There’s no end in sight: Just as your newest application finally launches, your first piece of feedback comes in! …It’s a bug report. Before you can even read it, you’re pinged by several of your developers who want to know why their access requests keep getting denied by IT. (Doesn’t ops know that’s delaying future releases?) And before you can form a response to that, IT operations staff chime in with their perspective — all those access requests are a real hassle for us, can you make the devs knock it off?
Breathe. You don’t need a professional negotiator; you need DevOps.
DevOps, a portmanteau of “development” and “operations,” is a practice intended to integrate traditionally disparate software engineering and IT operations teams. DevOps aims to foster better collaboration, faster development cycles, and a stronger overall product as a result. Ready to go from DevOps novice to master? Read on to discover our top three tips for creating strong, collaborative partnerships using DevOps.
Winning teams use a playbook
If we told you that in 2007, the New York Giants managed their famous Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots, all without writing down a single play, studying any diagrams, or taking any notes… you wouldn’t believe us, and you’d be right! Even though shipping your newest product isn’t quite going to net you a shiny championship ring, don’t lead with any less commitment than the pros. Process documentation is something that falls by the wayside easily, and letting it slide gets even easier the more successful your organization becomes, but skipping it only hurts your company’s future.
If you do not yet have one, create a playbook (or other unified sets of procedural documentation) pronto – and be sure you’ve got a process in place to update it! Marko Anastasov, the co-founder of Semaphore, a service designed to further streamline continuous integration and delivery, explains: “The playbook is essential because it levels the ground for everyone and creates a unified interface that eases collaboration. For the playbook to be practical, it must be constantly improved and updated as processes change.” Providing a detailed road map for collaboration also forestalls many objections, increasing buy-in among key team members.
Remember, the whole use case for DevOps is to unite software development teams and IT operations teams, and so to incentivize strong working partnerships between the two. It only makes sense to start the collaboration off with some goals, ground rules, and go-to operational principles for when everything runs into a snag or setback. (Which absolutely will happen at least once.) Don’t skimp on the goal setting and don’t be afraid to dream big. DevOps teams that set larger, meaningful goals not only tend to achieve those goals but in working towards key milestones, create even stronger and more effective partnerships throughout the organization.
[RELATED: Why Setting Career Goals Will Set You Up For Success.]
Rethink your tools and support materials
Assets that were designed and intended for legacy development processes aren’t often equal to the task of keeping up with the increase