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What is devops and how did it come about
DevOps pivoted from the assembly line model, which was used in the early 20th century to build cars, to software development. DevOps started with work designed to increase efficiency in software production. DevOps is a process of continuous improvement using feedback loops, automation and metrics to monitor business goals and use data as feedback for process improvement.
The DevOps approach is an extension of the agile methodology, which emphasizes communication and collaboration among development, operations and support staff. The goal of this approach is to increase software development efficiency and to ensure that products are delivered on time with fewer quality problems.
“DevOps has existed for a long time before the term “DevOps” was coined,” said John Willis, senior vice president of technical operations at VMWARE and member of the Industrial Consortium for Software Testing (ICST). “People have been working on the principles and practices of DevOps for a long time. It is just that now they have some formal agreements around how they can work together.”
The first true DevOps-oriented project was in 2005, when Google moved its application development team to Salt Lake City early in the company’s history. That change dramatically reduced integration times as engineers became more efficient at collaborating with development teams and automated tests were used to verify product correctness before building.
That move was so successful, the Google development teams were able to build and release new versions of Google Maps every three weeks. Other companies began to notice this change, and several technology providers started offering services designed to help accelerate application delivery.
The benefits of a devops approach
DevOps improves business agility by increasing quality, reliability, speed, and availability of software. Changes are shipped faster and easier due to the increased efficiency of implementation. This allows developers to focus on the job at hand and produce better quality code every time they work on it. DevOps teams maintain a culture of continuous improvement through continuous feedback loops that deliver improved product faster. DevOps helps organizations make process changes that are sustainable over time such as organizational culture change and technology improvements. DevOps is an approach that puts people on the same page to increase agility and agility breeds more agility.
A focus on agility and continuous feedback loops is the tip of the spear for improving a corporate culture that revolve around delivery of value. This provides an environment that allows for constant improvements and innovation to be deployed into the product or service being delivered by the organization. DevOps focuses on individuals and their relationship with one another to increase efficiency. DevOps teams are formed to facilitating communication between teams in a company or across different companies. DevOps can be considered a company wide initiative that helps improve agility, which in turn increases agility and results in more agility. The benefits of a devops approach are driven by the fact that continuous feedback loops allow for constant improvements to be deployed into the product or service, further improving its values and quality.
The challenges of implementing devops in your organization
DevOps is a culture and process of empowering people to make decisions that improve productivity. This empowerment can be challenging for organizations, especially large ones to manage. Organizations that do not adapt to the new DevOps paradigm will find themselves at a disadvantage and risk of being left behind in the market due to their inability to measure, monitor and achieve goals. Once an organization has embraced DevOps and implemented the culture of empowerment; there will be many challenges to overcome before they achieve their goals. Most of the challenges are around how to appropriately manage risk and uncertainty. This can be done through understanding the principles of DevOps and having clear communication about them. An effective management is going to require a change in mindset for managers and leaders, as well as an understanding of what DevOps really means for their organization.
The challenges of DevOps are not just technical. There are many other aspects that need to be considered because of the cultural change involved. Some of these aspects include:
– A combination of software development and IT operations skills is required in order to accomplish proper deployment. This can be challenging because each team understands their own skills better than anyone else, which can make it difficult for them to collaborate effectively.
– The organization needs to know what the goal of DevOps really is. This goal can be different depending on the organization and what their needs are. Sometimes an organization will recognize the problem and decide to adapt, or find that they have already done so. Other times it takes a crisis to inspire them to change.
Tips for overcoming the challenges and creating a successful devops strategy
An organization’s culture will determine whether or not it can successfully embrace DevOps. A cultural shift is necessary to the way the people think about how they work and how they relate to one another. Since cultural change is difficult, it should be introduced into the organization gradually. Here are some tips for introducing DevOps culture into an organization.
Set the stage for success. Help employees understand that DevOps is a new way of working, but does not mean working in a chaotic manner. Visualize how the company will operate in this new venture and explain how it will integrate with existing processes (e.g. financial, HR, etc.); let employees know that DevOps is different but that it does not need to be a shift in their day-to-day work. Explain the benefits of DevOps to the organization as a whole, especially in terms of increased efficiency and effectiveness.
Lead by example. It is important for someone at the top to lead by example by practicing what he or she preaches. If you are not ready to get involved in a DevOps initiative, you may still demonstrate that your interest in culture change is supported by strong technical skills (e.g. you can represent your team at meetings or clearly explain the company’s technology choices). A developer-friendly mentality will help employees understand new technologies.
How to measure the success of your devops implementation
DevOps requires that managers and leaders gain a practical understanding of what it means for their business. A great starting point and way to measure is to ask their customers, investors and other stakeholders how they would rate the effectiveness of the organization’s DevOps implementation. By having this feedback available, they will be able to better understand why people talk about the changes they made and how effective or ineffective those changes were. It is also important to review what has happened since the changes have been in place. When I look at many organizations, I find that they are only measuring success on the surface. They rush to implement what has been recommended or fit their framework or process and don’t take a moment to understand why customers who have used their service before and have stated that it is “good” are saying it is “good.” It is important to understand why someone who has used your product in the past would say it isn’t good. It could be customer service, development, quality assurance or many other areas they feel are lacking.
One of the best ways to get feedback is to be proactive when you first start implementing DevOps. Ask your customers if they would be willing to provide you with feedback. They may not want to bring up potentially negative issues so it is important to ask them (preferably over lunch). The more information you can gather, the better off you will be and the more business that will flow in your direction.
