Communication as the key to solving performance problems

Communication as the key to solving performance problems

by | Communication, EN, Performance

Why Is Communication Crucial in Uncovering Performance Issues?

Lessons from a Real-Life Story

In the world of software development, performance issues are often not the result of faulty code or misconfiguration, but rather stem from a lack of communication or misunderstandings. One of the most critical—yet frequently underestimated—aspects of performance engineering is effective communication between different teams and stakeholders. A real-life story illustrates the consequences of poor communication and the powerful outcomes that can be achieved when bridges are successfully built.

The Problem That Remained Unclaimed

In the final phase of a complex project, during integration testing, a critical API consistently timed out, causing major frontend functionalities to fail. The same vendor team had developed both the frontend and the related APIs, and they insisted everything was functioning correctly—their tests had passed, and the API worked flawlessly in their environment. The backend operations team also denied responsibility, stating that no changes had been made on their side, and therefore, there could be no issue originating from their systems.

Project management found itself in a deadlock. Deadlines were looming, yet no one was willing to take ownership of investigating the root cause.

Mediating Between the Lines

Entering such a situation as an external party is never easy. In these cases, one of the most effective approaches is to initiate dialogue instead of jumping straight into technical troubleshooting. This step proved to be the key in uncovering the performance issue. Listening to the development teams and understanding the situation from their perspective quickly helped to ease the initial mistrust.

A similar open-minded approach was taken when engaging with the backend operations team. The goal was not to assign blame, but to work together toward a shared solution.

The Issue That Wasn’t Really a Development Error

During the investigation, it quickly became clear that the frontend was requesting an excessive and unnecessary amount of data from the backend—orders of magnitude more than what was actually needed. The system wasn’t designed to handle such a load, which led to increased response times and, ultimately, request timeouts. The development team hadn’t made a mistake; they had implemented the API according to the specifications.

How Can Something Be Well-Developed Yet Still Not Work?

The investigation revealed that performance requirements had not been addressed at all during the project planning phase. As a result, the API functioned correctly in the development environment, where only minimal data volumes were present. However, under real-world conditions and with production-scale data, performance issues began to surface.

Although resolving the issue ultimately required code changes, the root cause lay in a design oversight.

Collaboration Over Blame

The frontend developers understandably felt uncomfortable, as they were asked to fix something they didn’t perceive as their fault. In such situations, it’s valuable for an external party to step in as a mediator—facilitating communication between the development teams, leadership, and the client. What also proved essential was fostering transparent, joint communication between the development and operations teams, which helped avoid finger-pointing.

As a result of this collaboration, the issue was resolved, and the teams developed a more constructive and open working relationship.

The Real Lesson

This story is not just about uncovering a performance issue. It’s a reminder that performance engineering is not solely about tools, metrics, and optimization—it’s also about people, dialogue, and understanding. Clearly defined performance requirements, early alignment, and the presence of mediating roles not only save time and money but also reduce stress and build trust among teams.

When investigating performance issues, it’s worth remembering that honest and open communication is just as important as any diagnostic tool.

The Business Significance of Performance

The Business Significance of Performance

by | Communication, EN, Performance, Stategy

Why is it not enough for a system to simply work?
Slow Systems, Fast Customer Loss – Business Lessons from Performance Failures

A Familiar Story

A customer walks into a bank to update their address. After taking a number, they wait a long time. Finally, it’s their turn but the clerk looks tense. The system is slow. Every action takes several seconds. The clerk apologizes repeatedly:

“Sorry, the system is a bit slow today…”

Eventually, the address is updated but the customer leaves frustrated. The issue wasn’t with the clerk, but with the experience. Behind the scenes, it’s a classic problem: poor application performance and lack of observability.

The World of Invisible Errors

In the digital world, “it works” isn’t enough. The real question is: how well does it work – and can we prove it?

Two key concepts help us answer that: application performance and observability. (For simplicity, we will refer to application performance as performance.)

Let’s see what performance is.

What Does Performance Mean in Business Terms?

Performance refers to a system’s speed, stability, and scalability. A slow or unstable system:

  • Reduces conversion rates
  • Increases customer churn
  • Damages brand perception

In the banking example, the slow system prevents the clerk from working efficiently, and the customer loses trust.

How Can We Measure System Performance?

System performance shouldn’t be judged by gut feeling alone—it can and should be measured with concrete data. That’s where performance testing KPIs come into play.”
(Learn more about these KPIs)

KPI What it Measures Why it Matters
Availability System uptime Critical for meeting SLAs (Service Level Agreement)
Response Time Time taken to respond to a request Slow response = poor UX = lower conversion
Throughput Number of users served in a given time frame Indicates scalability and load capacity
Error Rate Percentage of failed responses Reflects reliability and quality

 

Working vs. High-Performing Systems

Aspect Working System High-Performing System
Load Time Acceptable but inconsistent Fast and consistent
Error Handling Reactive – fixes after the fact Proactive – early detection and prevention
User Experience Mixed feedback High satisfaction
Business Impact Complaints, churn, reputational damage Higher conversion, customer retention
Decision-Making Basis Incomplete or delayed data Real-time, reliable insights

 

💡 What Can You Do as a Business Stakeholder?

Not a developer? You can still influence system performance and transparency:

  • Ask about performance: Don’t just ask “Does it work?”—ask “How fast is it?”, “Under what load?”
  • Request access to metrics: A good dashboard should serve both IT and business teams.
  • Support observability initiatives: These aren’t “extra costs”—they’re long-term investments.
  • Use a shared language: Bridge the gap between technical and business teams with common goals and terminology.
  • Learn to read the signs: Rising response times or error rates often signal bigger issues ahead.

The Takeaway

Had the bank in our story failed to act, the consequences would have extended far beyond a few frustrated customers:

  • Revenue Decline: When systems are slow and transactions are abandoned, customers disengage—leading to direct financial losses and missed opportunities.
  • Eroding Customer Trust: Dissatisfaction breeds negative feedback. As frustration grows, loyalty fades, and the brand’s reputation suffers lasting damage.
  • Mounting Employee Stress: Constantly dealing with system issues drains morale. Over time, this leads to burnout, reduced productivity, and higher staff turnover.
  • Strategic Setbacks: Poor performance undermines data-driven decision-making and weakens the company’s ability to compete in a fast-moving market.

 

In today’s digital landscape, competitive edge isn’t just about launching new features—it’s about how reliably and efficiently your systems perform. And just as importantly, whether you can demonstrate that performance with confidence.

This isn’t solely the responsibility of IT. It’s a shared commitment—one that involves every stakeholder working toward sustainable business success.