Do you know how to educate your developers?

To ensure developers understand what’s happening behind the scenes, it’s important to educate them on the systems and processes that are often “hidden” if the SysAdmin does the task on their own and sends a "done".

For example, a developer might request access to a cloud resource and see the outcome via the "done", but they often won’t know where the change was made, what was updated, or why it was done that way - because many SysAdmin tools (e.g. Azure/Entra, AWS, SharePoint admin, GitHub org settings, TinaCMS) aren’t used by the developer.

❌ Figure: Bad example - Isaac wouldn't know how he was added to GitHub

To educate developers, the SysAdmin will read the ticket, then call the developer on Teams and share screens to show making the change.

Tip: Warn before calling as per Calling - Do you warn then call?

Steps to effectively educate your developers

• 🗝️ Start by explaining the importance of granting permissions correctly and securely.
• Show developers how to navigate in the relevant platform (e.g., Azure, AWS, SharePoint).
• Emphasize the principle of least privilege and guide developers on granting only the necessary permissions.
• Encourage developers to ask questions and seek clarification during the process.
• Finish off by asking the developer a question that establishes they learned the main point in the SysAdmin's mind.
• Close the ticket mentioning that e.g.
• ✅ Done - Adam understood that he didn't need Admin access, only Reader access, as he's not making changes.