Improved incident response times

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 59 views

[FEATURE] Phone Calling / Schedule Management: Bridging the Gap in OSS Incident Management

Introduction

In the wake of the sunsetting of OpsGenie and the announcement of Grafana OnCall entering maintenance mode, the open-source community is left with a significant gap in incident management services. This article proposes a feature that aims to fill this void: a phone calling and schedule management system. By leveraging the power of open-source software, we can create a robust and customizable solution that meets the needs of modern incident management.

The Need for a Simple Incident Service

Incident management is a critical aspect of any organization's IT operations. It involves responding to and resolving incidents in a timely and efficient manner. With the rise of cloud-based services and distributed teams, the need for a simple and effective incident management system has never been more pressing. However, the current landscape is dominated by proprietary solutions that can be expensive and inflexible.

Key Features of the Proposed Solution

To address this gap, we propose a phone calling and schedule management system that offers the following key features:

Create Teams of Users

The first step in creating an effective incident management system is to define teams of users who will be responsible for responding to incidents. Our proposed solution will allow administrators to create teams, assign users to teams, and define roles and permissions for each team member.

Create an On-Call Schedule for Users

Once teams are created, the next step is to define an on-call schedule for each team member. This schedule will determine which team member is responsible for responding to incidents during a specific time period. Our proposed solution will allow administrators to create schedules, assign team members to schedules, and define shift lengths and start times.

Provide Overrides

In the event of an incident, it's not uncommon for team members to be unavailable or on vacation. Our proposed solution will provide override functionality, allowing administrators to temporarily assign a different team member to an on-call schedule or override the schedule altogether.

Call Users / Notify Them via Their Specified Preferences

When an incident occurs, our proposed solution will automatically call the on-call team member and notify them via their specified preferences (e.g., phone, email, or SMS). This ensures that team members are notified promptly and can respond to incidents in a timely manner.

Secondary Functionality: Deeper Integration with Grafana

In addition to the core features outlined above, we propose deeper integration with Grafana, a popular open-source platform for building data visualization and monitoring dashboards. By creating a Grafana app, we can provide a seamless user experience for incident management, allowing users to view on-call schedules, incident history, and other relevant data directly within the Grafana interface.

Benefits of the Proposed Solution

The proposed phone calling and schedule management system offers several benefits, including:

Improved incident response times: By automating the notification process, team members can respond to incidents more quickly, reducing the overall incident response time.
Increased team productivity: By providing a simple and effective incident management system, team members can focus on resolving incidents rather than managing schedules and notifications.
Enhanced collaboration: Our proposed solution will allow team members to collaborate more effectively, sharing knowledge and expertise to resolve incidents more efficiently.
Reduced costs: By leveraging open-source software, our proposed solution can be implemented at a lower cost than proprietary solutions, making it more accessible to organizations of all sizes.

Conclusion

The sunsetting of OpsGenie and Grafana OnCall has created a significant gap in the OSS incident management space. Our proposed phone calling and schedule management system aims to fill this void by providing a simple, effective, and customizable solution for incident management. By leveraging the power of open-source software, we can create a robust and scalable solution that meets the needs of modern incident management. We invite the open-source community to contribute to this project and help bridge the gap in OSS incident management.
[FEATURE] Phone Calling / Schedule Management: Q&A

Introduction

In our previous article, we proposed a phone calling and schedule management system to fill the gap in OSS incident management. This article aims to provide a Q&A section to address common questions and concerns about the proposed solution.

Q&A

Q: What is the primary goal of the proposed phone calling and schedule management system?

A: The primary goal of the proposed system is to provide a simple and effective incident management solution that automates the notification process, improves incident response times, and increases team productivity.

Q: How will the proposed system handle team members who are unavailable or on vacation?

A: The proposed system will provide override functionality, allowing administrators to temporarily assign a different team member to an on-call schedule or override the schedule altogether.

Q: Will the proposed system integrate with existing incident management tools?

A: Yes, the proposed system will be designed to integrate with existing incident management tools, such as Grafana, to provide a seamless user experience.

Q: How will the proposed system handle multiple teams and schedules?

A: The proposed system will allow administrators to create multiple teams and schedules, assign team members to schedules, and define shift lengths and start times.

Q: Will the proposed system provide real-time notifications?

A: Yes, the proposed system will provide real-time notifications to team members via their specified preferences (e.g., phone, email, or SMS).

Q: How will the proposed system handle incident escalation?

A: The proposed system will allow administrators to define incident escalation procedures, ensuring that incidents are escalated to the next level of support in a timely and efficient manner.

Q: Will the proposed system provide analytics and reporting capabilities?

A: Yes, the proposed system will provide analytics and reporting capabilities, allowing administrators to track incident response times, team productivity, and other key performance indicators.

Q: How will the proposed system ensure data security and compliance?

A: The proposed system will be designed with data security and compliance in mind, ensuring that sensitive information is protected and that the system meets relevant regulatory requirements.

Q: Will the proposed system be open-source?

A: Yes, the proposed system will be open-source, allowing the community to contribute to the development and maintenance of the system.

Q: How can I get involved in the development of the proposed system?

A: We invite the open-source community to contribute to the development of the proposed system. You can get involved by joining the project on GitHub, participating in discussions on the project's forum, or contributing code to the project.

Conclusion

The proposed phone calling and schedule management system aims to fill the gap in OSS incident management by providing a simple, effective, and customizable solution. This Q&A article addresses common questions and concerns about the proposed system, providing a better understanding of its features and benefits. We invite the open-source community to contribute to the development of the proposed system and help bridge the gap in OSS incident management.

Next Steps

Join the project on GitHub: [link to GitHub repository]
Participate in discussions on the project's forum: [link to project forum]
Contribute code to the project: [link to project documentation]
Provide feedback and suggestions: [link to project issue tracker]

By working together, we can create a robust and scalable incident management solution that meets the needs of modern incident management.