It’s fair to say that the DevOps movement has permeated the enterprise. In today’s world, you’ll find DevOps teams in almost every functional area. But that doesn’t mean that all DevOps implementations are created equal. In fact, there are specific practices that expert DevOps teams use to ensure the highest possible success rate when delivering software changes to production.
The following are the top practices that you need to adopt if you want to successfully implement DevOps in your organization.
Table of Contents
Ensure That The Right Skills Are Hired
A common challenge that DevOps faces is a shortage of skilled professionals. Companies can be hesitant to bring on board new employees who have not yet proven themselves. As a result, DevOps often has to turn to the experienced members of its team for help.
This is where a quality hiring process comes in. Many DevOps-related roles require a certain level of expertise that can only be acquired through years of experience. Hiring a specialist who is already capable of performing at a high level and can be relied upon to continue contributing to the success of the program is far easier than trying to train a new person to achieve the same level of performance.
A side benefit of a well-run hiring process is that it gives executives a sense of satisfaction that the organization is making an effort to improve the employee experience. The feeling that you have successfully hired quality individuals who will stick around for the long haul is extremely motivating for team members, and it has a positive effect on the entire company. Ultimately, it leads to increased productivity and a better product delivered on time.
Regularly Review Performance
It is essential that DevOps teams are held accountable for the quality of their work. This is why they are obligated to review their processes and workflows at least once a week. The review process should serve as a form of self-evaluation and a way for the team to pinpoint areas where they can improve. A healthy dose of humility goes a long way here as well.
The weekly review process provides an opportunity for the team to spot problems before they become major headaches. Problems can be identified through a self-assessment tool or a regular hunch evaluation. The latter should not be confused with a hunch evaluation that is done to assess the ability of a police officer to predict suspicious activity – that’s a different kind of hunch.
As a DevOps team improves the quality of its work through reviews and iterations, it moves closer to delivering value to the business. The closer it gets, the more excited it should get about completing the next task or change.
Understand The Impact That Changes May Have On Different Parts Of The Organization
It is important that any changes that are made have a positive impact everywhere in the company. This means that executives, managers, and staff across different business units must be able to feel the benefit of the new process or technology that is adopted. Otherwise, the whole effort could be for naught.
When a new development strategy is launched, it typically affects one aspect of the business more than another. While some areas may experience an increase in productivity as a result of the new strategy, other parts of the company may experience a decrease. In order to ensure the success of the new initiative, it is essential that everyone, from top to bottom, understands what is happening and the impact that it will have on them. This requires a lot of communication and, perhaps, even some introspection on the part of executives and upper management.
Embrace Feedback
Successful DevOps teams are constantly seeking ways to improve their processes and workflows. The best thing that they can do for themselves and for the business is to listen to feedback and adopt the suggestions that are made. When you embrace feedback, you give people the courage to make suggestions and point out flaws that they may have found without fear of retribution. This in turn, creates a more transparent environment which, in the long run, benefits both the team and the company.
One of the best things that a company can do for its employees is to provide a positive work environment where they can thrive. This, in turn, provides the business with a strong workforce and more engaged employees. The more engaged employees are, the more productive they will be, and the business will see a substantial increase in revenue. This is why the success of a DevOps program depends on multiple factors, not just the expertise of the team involved.
