diff --git a/.gitlab/ci/dev-fixtures.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab/ci/dev-fixtures.gitlab-ci.yml
index f89456a18fb98c871c124eb27e05ee9b0f0634e4..891a5dd79ad17a836a47cfde01c24016e764913b 100644
--- a/.gitlab/ci/dev-fixtures.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab/ci/dev-fixtures.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@
     # SEED_NESTED_GROUPS: "false" # requires network connection
 
 .run-dev-fixtures-script: &run-dev-fixtures-script
-  - run_timed_command "scripts/gitaly-test-spawn"
-  - run_timed_command "bundle exec rake db:seed_fu"
+  - section_start "gitaly-test-spawn" "Spawning Gitaly"; scripts/gitaly-test-spawn; section_end "gitaly-test-spawn";  # Do not use 'bundle exec' here
+  - section_start "seeding-db" "Seeding DB"; bundle exec rake db:seed_fu; section_end "seeding-db";
 
 run-dev-fixtures:
   extends:
diff --git a/.gitlab/ci/frontend.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab/ci/frontend.gitlab-ci.yml
index 4d28bc772b77b67a9000b6dd9510ee2a59da6b17..be983b177b284d1ef7439161b2c66b19a19bde19 100644
--- a/.gitlab/ci/frontend.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab/ci/frontend.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -138,7 +138,6 @@ retrieve-frontend-fixtures:
     # More information in https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/74003.
     WEBPACK_VENDOR_DLL: "true"
   script:
-    - source scripts/utils.sh
     - source scripts/gitlab_component_helpers.sh
     - |
       if [[ -d "tmp/tests/frontend" ]]; then
@@ -153,7 +152,7 @@ retrieve-frontend-fixtures:
         echo "No frontend fixtures directory, generating frontend fixtures."
       fi
     - run_timed_command "gem install knapsack --no-document"
-    - run_timed_command "scripts/gitaly-test-spawn"
+    - section_start "gitaly-test-spawn" "Spawning Gitaly"; scripts/gitaly-test-spawn; section_end "gitaly-test-spawn";  # Do not use 'bundle exec' here
     - source ./scripts/rspec_helpers.sh
     - rspec_paralellized_job
   artifacts:
diff --git a/.gitlab/ci/rails.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab/ci/rails.gitlab-ci.yml
index 6e055d5b3ec8cdfa0025e14d6fb4c6a13cb5539d..2c31a6f6775d2a4fc5ae17c4c82d3fe40fad9e75 100644
--- a/.gitlab/ci/rails.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab/ci/rails.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -15,11 +15,9 @@ setup-test-env:
     - echo $CI_MERGE_REQUEST_APPROVED
     - source scripts/gitlab_component_helpers.sh
     - run_timed_command "download_and_extract_gitlab_workhorse_package" || true
-    - run_timed_command "scripts/setup-test-env"
-    - run_timed_command "select_gitlab_workhorse_essentials"
-    - echo -e "\e[0Ksection_start:`date +%s`:gitaly-test-build[collapsed=true]\r\e[0KCompiling Gitaly binaries"
-    - run_timed_command "scripts/gitaly-test-build"  # Do not use 'bundle exec' here
-    - echo -e "\e[0Ksection_end:`date +%s`:gitaly-test-build\r\e[0K"
+    - section_start "setup-test-env" "Setting up testing environment"; scripts/setup-test-env; section_end "setup-test-env";
+    - select_gitlab_workhorse_essentials
+    - section_start "gitaly-test-build" "Compiling Gitaly binaries"; scripts/gitaly-test-build; section_end "gitaly-test-build";  # Do not use 'bundle exec' here
   artifacts:
     expire_in: 7d
     paths:
diff --git a/.gitlab/ci/rails/shared.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab/ci/rails/shared.gitlab-ci.yml
index adcfcd2010f360759fa2e315980ecbe590923a2c..33aef166afdbdfaf411eae378ba0d04b2f4060b4 100644
--- a/.gitlab/ci/rails/shared.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab/ci/rails/shared.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ include:
     # gems could not be found under some circumstance. No idea why, hours wasted.
     - run_timed_command "gem install knapsack --no-document"
     - echo -e "\e[0Ksection_start:`date +%s`:gitaly-test-spawn[collapsed=true]\r\e[0KStarting Gitaly"
-    - run_timed_command "scripts/gitaly-test-spawn"  # Do not use 'bundle exec' here
+    - section_start "gitaly-test-spawn" "Spawning Gitaly"; scripts/gitaly-test-spawn; section_end "gitaly-test-spawn"  # Do not use 'bundle exec' here
     - echo -e "\e[0Ksection_end:`date +%s`:gitaly-test-spawn\r\e[0K"
 
