Model Provider Failover Drill (QA)

Model Provider Failover Drill (QA)

1. 01

   Inventory every model endpoint each client deliverable calls, including the provider, model name, and region

   Log the primary and any fallback endpoints per client retainer. A single client app often touches three or more providers across text, vision, and embedding calls.

2. 02

   Freeze the current prompt and response contract as a versioned fixture set

   Capture 20 to 50 representative inputs per client workflow, including multilingual and edge-case content, so a swap can be scored against the same baseline.

3. 03

   Route the fixture set through a gateway layer and record latency, cost per call, and error rate

   Gateways such as Helicone or Portkey proxy requests and log every interaction, which gives you comparable numbers without rewriting client code.

4. 04

   Force a failover to the secondary provider and replay the same fixtures

   Confirm the fallback path returns usable output, not just a 200 status. Note any schema drift in structured outputs before the drill reaches a client environment.

5. 05

   Score output parity on a fixed rubric and set a tolerance threshold

   A 10 percent drop in extraction accuracy on a client reporting pipeline is a delivery defect, not a rounding error. Document the threshold in the retainer scope.

6. 06

   Test the self-hosted or open-model path for clients with data residency constraints

   Ollama or Arc53 deployments keep sensitive client data off third-party servers, but they need their own latency baseline before you promise them as a fallback.

7. 07

   Write the drill result into the client runbook with a named owner and re-test date

   Quarterly re-tests catch provider pricing changes and capability shifts before they hit an invoice. Assign the check to whoever owns the client's technical account.