In Case You Missed It: What You Need to Know About DevOps Agility
When implemented in conjunction with Agile software development, DevOps helps businesses respond faster to requirements and align closely with end user needs. In “DevOps Agility,” a webinar with Gorilla Logic Agile Practice Lead Oscar Alfaro and Solution Architect Rod Molina, we discuss key DevOps concepts, challenges, and success strategies. Be sure to watch the full webinar here.
DevOps: a new way to build software and deliver value to the business faster
Not everyone agrees on what DevOps means. Is it tooling? Is it processes, policies, and procedures? Is it a role? Is it culture? According to Oscar and Rod, DevOps is a mindset. DevOps is about finding the most efficient way to deliver value to the business faster. DevOps bridges the gap between development and operations. It helps everyone understand and share responsibility for releasing value to the business. DevOps requires time and effort to implement, and Oscar and Rod share insights about how communication and collaboration influence DevOps success.
DevOps, speed, and the need for decentralization
Agile speeds software development. Teams work on smaller units and in tighter feedback loops. Everything drives continuous delivery. But if you but haven’t automated how code moves from development to testing to staging to production, things quickly get complicated. Working together with Agile, DevOps reduces these headaches by using automation. DevOps also moves the decision-making about when to deploy completed code back to the business. After all, the business has the information needed to make the best decisions about when to deploy.
DevOps and CI/CD agility
DevOps decouples deploy and release. This frees development to adopt release on demand, a primary goal of continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD). With CI/CD, you can write code, move it to a development, test, staging, or production environment as needed, run tests, analyze results, repeat as needed. Then when code is complete, you can release it to the system, letting the business decide when it’s time to deploy. DevOps tools help teams assess and balance the cost of releasing code versus holding code. With this insight, you can have more productive discussions with the business about goals and priorities, making sure everyone is focused on what’s best for the business. Watch the full webinar to hear insights into the tools available to help teams automate, manage, and optimize DevOps.
How does DevOps benefit the business?
DevOps benefits the business in several ways. DevOps makes it easier for everyone to understand the current state, because all that’s needed is to look at the board. DevOps speeds delivery of value by encouraging smaller batch sizes and Work In Process (WIP) limits, so everything moves through the pipeline faster. When all the tools, processes, and people work more smoothly together, DevOps makes it easy to spot bottlenecks and make better decisions about how to reduce friction and speed time to market.
How to get started with DevOps
There is no right way to do DevOps, and every DevOps implementation looks different. The most important thing, according to Oscar and Rod, is that you start. In fact, starting small may be the best way, maybe with weekly meetings or plannings, and build on your practice. At Gorilla Logic, we always start at the beginning, looking at how things are being done in the current state, and adapting and aligning as needed. We make sure we embed the DevOps mindset in every stage and level, and provide our clients with Agile experts and coaches as needed. Check out the full webinar to get all the DevOps tips and insights from Oscar and Rod, our Agile and DevOps experts.
