# OPS01-BP01 - Evaluate external customer needs

Best practice: OPS01-BP01
Pillar: Operational Excellence
Source: https://wellarchitected.cloudvisor.eu/docs/operational-excellence/ops01-bp01.html

## Implementation Guidance

Use "Evaluate external customer needs" to make architecture and operational choices based on evidence rather than assumptions. Define clear criteria, collect current-state data, and compare options against business outcomes and risk tolerance.

For the question "How do you determine what your priorities are?", define measurable outcomes, assign owners, and review execution regularly. Integrate this practice into delivery and operations processes so improvements persist as workloads and requirements evolve.

### Key Steps

1. **Define decision criteria and scope**:
   - Document what "Evaluate external customer needs" must address in your environment
   - Set quantitative and qualitative criteria for comparing options
   - Identify stakeholders who approve final decisions

2. **Perform analysis with objective evidence**:
   - Collect metrics, constraints, and dependency data from current operations
   - Compare alternatives against reliability, performance, and risk outcomes
   - Record tradeoffs and assumptions in an architecture decision log

3. **Operationalize and revisit decisions**:
   - Implement selected decisions with explicit owner accountability
   - Define review triggers for demand, risk, or architecture changes
   - Update standards and patterns based on observed outcomes

## Risk / Impact

**Level of risk if not implemented**: Medium

**Impact**: Without this best practice, workloads typically accumulate inefficiencies and execution drift that increase failure probability over time. Problems often surface during traffic spikes, major releases, or dependency failures.

**Benefits of implementation**:
- More predictable operational and engineering outcomes
- Better alignment between architecture decisions and business goals
- Continuous improvement through measurable feedback loops

## AWS Services to Consider

<div class="aws-service">
  <div class="aws-service-content">
    <h4>AWS Well-Architected Tool</h4>
    <p>Captures architectural risks and improvement items so teams can track best-practice adoption over time.</p>
  </div>
</div>

<div class="aws-service">
  <div class="aws-service-content">
    <h4>AWS Organizations</h4>
    <p>Applies governance controls across accounts so operational and architectural standards stay consistent.</p>
  </div>
</div>

<div class="aws-service">
  <div class="aws-service-content">
    <h4>Amazon CloudWatch</h4>
    <p>Collects metrics, logs, and alarms that support operational insight and performance management.</p>
  </div>
</div>

<div class="aws-service">
  <div class="aws-service-content">
    <h4>AWS Config</h4>
    <p>Tracks configuration changes and compliance state to detect drift and enforce standards.</p>
  </div>
</div>

## Related Resources

<div class="related-resources">
  <h2>Related Resources</h2>
  <ul>
    <li><a href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/framework/ops-01.html">OPS01: How do you determine what your priorities are?</a></li>
    <li><a href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/operational-excellence-pillar/welcome.html">AWS Well-Architected Framework - Operational Excellence Pillar</a></li>
    <li><a href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/operational-excellence-pillar/design-principles.html">Operational Excellence Design Principles</a></li>
  </ul>
</div>