DevOps, or Development and Operations, is specifically the two disciplines coming together to seamlessly build and deliver better software at a faster rate. DevOps leverages a continuous delivery pipeline, provides continuous support that can adapt to changing situations, and removes the roadblocks from mid-level management and human error. Originally, the concept of DevOps started with the idea of having a system for instant deployment of software. This means that providers or developers would “check in” their new software updates and have it deployed within the hour. To do so, it is crucial to have a team-oriented culture within the business to successfully produce and complete the tasks required seamlessly.
Based on our experience supporting our clients to establish and achieve DevOps goals, here are some Lessons Learned to consider when building a DevOps culture:
It is important to align leaders to DevOps goals. It takes commitment and dedication from leadership from the business, technology and operations to build a successful DevOps culture. Align leadership goals to the DevOps targets with specific plans to achieve these goals.
Align DevOps to Business Value Streams. It is important for all parties involved in supporting value streams to understand that DevOps helps deliver business value sooner and enables benefits realization. Having this understanding, from a business perspective, changes DevOps from a technical competency to a Business Agility competency.
DevOps is not a destination it is a journey. A team cannot overnight decide that they are going to be DevOps. DevOps is about building a culture for continuous delivery and relies on a certain level of maturity in practices. Create a DevOps road map with specific objectives and targets. Aligning key activities based on this roadmap will help define the journey.
Control the flow. Have transparency and visibility to see work in progress, and plan for items for deployment and release. Work as a team to remove constraints so flow of work is optimized.
DevOps is not just about technology and automation. Remember the people. Teams are made of people and people don’t always embrace change especially on larger scales. Having a strong leadership that can respond to people’s needs and address them appropriately is essential.
Pick a basic “pipeline” to automate as much of the process as possible. As code is taken and compiled for testing, keep everybody involved informed with the results, and update as much as possible.
Throughout all of this maintain dialogue and collaboration between the developers, IT, and the client. Automate as much of the processes as possible but don’t forget to analyze the incident data and look directly at the feedback. Always experiment by running small tests and apply any hypotheses. Measure the data the comes back.
Genesis is leading our clients through their DevOps journeys. We have extensive experience in building outcome-based roadmaps, defining goals for organizational optimization, all to help achieve business agility objectives. Contact us to help you build your DevOps roadmap!