For DevOps to save the overworked engineering collective, a paradigm shift is required. The Great...
For centuries, there has been a tendency among humans to create conflicts by pitting teams with distinct roles against each other, even when they belong to the same overall team. This phenomenon is observable not only in traditional business enterprises but also specifically between DevOps Development and Operations, software developers and operational staffers.
The long-standing rivalry between Dev and Ops has posed one of the most significant challenges for organizations in managing their IT capabilities. Overcoming this divide and recognizing each other as partners rather than adversaries becomes crucial for a business to achieve success. However, due to conflicting priorities, the combination of Dev and Ops often leads to friction, making it even more difficult for them to communicate efficiently.
The Conflict between DevOps Development and Operations
While there is no doubt about the numerous technical and business benefits that arise from combining Dev and Ops, these two areas have distinct goals, metrics, and approaches.
Development primarily concentrates on creating new systems and applications, ensuring that customers can use them quickly. Conversely, operations take a different perspective, focusing on maintaining a stable system that is both speedy and free of bugs.
Despite both dev and ops aiming to achieve customer satisfaction, they employ contrasting methods to fulfill this objective. Development seeks to impress customers with new enhancements, while the operations team aims for customers to have a reliable and tested system that is free from bugs and operational inconveniences.
The Battle Scenario – Before and After the Advent of DevOps Development and Operations
Before the emergence of DevOps, Development, and Operations functioned in isolation, with their paths only crossing during the release phase. The development team, aware of the release date, aimed to incorporate new features before the release. Meanwhile, the operational team was informed in advance about any new features included in the current release version. Consequently, the Ops team conducted thorough testing to ensure the stability and functionality of the release before deploying it to the customer’s site.
The advent of DevOps and its increasing adoption brought about a significant cultural shift. Developers are no longer bound by release dates to introduce new and enhanced features. Instead, they can release features regularly through Continuous Integration and Delivery. This has led developers to emphasize the need for the operations team to effectively manage the continuous flow of new features before deployment to the customer’s site. However, this approach has introduced a new challenge for Ops, as they now face a stream of releases at regular intervals. They must be highly attentive and meticulous in their quality testing processes, as the deployed builds on the customer’s site may still contain bugs.
The Resolution of DevOps Development and Operations
The most practical and evident resolution to this conflicting friction is the synchronization of Development and Operations, commonly referred to as DevOps. Patrick Debois, recognized as “the father of DevOps,” coined this term. DevOps is an operational philosophy that aims to bridge the gap between Development and Operations by prioritizing integration, collaboration, and communication.
It is the foremost methodology through which an organization can ensure a harmonious balance between development and quality. To achieve a state of equilibrium in this resolution, both Development and Operations must adopt DevOps methodologies by adjusting their perspectives and work approaches, as outlined below:
From the Operations Perspective
- Thorough monitoring of all active environments, such as staging or production, is important to proactively identify and contain any potential issues.
- Operations should demonstrate greater flexibility in embracing regular or frequent changes.
- Operations ought to foster a productive and cooperative partnership with the Development team.
From the Development Perspective
- Thorough engagement is required to evaluate the quality metrics that Operations prioritize, ensuring proper monitoring of customer production systems and quality.
- Development teams need to be actively involved in testing their own code during the production phase instead of disengaging after writing the system or application code.
- Developers should foster a productive and cooperative collaboration with the Operations team.
Therefore, it can confidently be stated that both the Development and Operations teams need to undergo significant changes in their functioning and perspectives to effectively embrace the DevOps methodology. Embracing the DevOps culture is not a magical solution, as it entails substantial changes. However, with successful communication between developers and operators, an organization can attain substantial benefits. The ongoing battle between Development and Operations may persist for years, but DevOps possesses the unique capability to bridge the gap between the two.
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