DevOps — A Culture Upgrade
Maybe you’ve heard all about how beneficial DevOps is for improving the speed and efficiency of software product delivery. But have you thought about how DevOps affects organizational culture? By ditching traditional SDLC methods and instead implementing DevOps strategies, companies can improve team productivity, dynamics, and communication.
The SDLC and Traditional Development Methods
First, let’s review the basic elements of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). The SDLC is a process which is used to design, develop, and deliver software. It can be summarized in six phases:
Requirements Analysis— Expectations for the software are gathered from stakeholders and recorded as requirements.
Design — The requirements are used to determine specific hardware and software necessary for the development of the product.
Implementation — Developers write code according to the specified requirements.
Testing — The code is tested to ensure that it meets all requirements.
Deployment — The software product is deployed to the production environment.
Maintenaince — Any bugs which surface after deployment are resolved in updates.
Traditionally, these phases were completed in a linear-sequential manner using what is called the Waterfall method. However, this method has some drawbacks. For example, if a stakeholder came to the development team with new requirements during the testing phase, the rigid structure of the Waterfall method would not allow for these new requirements to be incorporated.
Thus, in more recent years, many companies have decided to switch from traditional methods to a DevOps approach.
DevOps
DevOps is a method which combines the processes of Development (planning, coding, building and testing) and Operations (releasing, deploying, operating, and monitoring), hence the name DevOps. Traditional SDLC methods separated these two processes. However, in DevOps, teams are cross-functional, and the SDLC is an infinite loop. Phases are not completed sequentially. Rather, Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) are implemented using automation throughout each phase.
Continuous Integration
CI describes the process of integrating code into the repository early and often throughout the development cycle. Automated testing is done throughout the cycle to find bugs and errors, which can then be resolved before code moves to the integration environment.
Continuous Delivery
A layered and continuous testing process allows products to be delivered safely. Automation ensures that a product is made available in the production environment. CD enables teams to satisfy customers through faster product delivery.
Benefits of DevOps on Company Culture
Keeps developers productive — Without continuous integration, code would be pushed to a staging area in large chunks rather than small pieces. If multiple developers are pushing large chunks of code all at once, serious merge conflicts are likely to occur. Picture a pipeline getting clogged. This results in lag and headaches. On the other hand, with continuous integration, these serious stoppages are less likely to happen. Developers can remain productive, and momentum is not lost.
Improves team dynamics — DevOps brings people together from all areas of product development. Because no phase is disconnected from another, team members are better able to understand their role in the entire development process, as well as identify with the common cause.
Improves communication —Communication is improved among team members through continuous feedback loops. Information from code movement in the pipeline is collected in real time and shared with the team members who are responsible for it. Team members can then respond by taking necessary next steps. Thus, communication efficiency is improved.
Case study: Target
In recent years, Target has integrated a DevOps strategy, which has not only boosted the development and delivery of products such as Cartwheel (Target’s mobile app), but has also improved organizational culture. According to The New Stack, Target has incorporated DevOps best practices to improve company culture by sharing knowledge with feedback loops and co-creating to build trust. Through incorporating DevOps in cross-functional teams, the company has supercharged collaboration among team members.
In summary, the incorporation of DevOps strategies can improve company culture by maintaining team productivity and momentum, creating cross-functional teams with a common cause, and integrating continuous feedback loops.
What do you think? Does DevOps truly affect company culture? Let me know your take on it — I’m all ears. 👂
Thanks for reading!
