Incidents are not just for the bad days

In the context of engineering, incidents are often seen as negative events requiring urgent fixes, but they can also serve as powerful tools for focus and communication. This concept was tested during the launch of Ona, a rebranding from Gitpod, where the event was treated as an incident to ensure stability, correctness, and centralized communication. By declaring the launch an incident, the team utilized a structured process with clear roles, proactive alerting, and a single communication thread, allowing for efficient management of the event and any minor issues that arose. This approach reframed the narrative of incidents as negative occurrences, suggesting that incident management tools can be effectively applied to high-stakes situations to achieve clarity, focus, and ownership. The experience demonstrated that using incident frameworks for launches or significant projects can enhance coordination and outcomes, providing a new perspective on incident management as a proactive strategy.