Faster, a common word in this dynamic world. Nowadays, our need has been formulated in such a way that the faster output is what we crave for. Still, speedier software development remains to be realized, or does it? Establishing a DevOps team has made software development and delivery faster than ever before, at the speed of lightning.
What is DevOps?
When you combine the terms “development” and “operations” together, you end up with DevOps. According to its name, DevOps is a practice that brings together the development and the operations team. This allows both of the teams to formulate an automated and integrated process structure. This way, the software can be built, tested, and then released way faster than conventional methods.
The operations team has a difficult time comprehending changes brought by the development team. This lag is a vital drawback that can bring the team down compared to competitors. Speaking of competitors, they are always in the hustle to bring software faster. DevOps is an excellent method that can be utilized to have that speedy edge compared to others.
DevOps is more like a continuous loop. Here each of the components of the cycle is related to others. A consistent collaborative approach and iterative improvement are therefore crucial.
What are the Principles of DevOps?
Smooth collaboration between the departments is vital in DevOps. To ensure smoothness, a few of the principles should be in practice. As a result, optimal communication and coordination will be possible. But what are those practices? Let’s find out.
- Create a Friendly and Collaborative Environment
Basically, the idea of DevOps is that the development team and the operation team should work together. In both departments, a single formation must be created, in which both departments function as one team. Therefore, regular communication, idea sharing as well as problem-solving needs to be done, all in a collaborative manner. As both teams are different, culture change will be present. Choose those who will embrace the change
- Define Responsibilities
As far as activities and responsibilities are concerned, both development and operation teams are distinct. However, as the DevOps team is a merger of both, their responsibilities should be cleared. Also, accountability should be imposed as well. Most importantly, responsibilities need to be controlled and monitored.
- Continuously Seek for Improvement
As both teams merge, they also share some of their core responsibilities with each other. Therefore, the teams need to be in a constant phase of improvement. Change in activities, technologies, or customer needs, stepping up for the development is what matters in DevOps.
- Automation
Lags are always noticed in the manual processes. As DevOps seeks faster solutions, automation is the best option to choose. By doing everything automated, responses given to customers will be instant, so will be the in team communication. Companies need to rely on automated tools to make the process seamless and effective.
- Customer Needs should not Be Neglected
Customer satisfaction is the key point of the success of a project. Even though achieving that is not that easy, meeting the demands of customers sure helps. However, keep in mind, customer needs are not constant, rather very dynamic. Consistent pursuit to meet the expectation should be ensured and therefore, automated data should always be reviewed.
- Learn from the Failures
Failure is not the problem, but not learning from that is. Firstly, attitudes should be changed towards failure. As the first step in success, it should be accepted as such and handled accordingly. If one accepts failure, it becomes very easy to learn and develop. Therefore a friendly environment should be fostered where mistakes will be taken as a step and learning should be appreciated.
- Form Unity
Members of the team are not only limited to certain tasks, rather are responsible for the whole process. Therefore, the need for unity is as high as the tip of a mountain. From planning to improvement, teams need to be involved; in execution, so in development.
Here is where a cross-functioning team is needed the most. In a cross-functioning team, not all members are specialists in all responsibilities. So, it is advisable to share the responsibilities, tasks as well as activities to ensure efficient and effective performance.
Are There Any Tools You Need for DevOps?
DevOps is dependent on a few of the steps such as planning, building, and others. Therefore, it is highly recommended to use tools in each step so that seamless operation can be ensured. Let’s see what you need as tools.
Planning: To formulate as well as execute planning appropriately, the need for project management software is vital. The tools help the team to keep track of what has to be done, what has been done, and what is happening currently. Software like Jira and Basecamp are great options. IF you’re a newbie, better start with Trello.
Building and Delivering: Codes needed to be built and delivered in the fastest manner. Tools such as Kubernetes, or Ansible can serve you some of the best features.
Testing: The need for testing the delivered software is essential. You can use GitLab CI, which is a great tool to test without losing any of the quality.
Monitoring and Logging: After testing, the software will be moved to production. Here, you need to monitor the software frequently to check performance and customer satisfaction. Also, analysis of performance, as well as logging, are needed to get the actual view. Stack, Grafana, Sumo Logic, etc. are some of the excellent tools that can provide you with such functionalities.
Are There Any Benefits?
DevOps offer some crucial benefits which cannot and should not be ignored. Let’s have a check.
- DevOps ensures faster development of the software.
- Let’s create a core competency for your organization by delivering your product in a much more timely manner.
- The reliability of DevOps is unparalleled,
- Teams work together more effectively.
- Can be adapted without compromising security.
Conclusion
The success of the DevOps team relies on the effectiveness and collaboration of the departments. As a result, software development will become quicker than ever. In case your team is getting left behind by competitors who are producing results much faster, implementing the DevOps approach is your best option.