DevOps and Business

Chapter 2. Setting the Stage

To create a successful DevOps culture, you need support and commitment from both IT and business executives, which can be a challenge to obtain. Many managers, technologists, and business leaders are still not sure what DevOps is, much less why they need it, and the abundance of materials from vendors trying to capitalize on DevOps’ status as something of a buzzword does not help the confusion. As such, education on the benefits of adoption of DevOps core values must be a high priority for anyone looking to lead a digital transformation at their company.

Although you’ll be faced with many challenges in this process, the major ones you’re likely to encounter can be boiled down to two generic points: uncertainty about what DevOps is and uncertainty about how it will benefit the organization. In this chapter, we discuss these challenges, and I provide you with practical strategies for educating stakeholders on how DevOps can optimize business.

Defining DevOps

The term DevOps has many different perceived meanings, which often leads to misunderstanding about what it actually is. When the term was first introduced, it was intended to define a relationship between development and operations groups. Over time, the definition has been expanded; DevOps is not just about interdepartment communication; rather, it’s about building the culture and providing value to an organization. DevOps represents an organizational culture aimed at delivering business value ...