Alert fatigue is a common problem among engineering teams, stemming from a haphazard approach to writing alerts as teams grow and use more infrastructure. This can lead to too-sensitive, noisy, and cautious alerts that overwhelm the on-call engineer, causing burnout and ignoring alerts. To combat this, Intercom devised a process called "alert discipline" which involves regular alert review sessions, passing each alert through a checklist of questions, and implementing strategies such as desensitization, runbooks, and automated remediation to improve alert management. By doing so, teams can reduce noise levels, keep engineers happy and productive, and focus on improving quality and delivering impact instead of firefighting.