The document discusses the importance of designing human systems for reliability and resilience, emphasizing the need for assurance, accountability, and the ability to recover from failures. It highlights the complexities of failure in such systems and the necessity of a blameless culture to foster improvement and learning from failures. Additionally, it introduces the Nonviolent Communication framework as a tool for effective interaction and conflict resolution.

1. Operating Human Systems:
MTBF v. MTTR
Aaron Aldrich (@crayzeigh) — (@elastic)
1

2. Mean Time Between Failures
Mean Time To Recovery
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 2

3. complex systems
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 3

4. we design for reliability:
4 stiff boundaries, layers, formalisms
4 defense in depth
4 redundancy
4 interference protection
4 assurance & accountability
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 4

5. we want resilience:
4 withstand transients
4 recover swiftly & smoothly from failures
4 prioritize to serve high level goals
4 recognize & respond to abnormal situations
4 adapt to change
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 5

6. failure aversion leads to
kludge and tech debt
relational debt is a real
thing
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 6

7. unpaid debt leads to
catastrophic failure
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 7

8. there is no root cause to failure in
{ complex systems | relationships }
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 8

9. blamelessness (just culture) is required
for improvement
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 9

10. experience with failure is
necessary
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 10

11. if we do not experience
failure, we are not living to
our potential
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 11

12. lessons from networking:
TCP > UDP
avoid feelings of not being
heard
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 12

13. "What you're saying is 'X',
what I'm hearing is 'Y'."
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 13

14. lessons from distributed
systems:
translations are hard
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 14

15. assume good intent
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 15

16. /zoom
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 16

17. tooling:
Non-Violent Communication
Observation, Feeling, Needs, Requests
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 17

18. NVC Framework
1. Observation: !== evaluation || judgement
2. Feelings: !== thinking, [SASHET]
3. Needs: connection, well-being, honestly, play, peace,
autonomy, meaning
4. Requests: what we DO want, != demand
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 18

19. NVC Framework
1. Observation: !== evaluation || judgement
2. Feelings: !== thinking, [SASHET]
3. Needs: connection, well-being, honestly, play, peace,
autonomy, meaning
4. Requests: what we DO want, != demand
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 19

20. 2: Richard Cook - "How Complex Systems Fail" (http://bit.ly/2mKO8UL)(pdf)
3-4: Velocity 2012: Richard Cook - "How Complex Systems Fail"
(https://youtu.be/2S0k12uZR14)
9: Philip G Boysen, II, MD, MBA, FACP, FCCP, FCCM - "Just Culture: A Foundation for
Balanced Accountability and Patient Safety" (http://bit.ly/2DgJM1Z)
13: Certified Fresh Events: "Oh No You Didn't: Conflict Management in Today's Tech
Industry" (https://certifiedfreshevents.com/events/conflict-management/)
17: The Center for Non-Violent Communication (https://www.cnvc.org/)
thanks!
Aaron Aldrich - @crayzeigh 20