Lesson 5.2 - Execution Delay Investigation

Scenario

“The Client Says the Order Took Ten Seconds”

A client says an XAUUSD market order took ten seconds to complete. The investigation should not rely only on the final fill time. It must separate the full path from client request to server processing, execution routing, result return and client-terminal confirmation.

Learning Objectives

• Build an end-to-end execution timeline.
• Locate delay across client, server, Bridge and quote-source layers.
• Distinguish isolated latency from broad execution degradation.

Execution Timeline

Client Request

↓

Trade Server Validation

↓

Execution / Routing Layer

↓

Fill or Reject Result

↓

Client Terminal Confirmation

Execution-delay investigation should identify which segment changed: request arrival, server validation, Bridge queue, quote-source response, result return or client-terminal display.

Latency Segments

Segment	Key Question
Client to server	Did request arrive late?
Trade Server processing	Did validation/margin/risk processing slow?
Bridge routing	Did the order wait in queue?
Quote-source status	Did quote latency or quote freshness deteriorate?
Return/publication	Did result display late?

Investigation Workflow

1. Locate the order or deal linked to the complaint.
2. Build a timestamp timeline from request to confirmation.
3. Compare similar orders in the same symbol, time window or volume range.
4. Check Trade Server status, Bridge queue, rejects, timeouts and latency trend.
5. Check quote-source status, quote timestamps, session status and market-event context.
6. Decide whether this is an isolated order issue, a symbol-specific issue or broader execution degradation.
7. Escalate with order ID, timeline, evidence and initial classification.

Case Simulation

Delay During London Open

• Similar XAUUSD orders show elevated latency for three minutes.
• Trade Server CPU is normal.
• Bridge queue rises.
• Quote Source B response latency spikes while Quote Source A stays healthy.

Preliminary conclusion: degradation is concentrated around Bridge and one quote-source path. Correct action is to monitor backup quote quality and escalate with timestamp trends.

Summary

Execution-delay investigation should build a complete timeline, identify the affected segment, and distinguish an isolated case from wider execution degradation.

Completion Criteria

• Can explain the key risk or operational objective of this lesson
• Can identify the required systems, data, or evidence to review
• Can describe the correct escalation or handling process
• Has completed Shift Leader / follow-up review or practical confirmation