10 Best Practices for Building a Strong DevOps Culture

Software engineering teams are always looking for ways to improve and speed up the process of creating and evolving software programs. One popular strategy is DevOps, which is an engineering technique that brings together the development and operations aspects. In traditional engineering companies, the development and operations teams are often separated, and this can lead to conflicts between them. Developers are focused on creating and releasing more code, while operations engineers are responsible for preventing errors and deploying software without bugs. This situation often results in operations teams acting as gatekeepers, slowing down the deployment process.

DevOps service providers address this challenge by promoting collaboration and teamwork between the development and operations/quality assurance teams. In DevOps, there is no need for a gatekeeper because the same group of people is responsible for the entire software development life cycle. To effectively leverage the benefits of DevOps, organizations are increasingly turning to DevOps service providers. However, building a strong DevOps culture is necessary for achieving long-term success. So, here, we will discuss the best practices a company needs to build a DevOps culture.

1. Solid Foundation

Establishing a solid foundation for a business’s flexibility is important, and this can be achieved by combining cultural and technological practices. Sometimes, people tend to ignore the significance of cultural practices that foster empathy, connection, and shared goals. However, these practices, along with technical practices that speed up the delivery of valuable results and increase their frequency, are crucial for organizations that strive to consistently innovate and progress.

2. Build a Strong Team

The DevOps team is the essential building block for all other endeavors. The team’s ability to work together directly impacts their effectiveness in creating and deploying applications. Each team member must have a willingness to collaborate and communicate with others, regardless of whether they are developers, testers, operations professionals, or security experts. Everyone must share a mindset that recognizes the value of working together towards common goals.

Furthermore, a diverse team contributes to a culture of collaboration. Having team members from various backgrounds and experiences encourages individuals to think outside the box when faced with problems and find solutions. Different perspectives, unique insights, and innovative thinking are brought to the table by individuals with diverse backgrounds, enhancing the team’s overall capabilities.

3. Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD)

You must embrace the concept of Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD). This involves regularly adding small portions of code to a central repository, which helps developers collaborate effectively. By doing this, the repository consistently remains in a good state as you introduce manageable changes. Continuous Integration (CI) ensures early identification of errors and enhances code quality because these small code changes undergo automated builds and tests to validate them.

Once the code is integrated, the next step is to deploy it to our environment. Continuous Delivery (CD) involves continuously preparing the code for deployment after each small code change. This simplifies the deployment process and provides developers with an automated and straightforward way to release the code into production.

4. Use Automation

Encouraging automation is another important strategy to prioritize. By automating tasks that are repetitive and consume a lot of time, you can free up valuable time for more important and strategic work while minimizing the risk of human mistakes. Embracing tools that automate processes allows teams to concentrate on work that adds value and can greatly influence the DevOps culture. There are numerous tools available that can automate tasks related to building, testing, and deploying software.

5. Use Right DevOps Tools

Using appropriate tools is essential for a successful DevOps approach. To enhance software quality and expedite the delivery process, it is important to have the right tools for each stage of the DevOps lifecycle. It is recommended to learn more about selecting suitable DevOps tools and assessing their functionalities for each phase of the DevOps lifecycle.

6. Aim for Customer Satisfaction

The objective is to meet the expectations of customers, regardless of whether you utilize the conventional waterfall model or embrace a comprehensive DevOps approach. Modern SaaS customers have specific requirements, such as frequent updates and swift delivery of new features. DevOps enables the streamlining of the release process, making it easier to promptly provide customers with the latest functionalities. This efficiency is achieved by having the same individuals manage code releases and develop new code, facilitating faster feature delivery to customers.

7. Promote a DevOps Approach

To build any culture, you need to establish a mindset to work for the process. Building a strong DevOps culture requires a mindset shift. Encourage individuals to adopt a DevOps mindset, which emphasizes shared responsibility, ownership, and continuous collaboration. Promote the values of trust, respect, and empathy within teams. By nurturing a DevOps mindset, organizations can overcome resistance to change and foster a culture of innovation and excellence.

8. Emphasize Security and Compliance

Security and compliance should be an integral part of any DevOps culture. DevOps service providers should prioritize incorporating security practices and compliance requirements into the software development lifecycle. This includes conducting regular security assessments, implementing secure coding practices, and integrating security testing throughout the development process. By embedding security and compliance from the early stages, organizations can minimize risks and ensure the integrity of their systems.

9. Obtaining Regular Feedback

Regular feedback ensures that DevOps service providers and team members have all the necessary information on time to carry out their tasks effectively. From a development perspective, this means that the team is immediately alerted to any failures in the development process. It also means that developers are provided with clear and comprehensive results from code tests as quickly as possible. From a product management viewpoint, the team is informed about any issues with production, performance deficiencies, or reported bugs.

10. Measure and Track Key Metrics

To gauge the effectiveness of your DevOps as service practices and culture, establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics. Measure metrics such as deployment frequency, lead time, mean time to recovery, and customer satisfaction. Regularly track these metrics and use the insights to identify areas for improvement, set benchmarks, and drive accountability within teams.

The Bottom Line

Establishing a strong DevOps culture is extremely important for organizations that want to make the most of DevOps and enhance their software delivery capabilities. DevOps service providers have a significant role to play in assisting businesses in building this culture. DevOps is more than just using tools and following certain practices. It represents a change in the way we work and requires dedication, commitment, and a mindset of constantly getting better. By following these ten best practices, both organizations and DevOps service providers can establish a solid foundation for a successful DevOps journey.