 .single-db:
diff --git a/.gitlab/ci/setup.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab/ci/setup.gitlab-ci.yml
index 0b5860b3ddb5ee8e9c917373c0ea3c8866e2c5f8..f2d9bbc6ffa71fb1495fd84b6f9f9d16e06ac748 100644
--- a/.gitlab/ci/setup.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab/ci/setup.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ generate-frontend-fixtures-mapping:
   before_script:
     - !reference [.default-before_script, before_script]
     - source ./scripts/rspec_helpers.sh
-    - run_timed_command "scripts/gitaly-test-spawn"
+    - section_start "gitaly-test-spawn" "Spawning Gitaly"; scripts/gitaly-test-spawn; section_end "gitaly-test-spawn";  # Do not use 'bundle exec' here
   script:
     - generate_frontend_fixtures_mapping
   artifacts:
diff --git a/scripts/utils.sh b/scripts/utils.sh
index 80057842c28605aa8313de1db6f0db9b3a984499..b41bc18deffb37e7838f2527ecf66f717297dac1 100644
--- a/scripts/utils.sh
+++ b/scripts/utils.sh
@@ -63,6 +63,19 @@ function test_url() {
   fi
 }
 
+function section_start () {
+  local section_title="${1}"
+  local section_description="${2:-$section_title}"
+
+  echo -e "section_start:`date +%s`:${section_title}[collapsed=true]\r\e[0K${section_description}"
+}
+
+function section_end () {
+  local section_title="${1}"
+
+  echo -e "section_end:`date +%s`:${section_title}\r\e[0K"
+}
+
 function bundle_install_script() {
   local extra_install_args="${1}"
 
@@ -72,7 +85,7 @@ function bundle_install_script() {
     exit 1;
   fi;
 
-  echo -e "section_start:`date +%s`:bundle-install[collapsed=true]\r\e[0KInstalling gems"
+  section_start "bundle-install" "Installing gems"
 
   gem --version
   bundle --version
@@ -93,23 +106,23 @@ function bundle_install_script() {
     run_timed_command "bundle pristine pg"
   fi
 
-  echo -e "section_end:`date +%s`:bundle-install\r\e[0K"
+  section_end "bundle-install"
 }
 
 function yarn_install_script() {
-  echo -e "section_start:`date +%s`:yarn-install[collapsed=true]\r\e[0KInstalling Yarn packages"
+  section_start "yarn-install" "Installing Yarn packages"
 
   retry yarn install --frozen-lockfile
 
-  echo -e "section_end:`date +%s`:yarn-install\r\e[0K"
+  section_end "yarn-install"
 }
 
 function assets_compile_script() {
-  echo -e "section_start:`date +%s`:assets-compile[collapsed=true]\r\e[0KCompiling frontend assets"
+  section_start "assets-compile" "Compiling frontend assets"
 
   bin/rake gitlab:assets:compile
 
-  echo -e "section_end:`date +%s`:assets-compile\r\e[0K"
+  section_end "assets-compile"
 }
 
 function setup_db_user_only() {
@@ -121,9 +134,13 @@ function setup_db_praefect() {
 }
 
 function setup_db() {
-  run_timed_command "setup_db_user_only"
+  section_start "setup-db" "Setting up DBs"
+
+  setup_db_user_only
   run_timed_command_with_metric "bundle exec rake db:drop db:create db:schema:load db:migrate gitlab:db:lock_writes" "setup_db"
-  run_timed_command "setup_db_praefect"
+  setup_db_praefect
+
+  section_end "setup-db"
 }
 
 function install_gitlab_gem() {
@@ -136,7 +153,7 @@ function install_tff_gem() {
 }
 
 function install_activesupport_gem() {
-  run_timed_command "gem install activesupport --no-document --version 6.1.7.1"
+  run_timed_command "gem install activesupport --no-document --version 6.1.7.2"
 }
 
 function install_junit_merge_gem() {