{"id":13291,"date":"2018-07-05T10:12:44","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T09:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.devopsonline.co.uk\/?p=13291"},"modified":"2018-07-05T10:54:23","modified_gmt":"2018-07-05T09:54:23","slug":"technical-and-cultural-building-blocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devopsnews.online\/technical-and-cultural-building-blocks\/","title":{"rendered":"Technical & cultural building blocks"},"content":{"rendered":"
Unless you are a greenfield start-up, most companies will have a number of IT products which are built on code developed and deployed using processes created from days well before DevOps.<\/p>\n
Starting with a clear vision and strategy for the specific outcomes we desire has allowed us to put in place the technical and cultural building blocks in our product for the permanent transformation of our product delivery pipeline. We have a simple but clear vision to:<\/p>\n
Our aim is to deliver this vision using the “configuration as code” DevOps model with\u00a0standard software engineering principles. The outcome we desire is to reduce the time from code commit to the deployment of high quality, highly secure small functional artefacts into production.<\/p>\n
Tools are a necessary but not sufficient condition for DevOps to succeed. As well as new tools and methods, it is important to understand that business processes and cultural habits will also need to change. Changes will often experience resistance unless the benefits DevOps can be demonstrated.<\/p>\n
Because of previous deployment issues, most companies will have additional governance processes and separation of duties to reduce the risk of production issues. This will naturally create silos, which are anti-patterns to DevOps success. Breaking down these barriers must be done in a sensitive way so as not to imply lack of commitment or professionalism from either side. Building relationships and demonstrating deployment competence of the development teams are often the only way to change opinions. This takes time and effort.<\/p>\n
John Kotter\u2019s 8 stage change process is a useful tool to manage business change (see diagram). Key to this is building a guiding coalition. Initially, it is important to spend time building relationships across the different disciplines and silos. This helps determine whom the key decision makers are, what strategies and tools are already being used, and what degrees of freedom there are to make changes. Finding ways to demonstrate business value (short-term wins) are an excellent way to gain trust and respect across the various stakeholders and between silos.<\/p>\n