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In software development, speed is everything. Without it, there is no way of rising above your competition, and that’s where DevOps approaches come in.
DevOps approaches help improve the speeds at which software development projects are completed, making them necessary for developers hoping to have a competitive edge.
However, launching DevOps is not something you think about and implement on a whim. Instead, you have to set the stage to ensure that your organization is DevOps ready.
So, what are DevOps approaches, and how do you tell if your business is DevOps ready?
What Is DevOps?
“DevOps” comes from two words; development and operations. It refers to a combination of tools and practices to help organizations develop applications faster than in a traditional approach.
A DevOps approach enhances development by removing barriers between developers and operation teams of the organization for which the application is designed. This collaboration ensures that all parties involved are part of the process from inception to deployment.
Adopting a DevOps approach can sometimes be complicated, and an organization may encounter many challenges in its implementation, especially if the team lacks adequate training. The good news is that you can overcome these challenges by outsourcing your DevOps implementation in the first stages of your strategy.
If you are unsure where to start, a DevOps consulting services provider like RTS labs can help you get started.
How to Know If Your Organization Is DevOps Ready
Readiness to Culture Change
While DevOps involves automation solutions, it takes more than just that. There must be a combination of tools and a change of approach which means an overhaul of your existing culture.
Culture changes are often met with opposition, and you don’t want to push a change down your team’s throat because it may not achieve the purpose it was intended for. Therefore, you will want to prepare your team early.
Let them know change is inevitable and explain how it will make their work easier. You may also need to train them to ensure they are not overwhelmed by the change.
Agility
Agility refers to an organization’s ability to respond to market changes quickly. Agility has a great significance in today’s world, where the market scene and approaches to doing business are changing by the day.
Often, agility depends on the size of an organization, with small-sized businesses being more agile than bigger established organizations that have been around for a long time. This is mainly due to the many years of building a culture proving change difficult.
While a DevOps approach is applicable in small and established organizations alike, improving an organization’s agility should come before adopting DevOps.
Readiness to Take Risks
Every major change in workflows and processes can be a big risk that some organizations don’t want to make.
While you can have the right tools in place, your DevOps strategy will flop if your culture remains rigid. However, failure is not always bad. It can become a learning opportunity to help you avoid mistakes in future tries.
If your organization is willing to take risks, DevOps is for you. Although the initial phases of a DevOps approach implementation may have their challenges, overcoming them will be easier as everything falls in place.
Determining DevOps Readiness Using a Scorecard
If you are uncertain about your organization’s readiness, even by considering the signs mentioned above, it is possible to measure its readiness using a DevOps scorecard.
A DevOps scorecard is a tool that helps development teams identify areas affecting their readiness for DevOps and helps identify areas needing improvement to achieve the desired results. This tool accesses all aspects of your processes from technical, measurement, and culture to determine whether or not you are ready for DevOps.
