Stop Focusing on DevOps ... Start Delivering Better Business Outcomes
Mike Kavis
DevOps should focus on driving improved business outcomes , not on technology . In fact , everything we do in IT should be based on delivering better business outcomes .
I have seen far too many definitions of the term DevOps . Everyone , including myself , has their own definition . Worse , I have seen even more interpretations of what “ doing DevOps ” means within enterprises .
Here are a few examples of what some people think DevOps is :
• Automating infrastructure
• Building out CI / CD pipelines
• Writing Chef scripts
• Creating a new silo called DevOps
• Doing anything on AWS
All of the items above are tasks that are common when a company embraces DevOps philosophies but by themselves are not DevOps . DevOps is much bigger than these specific tasks .
DevOps Is Not Technology
Damon Edwards once said “ DevOps is not about technology . DevOps is about a business problem .” Sure , a lot of technology is used to solve business problems , but focusing purely on technology misses the point . Every year , Puppet Labs does a large survey and produces the State of DevOps report . In these reports , Puppet talks about how DevOps can contribute to making an IT organization a high-performing one . The statistics show that high-performing IT shops deliver value to the bottom line , which means increased sales , profitability , competitive advantages , and employee morale .
When I talk to clients about DevOps , I like to talk about what the client deems the desired outcomes , rather than discussing infrastructure automation . I believe the conversation should start by focusing on business outcomes before looking at technology solutions . It is highly likely that automation will play a huge role in enabling the desired business outcomes , but when automation is the initial focus before understanding the business problems , then automation becomes a crutch instead of an enabler .
DevOps Comes from Lean
DevOps takes a chapter from lean manufacturing and applies it to IT . First , you should set the technology aside and focus on identifying bottlenecks . Bottlenecks exist not only in the technology , but also in the people ( culture and organization structures ) and process ( IT and business ). A mistake I see within many enterprises is that they start with automation without removing the existing bottlenecks . The result is the automation of waste . Culture and organizational structures are often major bottlenecks . Tackling these two issues can be really challenging , especially within a culture that is not a high-trust one .
When companies focus purely on the technology aspects of DevOps , they may make some nominal
28 | THE DOPPLER | SUMMER 2016