Have you really adopted Devops to its full potential? Or are you one of those who are not sure yet? Find out here!
Devops has been one of the biggest recent transformations changing the way enterprises work and function. More than its approach of combining development and operational teams for a single goal, Devops has brought in agility in approach.
Devops is more than just opting for its basic software methodology principles. Many enterprises that think they have adopted Devops actually miss the point entirely. Devops in theory and implementation can be two entirely different propositions.
Here is a checklist to see whether your enterprise has adopted Devops in the true sense or following same old protocols in the name of Devops.
1: You have a predefined Devops budget
A budgeted approach with Devops can hardly take you anywhere.
From buying the latest hardware like computers, servers, network switches to software like project management solutions or business applications, some businesses believe that adopting a new technology means buying it off the shelf.
Unlike other technology tools, Devops cannot be bought off the shelf, as it is more of a mindset or operational mode to be embedded in the work culture of the organization.
Having a predefined budget to simply buy and implement Devops is the wrong approach for Devops implementation. Instead consider approaching Devops consultants to learn Devops principles. Eventually it remains a transformational approach and requires a change of mindset and cultural churning before actual implementation can be done. Anything else you may follow is not Devops but traditional working with a Devops cover.
2: Automation is not a priority
Automation is fundamental to Devops. If there still is a manual process, Devops is not fully realized into your system.
Devops changes the ‘manual building-manual testing’ approach to an automated one. If post implementation of Devops, you are still testing manually, your Devops operations have not been able to offer the actual impact to your organization.
A basic yardstick to ensure if you are implementing Devops the right way is to check on the automation levels. Anything that can be automated must be automated under a Devops approach or else you are not doing Devops.
3: You are not having frequent release cycles
Devops calls for regular release of changes and updates and discourages accumulating them for a big release.
Devops is synonymous with fast bug fixes and release of new features at a faster rate. If you are not having rapid release cycles for your product or service, you are not following the agile model of Devops and still using the traditional waterfall model.
Devops at its core ensures enterprises release small changes at shorter timelines and not plan all big changes for a big annual release. Essential elements of continuous integration and continuous deployment ensure Devops operations allow faster release cycles. If your organization is not making periodic releases, no matter how small or significant the change adopted, there is room for improvement for the Devops model.
4: Failure is unacceptable for your enterprise
No failure means noDevops! The software fundamentally doesn’t believe failures are bad, instead as per the tool they good for a progressive growth.
Devops is a cultural transformative approach and if your enterprise still believes failure to be a big bad word, you are not following a Devops approach for sure. For example, many times the code developer in an organization is under pressure to ensure nothing goes wrong duringdevelopment phase of a new tool. If anything from a delayed code development to code development conflicting the production database attracts a closed door meeting or raised eyebrows from managers, the organization is a not on the Devops automation tools.
Devops at its core allows for failure as a stepping stone for success. The idea of ‘Fail often-Fail fast’ is embedded in the Devops principles. Instead when things go wrong, there is no blame game and the automated processes ensure root cause of failure is determined as soon as possible, new tests are quickly build to ensure such failures are avoided.This is how organizations truly work on the Devops philosophy.
5: Blaming culture exists in the enterprise framework
There is no room for blame game with Devops.
Devops rules out any blame game between teams and individuals working on the production or testing line. Should anything go wrong as they will eventually, blame game should be redirected to a collective approach of finding fault lines and ensuring automotive corrective measures. Only when such a culture is formulated is the organization implementing Devops principles in the true sense.
6: Developers and operations team remain parallels
Devops calls for bridging the gap amongst different teams.
Devops culturally allows for joint teamwork between developers and operations team. Rather than working for a common goal, if two teams continue to stay independent then the enterprise is not following Devops principles. Brining such a change may be culturally difficult but clear communication with the team members and a common goal are tools CIOs use to bridge developers and operations teams.
Devops is a cultural transformation and not all enterprises that commit to Devops get it right. The checklist of its implementation can help enterprises know if they are truly following Devops or not.
