PCDOE Practice Question: Applying site reliability engineering practices
Which TWO of the following are essential elements of a comprehensive incident post-mortem document according to Google's Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) best practices?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that a post-mortem is solely about finding the root cause or assigning blame, but SRE best practices emphasize a blameless culture and a comprehensive review that includes a timeline and actionable follow-ups.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
A timeline of events leading to and during the incident.
A timeline of events is a core element of an incident post-mortem in Google SRE practice, as it provides a chronological reconstruction of the incident's progression, enabling teams to understand the sequence of failures and responses. This timeline is essential for identifying contributing factors and evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation actions, not just the root cause.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Exact code line numbers and commits that caused the incident.
Why it's wrong here
Too detailed; focus on systemic issues.
- ✓
A timeline of events leading to and during the incident.
Why this is correct
Timeline helps understand sequence.
- ✗
A detailed analysis of the root cause only.
Why it's wrong here
Also need impact and response.
- ✗
An attribution of blame to the individual or team responsible.
Why it's wrong here
Blameless culture is key.
- ✓
A list of action items with owners and deadlines to prevent recurrence.
Why this is correct
Actionable steps improve reliability.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCDOE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCDOE exam.