What is DevOps?
It may sound complicated, but it really isn’t. In simple terms, and as the name suggests, DevOps is the process of integrating development and operations. Aiming to bring together development and operations teams under a common umbrella, a solid DevOps strategy is believed to foster good communication, encourage collaboration, and increase cohesion between teams who are essentially opposing sides of the same coin. Despite their differences, both development and operations teams share common goals, and the collaborative working through DevOps seeks to highlight those common goals and ensure everyone is pulling together to achieve them.
How long has it been around?
DevOps as a distinct organisational strategy, is something of a new kid on the block, though undefined versions of DevOps were no doubt operating informally for many years before DevOps became a popular buzzword and developed into a formal organisational model.
“DevOps” as a term was first used in 2009 by Patrick Debois, the maverick trailblazer of DevOps who helped to shape the DevOps movement and elevate it to its current status as the go to model for effectively integrating various teams within an organisation.
What are the benefits of the DevOps model?
As we’ve discussed, DevOps seeks to end the assumption that Development and Operations teams are entirely separate entities operating alone and with distinct priorities and processes that seldom overlap one another. The benefits of this joined up approach are multiple
, but some of the most recognisable advantages are as follows:
1. Integration of teams is an effective way of engendering awareness of how the various teams’ day to day work is similar – and how it is different – so that different teams can learn from one another to develop more streamlined and effective working processes. The steep learning curve which occurs when DevOps is implemented encourages teams to take a look at themselves with a fresh pair of eyes – questioning how and why they do what they do, if things are working as well as they could and what could be changed for the better.
2. Bringing the two teams together also reaps relationship benefits – with employees fostering working relationships with members of the organisation they may not have previously worked with, which in turn elucidates a sense of common purpose which is likely to generate enthusiasm and a sense of belonging. The knock on effect of this closer working relationship is that the teams become invested and embedded in each other’s day to day workflow, leading to a greater understanding of each other’s roles and timescales, leading to empathetic working practices and reducing turnaround times.
3. The ‘head’s together’ approach commonly leads to heightened innovation – integrated working should ideally allow those members of the team who had previously not had input into organisational processes to make their voice heard. Putting together unlikely bedfellows through DevOps can often lead to a surprising amount of ideas generation which can have a wide ranging, positive impact upon the organisation.
Who is DevOps for and how can I use it in my organisation?
No matter what the size, purpose and structure of your organisation is, DevOps is for everyone. From the big players such as Google and Amazon, to SME’s with a much smaller remit, DevOps has been successfully implemented by a diverse range of organisations. It’s simply about getting the DevOps model right for your particular needs. Our 3 top Do’s and Don’ts on how to do this are as follows:
1. DO look at what others in your field are doing
Research the myriad of examples for structuring DevOps and choose a similar model to those in your field who have had a degree of success in implementing DevOps. Choosing a tried and tested model means you don’t have to reinvent the wheel and you will also have a good indication that the model you have chosen is likely to work for you.
2. …but DON’T just use an ‘off the shelf’ DevOps model
Make an existing model from a similar organisation your template, but don’t just take the whole thing as read. Look at what your specific requirements are and refine regularly and continuously – building in trials, pilots and reviews until you have a model that is the perfect fit for your organisation.
3. DO allow for a certain amount of flexibility
Whilst some structure is essential so that all the stakeholders in your DevOps strategy are aware of how the process is going to work, too rigid a model can seriously inhibit your ability to encourage your teams to invest in the process, as well as failing to take into account the fact that any organisational strategy needs to be a fluid document which can adapt to the changing needs of your organisations as you evolve and grow.
Des Nnorchiri
Des Nnochiri has a Master’s Degree (MEng) in Civil Engineering with Architecture, and spent several years at the Architectural Association, in London. He views technology with a designer’s eye, and is very keen on software and solutions which put a new wrinkle on established ideas and practices. He now writes for markITwrite across the full spectrum of corporate tech and design. In previous lives, he has served as a Web designer, and an IT consultant to The Learning Paper, a UK-based charity extending educational resources to underprivileged youngsters in West Africa. A film buff and crime fiction aficionado, Des moonlights as a novelist and screenwriter. His short thriller, “Trick” was filmed in 2011 by Shooting Incident Productions, who do location work on “Emmerdale”.