# OPS05-BP06 - Share design standards

Best practice: OPS05-BP06
Pillar: Operational Excellence
Source: https://wellarchitected.cloudvisor.eu/docs/operational-excellence/ops05-bp06.html

## Implementation Guidance

"Share design standards" aligns people, process, and communication so operational execution remains predictable under pressure. Define responsibilities explicitly and validate that teams can execute procedures during real events.

For the question "How do you reduce defects, ease remediation, and improve flow into production?", 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 communication and ownership model**:
   - Clarify who is responsible for executing "Share design standards"
   - Document escalation paths and decision authority boundaries
   - Standardize communication templates for operational events

2. **Enable teams with repeatable practices**:
   - Create runbooks, checklists, and onboarding materials
   - Train teams through drills, simulations, or tabletop exercises
   - Validate that procedures can be executed under time pressure

3. **Measure effectiveness and adapt**:
   - Track response quality, handoff quality, and operational lead time
   - Address recurring coordination gaps with process updates
   - Share lessons learned and improvements across teams

## 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 CodePipeline</h4>
    <p>Automates release workflows with quality gates and controlled promotions.</p>
  </div>
</div>

<div class="aws-service">
  <div class="aws-service-content">
    <h4>AWS CodeBuild</h4>
    <p>Executes build and test stages in managed environments to validate changes quickly.</p>
  </div>
</div>

<div class="aws-service">
  <div class="aws-service-content">
    <h4>AWS CodeDeploy</h4>
    <p>Deploys application updates with strategies such as canary and linear rollout.</p>
  </div>
</div>

<div class="aws-service">
  <div class="aws-service-content">
    <h4>AWS CloudFormation</h4>
    <p>Defines infrastructure as code for repeatable, auditable, and reversible changes.</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-05.html">OPS05: How do you reduce defects, ease remediation, and improve flow into production?</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>