Operating Continuously

Conclusion

We hope that in reading this book you have learned best practices, pitfalls to avoid, and ideas you can use for operating continuously. Effective Feature Management, the book that predates this one, was published in 2019—a lifetime ago when compared to today (2023). Still, Effective Feature Management remains an excellent primer and foundation that enables operating continuously as described in this book.

This book opened by discussing the ways in which the software delivery process represented in the DevOps infinity loop needs updating when compared to the way organizations and teams must operate today. Advancements in processes, cultures, and tooling have driven an evolution across the software delivery landscape. The idea of an “integrated software development team” has become more widespread, and there is tighter collaboration now among teams that were traditionally siloed. Teams such as design, product management, security, engineering, and operations now work more closely with development teams not only to build and ship software but also to ship better experiences and outcomes for their audiences.

The interactions of these teams and their responsibilities are no longer represented by sequential handoffs and instead are run as continuous processes across the entire landscape. This is operating continuously (see Figure C-1).

Figure C-1. Operating continuously