The Internet is full of information about DevOps, but there is no unified way to approach it right. Every case is different and every company has different needs. Let's take a closer look.
SHARED OWNERSHIP
By "DevOps" we mean a culture of multidisciplinary systems engineering whose task is to unify software development with its operation. And that was the main motivation for the creation of DevOps. It is intended to provide faster and cheaper software delivery with adequate quality. The diversity of the team and the integration of all members contribute to better collaboration and faster delivery of software to its users. Of course, this is not possible without an "Agile mindset", which we can support, for example, by using the Scrum framework.
You've surely noticed that DevOps includes the use of various software tools to orchestrate infrastructure, for collaboration, to automate various processes, or for deployment of software itself. We must not forget the cloud and various cloud tools, containerization, code versioning or application monitoring. DevOps is not just a group of tools, but a philosophy that connects people and creates a thinking structure that promotes "shared ownership".
DevOps IS ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION
DevOps creates a continuous communication channel from the initial idea, through development, testing, to deployment in production. Such a chain provides sufficient space for feedback loops, which ultimately translates into a higher quality product.
Key success factors include ample space for collaboration, expertise within the team, and responsibility for the entire software delivery process. Automation is as crucial as possible, of course, if it makes sense and brings benefits. It is also important to focus on customer needs, continuous improvement, and space to learn from failures and mistakes.
It is said that DevOps is just "Agility on steroids" and agility is about people. It is a natural extension of agile software development. DevOps pushes the idea of a multidisciplinary team further. For example, by operation, and thus provides additional possibilities for obtaining feedback at each step of the product development.
THE SUCCESS OF DevOps DEPENS ON THE WHOLE TEAM, NOT JUST THE SKILLS OF ONE PERSON
Today, many organizations are trying to establish a DevOps culture. Success depends on the whole team, not just the skills of one person. All involved people are responsible for the delivery of quality software and its subsequent operation and maintenance.
DevOps is not new, because Patrik Debois came up with this idea already in 2009. However, it is constantly evolving and today there are various other variants and extensions, such as DevSecOps and NoOps or GitOps.
If you are interested in this topic, we recommend that you first get a general overview of DevOps and think about what you would like to achieve within your organization. You can then start recruiting new employees and achieving the set goals. We keep our fingers crossed!