TemplateToolkit/Checklists/new_sysadmin_devops_role.md

2.6 KiB

System Administrator / Development and Operations - Starting a New Role

Phase 0 - Preparations - Before Day One

  • Prepare brief introduction - 30 Second "elevator pitch"
  • Listen should be 80%, Talking should be 20 - Focus on absorving information
  • Get a Notebook - later you can move to digital, but be ready (have 2 pens)
  • Say "yes" to all lunch / coffee invitations - Get knowing and get bonding
  • Make the "Company" Bookmark Folder on your Browser - Be ready from the get go

Phase 1 - The Foundation - First Week

  • Organization Chart - Understand team structure
  • Onbording Documentation - Skim and understand recommended path for new hire
  • Backups - Are they Working? Rotation? Air Gapped? Automated?
  • Backups - Are they tested?
  • Backups - What's the restore procedure?
  • Application Updates - Policies? Automated?
  • Budget - Now? Future? 5 Year Plan?
  • Certificates - Expiration Date Known? Automated?
  • Escalation Process - Available? Expected?
  • Hardware Inventory - Warranty? Replacement Parts? EoL Cycle?
  • Hardware Items - Stock of Mouses? Keyboards? Plan for Issues?
  • IT Documentation - What's the current state?
  • Monitoring - Present? State? Alerts? Escalation?
  • Network - Configuration? Backed Up?
  • Password Management - Exists? Up-to-date?
  • Routine Work - What needs to be done When?
  • Servers - Cattle? Pets?
  • Service Desk Documentation - What's the current state?
  • Software Inventory - Licenses? Warranty? Legal?
  • Team Leads - What Teams are present? Who is the keyuser / lead for each team?
  • Windows Updates - Policies? Automated?

Phase 2 - The Deep Dive - First 30 Days

  • CI/CD - What tools are used? What's the pipeline?
  • Cloud Providers - What Provider(s)? Infrastructure as Code?
  • Small Wins - what can be fixed quickly / easily?
  • Teams - What's the major pain point in each? Major issues?

Phase 3 - The Contributor - 30 Days and Beyond

  • Feedback - What are you doing good? What can be improved? What should be done differently?

Recurring - Team Player

  • Note down not just what people do, but what they care about
  • Don't wait for work, ask for it
  • Be part of the team - the work that no one wants to do? Grab that
  • Underpromise and Overdeliver
  • Always check documentation while doing something - if there is none, build it
  • Communicate business impact - no one cares about the name of the tool, explain technical stuff as what will that do for the business
  • Your Internal Brand should be: Reliable, knowledgeable and helpful
  • Blameless Post-Mortems - when things break, focus on "what" and "how", not on "who"