Operational Reasoning Models¶
Mental models for how to run and improve systems over time.
| Model | One-Liner |
|---|---|
| OODA Loop | Observe, Orient, Decide, Act -- tight loops shorten MTTR |
| Blameless Postmortem | Treat incidents as system failures, not human failures |
| Error Budget | SLO math defines how much unreliability you can afford |
| Toil vs Automation ROI | Automate manual repetitive work that scales linearly |
| Runbook-Driven Recovery | Codified response beats improvised heroics |
| Immutable Infrastructure | Replace, don't repair -- eliminate config drift |
| Cattle vs Pets | Disposable numbered instances vs precious named servers |
| Shift Left | Find problems in dev, not prod |