Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-05-26

How to Fix: Why is triaging such a hard problem for observability AI vendors?


Triage is a hard problem for observability AI vendors because they often rely on automated dashboards and metrics to identify issues, but these tools can be misleading. A common cause of this issue is when the actual cause of an event is not immediately apparent from the data, as in the case where the RDS CPU saturated and back-pressed a service 45 minutes earlier. This connection between past events and current issues often lives only in the head of the person piecing it together.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • Insufficient context: Observability tools often rely on automated dashboards and metrics, but these can be misleading if not properly contextualized.
  • Lack of human judgment: While AI-powered observability tools can provide insights, they lack the nuance and judgment of a human expert.
  • Inadequate data quality: Poor data quality or incomplete data can lead to inaccurate or misleading observations.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Method 1: Contextualize Dashboards

  1. Step 1: Review dashboard settings and ensure they are properly configured to provide accurate context.
  2. Step 2: Use human judgment to interpret data and identify potential issues.
  3. Step 3: Verify findings by manually checking affected systems or services.

Method 2: Leverage Human Expertise

  1. Step 1: Assign a human expert to review and interpret observability data.
  2. Step 2: Use AI-powered tools to augment human judgment, but not replace it.

Method 3: Improve Data Quality

  1. Step 1: Implement data quality checks and monitoring to identify potential issues.
  2. Step 2: Use data analytics tools to identify trends and patterns that may indicate issues.

💡 Conclusion

By understanding the limitations of observability AI vendors and taking steps to contextualize dashboards, leverage human expertise, and improve data quality, organizations can better triage issues and reduce downtime.

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