To DevOps or not to DevOps? That is the question.
There is more to DevOps than its lifecycle, automation, and its extensive use of monitoring tools. This methodology impacts company culture and has been proven to aid companies with creating software that meets user expectations. To understand DevOps on a deeper level let’s dive into its lifecycle, its benefits, and a case study on how Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Digital Media Group (DMG) uses DevOps practices.
The DevOps lifecycle. ♻️
A DevOps lifecycle has several steps, the last step leads back to the first step thus creating a continuous process. To add to that, development and deployment are revisited throughout the cycle. The image below can help you picture it more clearly.
Planning requires the team to effectively figure out the problem they are solving and improve on aspects of the previous iteration. The planning stage can include diagramming, paving a roadmap, setting up tickets on a kanban board, and weighing the pros and cons of different technologies and methodologies. Of course, there is more to it, I have only scratched the surface.
During the coding stage, each developer runs with the plans and executes them. Developers can help each other if any blockers arise.
When all is done, code is then added to one repository within the build stage. Automation can be introduced at this point to aid the team with bugs and errors. Errors and bugs can be addressed before moving on to the next stage in the process.
Security, infrastructure, and performance will be addressed within the testing stage. If the results are not satisfactory, the team can improve the code to meet its requirements.
The code will then be pushed into the production environment in the release stage. Here, automation can be utilized to ensure the service is available and performs well.
During deployment, end-users can interact with the product or service.
When the product is live, we move into the operating stage. Here, the team can gather data taken from end-users. Some data gathered includes performance and how the average user utilizes the product.
In the monitor stage, a DevOps team can use the data gathered in the operating stage for continuous improvement. Here the team analyzes the data so it can be used for the next DevOps cycle.
*Remember* The steps are not sequential. Continuous integration and continuous delivery are utilized in the DevOps cycle.
You may be able to see the benefits just from reading about the lifecycle. To make it clear as day, I listed some benefits below.
Benefits 🙌🏽
#1: No more awkward meetings between the development and production teams. Because DevOps practices promote open communication between both. Some may even find themselves juggling between development and production. This allows opportunities to learn from one another, share feedback, and communicate.
#2: Lots and lots of automation 🤖. It is essential to automate the software development and deployment lifecycle as much as possible. It aids the team in finding errors and bugs and allows for more headroom in the development and deployment process.
#3: 🧘🏽♂️ A company that is in tune with its user’s needs is a company that will succeed. DevOps practices include a holistic understanding of the product and how the user will utilize that product. Feedback loops and live utilization tools can collect data so companies can improve the feature continuously.
#4: Continuous improvement goes hand in hand with the benefits above. Testing gives a guideline for requirements to be met, automation can be many things but ultimately it streamlines the process. Collecting user data and utilizing it in the next DevOps cycles is also under the continuous improvement umbrella.
🤔 Case Study,
Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Digital Media Group (DMG) had issues with creating software to aid users in managing entertainment assets. This created a huge amount of tech debt for their developers. To ease the pain, DMG developed an automated cloud delivery system made up of SaaS and open source tools which gave DMG more headroom to deliver features and updates in a more continuous fashion.
A DevOps flow can aid teams with delivering features and updates As well as break barriers between development and production teams. But who can’t forget automation? It is essential to the DevOps process. 🤩 As well, as a holistic understanding of the product and the end-users needs.
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