We believe DevOps is MORE than a buzzword.

We’ve seen it revolutionize the way our customers deliver speedy value to their customers.

We’ve seen silos busted and teams working more efficiently to innovate securely.

Now that we’ve discussed the history of DevOps and how traditional organizational structures are being revamped for exponential increases in efficiency, let’s take a moment to look at how we approach the implementation of DevOps principles and practices in your organization.

DevOps is more than a practice, it’s a cultural shift. It’s important to take each unique aspect of your organization into consideration as you proceed through every step of this transformation.

PHASE ONE: DEFINING SUCCESS

DevOps success looks different for every organization while maintaining the same overall tried and true principles of success.

Therefore, the first step in an effective DevOps reorganization strategy is always to take time analyzing what success looks like for your organization and what exactly your core objectives are.

For example, identify a specific targeted process we want to improve. Next, how will we know if we have improved it, or if we’ve actually made it worse? Identifying metrics and KPI’s are crucial in measuring success.

Once we define measurable goals for this project’s timeframe and scope, actionable steps can be set as we progress in shifting the overall culture.

PHASE TWO: DEFINING KEY PERSONNEL & REQUIREMENTS

In order to truly sow the seeds of cultural change within the organization, it’s critical that the key personnel are deeply involved and accountable to the process.

Each of these people should be involved in deciding:

  • What are the business objectives we can focus on during the course of this project?
  • What are the requirements that we must keep in mind?
  • Who are the main groups/stakeholders that should be interviewed to gather intelligence?
  • Which of these stakeholders are the most sympathetic to this shift?

PHASE THREE: ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

This phase involves ascertaining the crucial intelligence needed to begin the transformation towards an effective DevOps culture.

It can and will be painful – silos will be revealed, lack of efficiency highlighted, redundancy and bottlenecks discovered. Keep in mind the goal is not to focus on the negative, but to isolate what’s keeping your organization back and apply the principles to change.

Iterate and improve! That concept is essential to the core of DevOps.

As your DevOps advisor, we will ask fact-finding discovery questions like –

  • In the targeted process, what are the steps, even if loosely understood?
  • How do you track/confirm the success of your process? (e.g. what, if any metrics exist to track the success of this process)
  • Where is significant re-work generated or received?

With all of this analysis of current toolsets and other relevant information, a thorough review of organizational processes can be compiled.

PHASE FOUR: Develop DevOps Structure

At this point, several key processes have been identified to be in need of serious adaptation or to be removed and replaced altogether!

The key personnel involved can continue to work with this data and, with the help of your DevOps advisor, develop detailed recommendations for moving to a CI/CD pipeline. This includes evaluating your technology stack for stability and efficiency moving forward as new benchmarks for success are created.

The new DevOps structure is beginning to take shape, and because the right people have been involved in the discovery and analysis phases, they will have a clear cultural buy-in to lead the new DevOps charge.

PHASE FIVE: Documentation & Execution 

The analysis and conclusions of each of the previous phases culminate in an executive summary that the DevOps advisor will deliver with detailed recommendations for immediate and ongoing execution.

This involves clear and documented process instructions, training on the various new or augmented toolsets, and redefined roles and responsibilities for those involved.

The end result is really no end at all, rather a commitment to ever increasing efficiency and speed to value, constantly innovating and growing your DevOps culture.

Have a question about any of these phases and how a Fishtech-led DevOps workshop can benefit your organization? Put our industry-leading expertise to work for your business, and watch pure digital transformation unfold.