A Guide to Implementing DevOps: Tools, Mindset, and Culture

Introduction

DevOps is fast becoming an essential aspect of many company cultures for numerous reasons. This guide outlines how to properly implement DevOps using the right tools and, crucially, the right mindset.

However, implementing DevOps is more than just adopting new tools and practices. It’s about fostering a culture of continuous innovation and incremental improvement. Although challenging, the benefits of a robust DevOps culture are undeniable.

DevOps is a critical foundation that empowers organizations to innovate, learn, and improve, driving business success.

Step 1: Leverage the Best Metrics

When initiating DevOps, start with clear end goals in mind. Metrics are crucial for tracking progress and ensuring a successful journey. The DORA State of DevOps 2019 report highlights key metrics to benchmark your DevOps transformation:

• Deployment Frequency: How often you deploy code to production or release it to end-users.
• Lead Time for Changes: The duration from code commit to running successfully in production.
• Time to Restore Service: The time taken to restore service following an incident or defect.
• Change Failure Rate: The percentage of changes to production that result in degraded service and require remediation.

High-performing organizations excel in these metrics, setting a standard for success.

Step 2: Balance Speed and Stability

With DevOps, the focus is on reducing risk while enhancing agility and collaboration. Metrics help measure outcomes, not just at a macro level but deeply within processes affecting end goals.

For instance, pushing for faster releases might lead to dropped functionalities. Achieving a balance through automated infrastructure and a streamlined DevOps pipeline ensures a cloud-native environment that maintains stability and efficiency.

Step 3: Prioritize People, Process, and Technology

DevOps planning is futile without engaging the people who will implement it. Break down silos between teams, data, tools, and processes.

New roles and responsibilities can cause resistance, but DevOps requires ongoing organizational shifts. Start with manageable pilot projects to demonstrate success and benefits.

• Share your vision of DevOps roles.
• Provide necessary training.
• Ensure team members understand how their jobs will evolve in a DevOps setting.

Step 4: Focus on a DevOps-Ready Platform

A strong foundation is crucial for DevOps success. Identify gaps in your infrastructure using these key pillars:

1. Platform as a Service: Does your infrastructure offer a service catalog of predefined capabilities for simplicity and support?
2. Developer Productivity: Do your teams have standardized productivity and automation tools to focus on app development?
3. Built-in Security: Are security checks embedded in your orchestration tools?
4. Hybrid Cloud: Can Kubernetes be easily deployed on-premises or in the public cloud?

Creating a services-oriented DevOps platform ensures the necessary elements across these pillars, fostering a cloud-native enterprise environment.

Step 5: Champion the Vision

DevOps requires a significant shift in traditional tools, practices, and philosophies. This transformation needs strong vision and leadership, often from the executive level.

• If you are the executive sponsor, it's time to lead the change.
• If not, find and enroll a visionary leader in your organization.

Communicate the DevOps vision clearly, addressing conflicting priorities between development and operations teams. Promote cultural change by automating processes for quick wins, building the right skills, and setting milestones for real DevOps capabilities.

Conclusion

Implementing DevOps is challenging but worthwhile. Learn from peers who have navigated this journey. The positive outcomes include improved job satisfaction, enhanced profitability and productivity, and better customer experiences.

With DevOps, it’s not about why but when. Embrace the change, and lead your organization toward a successful DevOps transformation.