Six in the morning is a request, not a promise

Description and use

An unattended agent scheduled for 6 AM often starts late due to scheduler load. By logging the intended start time and measuring drift, the team eliminated false assumptions and improved downstream reliability.

Problem

Unattended jobs scheduled at a fixed time drift due to scheduler load, causing incorrect assumptions about start times and downstream logic failures.

Outcome

The job now reliably reports drift, downstream logic no longer misclassifies runs, and stakeholders have realistic expectations about start times.

Workflow

• Configure job to record intended start time in the run context.
• Log intended and actual start times together.
• Subtract to compute drift and store it for monitoring.
• Adjust downstream time‑based checks to use a tolerance window rather than a hard boundary.
• Update documentation to state the job runs in the morning, usually within an hour of six.
• Communicate the new expectation to stakeholders.
• Monitor drift over weeks and adjust if necessary.

Evidence

The intended time is now carried into the run and logged next to the actual time.

Source

The drift is a number we can look at over weeks rather than a feeling.

Source