and a classification system used to assign scores based on how well a particular vendor’s process matches each stage. Those scores are then used to influence purchasing decisions, engagement models, and other activities.

Since then, maturity models have become somewhat of a darling for the software marketing industry. Going well beyond scoping purchasing decisions, maturity models are now used as a generic way to model organizational practices. To their credit, maturity models can be helpful for an organization to profile its capabilities against its peers or to target a set of desired practices. However, maturity models are not without their limitations.

When it comes to measuring ...