The Poorly Performing System

Strategy and should the RPO not be achievable in practice it could prove difficult to develop effective controls for hazards relating to catastrophic failure. 

Performance relates to the rate at which systems are capable of processing data and delivering the required output. The performance of a system at any given time is determined by both the demands placed on the system and its inherent processing power. Should demand exceed supply then the system will develop a backlog of transactions and performance will typically fall. Should performance dip below the required level, system functions could be compromised and the user experience impacted. 

The symptoms of poor performance can be varied but perhaps the most common (and frustrating) is a perceived lack of responsiveness at the user interface. This is particularly common when the processing power of the system is fixed and peaks in demand outstrip the system s capabilities. The service can be impacted in its entirety or slow responsiveness could be observed just on those screens which place significant demands on the technology. Where systems are co-hosted, high demand from one application can even affect the performance of another which is otherwise unrelated. 

The routes by which harm could occur are varied but include scenarios where staff waste time waiting for the system to respond and the occasional tendency of users to abandon the system completely. 

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