How can we explain the unexpected 50% spike in latency for Dialpad AI's real-time sentiment analysis during peak hours last week?

Introduction

The unexpected 50% spike in latency for Dialpad AI's real-time sentiment analysis during peak hours last week is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This analysis will systematically identify, validate, and address the root cause while considering both short-term fixes and long-term implications for our product.

I'll approach this problem by first clarifying key details, ruling out external factors, and then diving deep into our product ecosystem. We'll break down the metric, gather relevant data, form hypotheses, and conduct a thorough root cause analysis. Finally, we'll develop a comprehensive plan to resolve the issue and prevent future occurrences.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking this could be related to a recent deployment. Have there been any significant changes or updates to the Dialpad AI system in the past week?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with performance issues. Expected answer: Yes, there was a minor update. Impact on approach: If yes, we'll prioritize investigating that change.

• Given the specificity of "peak hours," I'm wondering about usage patterns. Can you provide more details on when these peak hours occur and if they've changed recently?

Why it matters: Understanding usage patterns helps identify potential capacity issues. Expected answer: Peak hours are typically 9 AM - 5 PM EST. Impact on approach: This will guide our focus on specific time windows for analysis.

• Considering the magnitude of the spike, I'm curious about the user impact. Have we received any increase in user complaints or support tickets related to this issue?

Why it matters: User feedback can provide valuable insights into the problem's severity and nature. Expected answer: Yes, there's been a 30% increase in related support tickets. Impact on approach: This will help prioritize the urgency of our response.

• Given that this is a real-time analysis feature, I'm wondering about our current system load. Has there been any significant increase in overall usage or new user onboarding recently?

Why it matters: Increased load could explain performance degradation. Expected answer: User base has grown by 10% in the last month. Impact on approach: If yes, we'll need to consider scaling solutions.

• Thinking about the AI component, I'm curious about our training data. Has there been any recent update to the AI model or the dataset it's trained on?

Why it matters: Changes in AI models can significantly impact performance. Expected answer: No recent changes to the AI model. Impact on approach: If no, we'll focus more on infrastructure and code-level issues.