The rise of DevOps and Agile methodologies is apparent to anyone closely following the business world. Just last year, there was an 18 percent increase in DevOps adoption. Most business owners see the benefits of embracing both DevOps and Agile. With these methodologies in place, developers are able to get projects done in a timely and efficient manner.
The biggest problem most companies have when trying to adopt Agile and DevOps is knowing where to start. The implementation process for these methodologies can be a bit overwhelming, which is why you should focus on taking it one step at a time. Rushing through the DevOps and Agile adoption process will lead to a number of problems.
The following are some of the things you need to consider when trying to successfully pursue a DevOps Agile Development cycle.
Communication is a Key Component of DevOps/Agile Success
The main thing you need to focus on before you begin the DevOps/Agile implementation process is making communication easy for your team. These methodologies focus heavily on collaboration, which is why you need to make sure there are no communication hurdles getting in your way. DevOps is based on a continuous delivery format.
In order for this continuous delivery to take place, team members will have to stay in constant contact with one another. Without adequate communication, the smaller tasks involved in a development project will pile up.
Before you begin the DevOps/Agile implementation process, you need to define an internal communication strategy. By documenting this strategy, you can make DevOps/Agile adoption easier for every member of your team.
Don’t Ignore the Need For In-Depth Testing
Creating a functional and reliable piece of software or app technology is no easy task. During the development of this technology, your team will write a lot of code. Making sure this code is error-free is only possible when testing it continuously. Some development teams think they can wait until the very end of a development project to run these tests.
The longer you wait to test the code written by your team, the harder it will be to pinpoint the source of the problems found.
Using an aggregation tool is essential when trying to keep error logs organized and accessible.
Providing your team with these state-of-the-art tools will make finding and fixing coding errors much easier.
Make Sure Developers Check-In Daily
Most software development companies allow their employees to work from home. While this level of flexibility is great for employees, it can present problems if developers neglect to check-in on a daily basis. Some developers have a bad habit of work on a piece of code for days on end without coming up for air.
This can be extremely problematic if another developer is working on the same code and no communication is taking place.
Instead of allowing these problems to take place, you need to direct members of your development team to check-in regularly. One of the best ways to make this communication easier for developers is by using a cloud-based project management system.
These programs will allow you to assign tasks, track their progress and even communicate with your team members via instant message.
Avoid Overwhelming Your Team
One of the main mistakes business owners make when adopting DevOps/Agile is trying to go too big, too soon. Just like any other change, this adoption needs to be gradual.
Taking on a large scale development project is complicated enough. When you add the adoption of new methodologies to this recipe, it can lead to lots of problems.
Instead of going all or nothing with your implementation strategy, take it slow. Letting your developers get accustomed to these changes incrementally can help you avoid meltdowns.
As you rollout the DevOps/Agile strategy you have devise, seek out feedback from your team. Getting a feel for how they are dealing with these changes can help you.
If team members report feeling overwhelmed, you probably need to slow implementation down a bit until they catch-up. Making these small changes can really add up and make this implementation process easier and more successful.
Don’t Get Discouraged
Before you begin this new approach to development, you need to prepare for mistakes. Instead of letting these bumps on the road deter you, use them as a learning experience.