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PeopleCert DevOps-SRE Exam - Topic 7 Question 62 Discussion

Posted by Joseph on Mar 03, 2026 at 02:08 PM

Which TWO of the following are BEST described as traditional escalation paths?

Functional

Hierarchical

Cyclical

Logical

Suggested Answer: A

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Traditional IT escalation paths---before modern SRE practices---were generally based on hierarchical or functional structures. The SRE Workbook explains that SRE aims to ''replace rigid hierarchical escalation paths with structured incident roles and clear authority during incidents.'' (SRE Workbook -- Incident Management). These older models include:

Hierarchical escalation: issues are escalated to higher managerial or senior technical tiers.

Functional escalation: issues are escalated across functional lines depending on expertise (network team, DBAs, sysadmins, etc.).

Both models are referenced throughout reliability engineering literature as ''traditional escalation paths,'' which SRE incident management explicitly avoids by instead using role-based escalation (IC, Communications Lead, Ops Lead, etc.).

Options 3 and 4 (Cyclical and Logical) are not recognized escalation patterns in ITSM or SRE literature.

Thus, the answer is A (1 and 2).


The Site Reliability Workbook, Chapter: ''Effective Incident Management.''

ITIL v3 Escalation Concepts (hierarchical and functional escalation).

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26 comments · newest first
IN
In 1 month ago
I feel like A makes the most sense. Logical doesn't fit here.
VI
Vincent 2 months ago
I'm leaning towards B, but not sure about Cyclical.
LA
Lacey 2 months ago
Yeah, I agree! Those are classic paths.
SH
Sharen 2 months ago
I think it's A, Functional and Hierarchical.
PH
Phuong 2 months ago
I feel like Logical fits too, but not as much as A.
CO
Corrina 2 months ago
I’m not so sure. What about Cyclical?
MI
Milly 2 months ago
Yeah, I agree. Those are classic paths.
HI
Hillary 3 months ago
I think it's A, Functional and Hierarchical.
AD
Adelle 3 months ago
I feel A is solid. Traditional paths are straightforward.
DE
Deangelo 3 months ago
I’m leaning towards B. Hierarchical is good, but Cyclical?
CA
Carmelina 3 months ago
I agree, A feels right. Clear paths.
JU
Junita 3 months ago
I think it's A. Functional and Hierarchical make sense.
DE
Devorah 3 months ago
Hierarchical makes sense, but what about logical?
BE
Bernadine 4 months ago
Totally agree, 1 and 2 are the way to go!
KA
Karon 5 months ago
Wait, are we sure about that? Sounds off.
DE
Devorah 5 months ago
I thought cyclical was a thing too?
BE
Bernardine 5 months ago
Definitely 1 and 2! That's classic escalation.
LA
Lauran 6 months ago
Functional and hierarchical make the most sense!
TR
Troy 6 months ago
Wait, are we sure about logical being traditional?
CA
Cassie 6 months ago
100% agree, hierarchical is key!
TA
Tammara 6 months ago
I thought cyclical was a thing too?
GE
Georgene 6 months ago
Definitely 1 and 2, those are classic!
GL
Glendora 6 months ago
I’m a bit confused. I thought logical could fit in there too, but now I’m not so sure.
LA
Laura 7 months ago
I practiced a similar question last week, and I think functional and hierarchical were the ones we focused on.
AL
Alisha 7 months ago
I feel like cyclical might be a trick option here. I think it’s more about processes than escalation paths.
AR
Arletta 7 months ago
I remember discussing escalation paths in class, and I think hierarchical is definitely one of them. Not sure about the other one though.
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