Why Production Support Matters

Imagine millions of UPI payments being processed every second, or shoppers rushing to complete an order during Amazon's festive sales. Who ensures everything runs smoothly behind the scenes? That’s the magic of Production Support. It’s not just a job; it’s a real-time, high-impact role that keeps critical systems alive and well. Whether you're a student, fresher, or IT professional aiming for career growth or cracking your next interview, understanding production support—from L1 to L3—is your secret weapon.

This article gives you a complete breakdown of production support responsibilities, skill sets, and a 12-module roadmap with real-time use cases to help you not only get the job but thrive in it.

Understanding the Roles: L1, L2, and L3 Explained

Production support is tiered into three levels, each requiring a different skill set:

✨ L1 Support: The First Responders

• Responsibilities: Monitor alerts, respond to tickets, restart services, run commands.
• Tools Used: PuTTY, basic shell scripts, ticketing tools like Jira or ServiceNow.
• Scenario: A failed UPI payment. L1 checks service logs, follows a restart runbook, and monitors whether the issue is resolved. If not, they escalate to L2.

⚖️ L2 Support: The Deep Divers

• Responsibilities: Analyze issues beyond basic troubleshooting, perform advanced log analysis, coordinate with developers.
• Tools Used: Splunk, SQL, Linux, job schedulers.
• Scenario: If a server is unresponsive, L2 pulls error logs via Splunk, correlates service uptime, and isolates the root symptom before escalating.

🔧 L3 Support: The Fixers

• Responsibilities: Code-level debugging, permanent fixes, root cause analysis (RCA).
• Tools Used: IDEs, version control (Git), Java, deployment tools (Jenkins).
• Scenario: A recurring issue in the checkout page is traced back to a JavaScript error. L3 debugs the code, patches it, and writes an RCA to avoid recurrence.

Your 12-Module Roadmap to Master Production Support

Whether you're just starting or upskilling, this structured path will prepare you for real job scenarios:

✏️ Module 1: SQL for Support Analysts

• Learn DDL, DML, joins, and WHERE clauses to query logs and transaction histories.
• Example: Pull failed transaction data for user complaints.

🔢 Module 2: Unix/Linux Essentials

• Master navigation and scripting for server tasks.
• Key Commands: top, ps, scp, tail, chmod.
• Example: Use scp to move error logs from a prod server.

📃 Module 3: Shell Scripting

• Automate log cleanup, service restarts, and health checks.
• Real Scenario: Script a cron job that archives logs daily.

❓ Module 4: Real-World Interview Scenarios

• Prepare to answer: “What if two critical jobs fail at once?”
• Learn to explain multi-step debug flows involving logs, tools, and escalation logic.

⏰ Module 5: Job Schedulers

• Understand Cron, Autosys, and Control-M.
• Example: Schedule a claims validation batch job for midnight daily.

📅 Module 6: Ticketing & Documentation

• Hands-on with Jira, ServiceNow for tracking and Confluence for documenting RCA.
• Exercise: Create a Jira incident, categorize it (e.g., P1), and write a Confluence wiki page for resolution.

🛠️ Module 7: Tools You Must Know

• PuTTY for SSH, WinSCP/FileZilla for file transfers, Splunk for monitoring.
• Practical: SSH into a Linux VM, tail logs, and identify slow response patterns.

🌀 Module 8: Monitoring Mastery

• Use Splunk dashboards, alerts, and reports.
• Task: Create an alert when a critical error code appears in logs.

🏦 Module 9: Live Project Simulation (Insurance Domain)

• Simulate resolving a failed insurance claim.
• Real-time RCA documentation and resolution tracking.

🚀 Module 10: Deployment Know-how

• Learn Git branching, Jenkins pipelines, and rollback plans.
• Hands-on: Trigger a Jenkins job to deploy a patch.

🥇 Module 11: Interview Prep Essentials

• Soft Skills: Self-intro, email etiquette, daily status reports.
• Mock Interviews: Practice troubleshooting cases, log analysis, RCA writing.

📚 Module 12: Bonus Java Fundamentals (Optional)

• Understand Java classes, error handling, and common exceptions.
• Boosts your credibility in tech-heavy L3 roles.

Assessment & Career Support

Every module ends with:

• Daily Assignments
• Mock Tests (Pass Mark: 70-80%)
• 1-on-1 Mock Interviews

Additional perks:

• Resume Review: Highlight L1/L2/L3 experience and tools.
• Job Assistance: Submit 5 questions, get interview-ready answers.
• Resource Library: Notes, videos, practical guides.

Real-Life in Production Support: UPI and Amazon Scenarios

Let’s say a UPI user says money was deducted but not credited.

• L1: Gets the ticket, checks logs.
• L2: Analyzes service status and transaction paths via Splunk.
• L3: Finds a rare concurrency bug in the backend code and patches it. RCA is logged in Confluence.

Career Outlook & Salary Trends

With just 3 years of experience, you can earn 6–7 LPA, and with 5+ years, up to 10 LPA. Many professionals receive counter-offers and negotiate better packages with the right prep and mock interview practice.

Your Career in Safe Hands

Production support is more than a job—it's a responsibility, a mindset, and a career full of real-time impact. With this 12-module roadmap, real-world projects, and interview-focused training, you're equipped not only to secure the job but to become an asset in any IT team.

📈 Start your journey today and become the go-to expert who keeps critical systems alive and running.