SYSE.36:11 - SoTA-Echoing

For “What should reliability mean and how should it guide work?”, adapt the historical 2018 SRE Implementing SLOs line: distinguish the indicator’s meaning from its implementation and connect an agreed objective to decisions. Reject treating an inherited infrastructure KPI as an adequate user-task measure. Sections 4.1–4.4 add the actual task/subject and missing-observation boundaries used here.

Adopt current OpenTelemetry signal categories where they help carry observation, but not as a supplier of application acceptance meaning. Richer telemetry costs collection, maintenance and responsible data handling; more signals are not automatically better evidence.

Reopen the definition when users, supported tasks, configurations, instrumentation coverage or accepted consequences change. Older SLO examples are starting comparisons, not universal numerical targets or proof that a current implementation observes the intended result.