Transformation

On episode 88 of DevTalk I and Kerry W. Lothrop speak about the state of DevOps.

Romano Roth is Chief of DevOps at Zühlke. In this interview, he explains why DevOps is not bullshit, how transformation succeeds in companies, and what IT students really need to learn.

At this event, I spoke alongside Carsten Brandt from SAP about DevOps in theory and practice. While I presented the theoretical foundations of DevOps and showed how companies can move from projects to products, Carsten brought the practical perspective from over 21 years at SAP. His honest message: the theory has been well established for years, but execution is anything but easy, especially in complex enterprise landscapes.

As a leading innovation company with 1600 employees in Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, Serbia, Bulgaria, Singapore, Hong Kong, Portugal, Switzerland and Vietnam, Zühlke has always some ongoing and planned strategic initiatives.

The SAFe® for DevOps training is an assessment or a workshop that is ideally suited for teams. Why? Because the focus is on driving the value stream of these teams. Addressing questions, challenges, and any potential obstacles - we can work on the training to provide value to them. We will give them the theory input of what exactly DevOps is.

At first glance, a DevOps transformation seems to be a major undertaking for any company. But with the right approach, you can keep the process lean and agile. Insight in brief # Start small with a small to medium sized project or product. Select the right people to ensure sufficient credibility and influence. Continuous improvement is key to success.

A DevOps transformation is not magic. Any company can do it. What makes the difference is who you put on the first team — because that team has to deliver the proof that DevOps actually works in your context.

Everyone wants to do DevOps. But only a few understand what DevOps is and what it does with your company. The Challenge # When you want to introduce DevOps in a company you need to convince decision-makers that it is worth investing money, time, and resources into the DevOps transformation. They will ask you about the business case and the return on investment of DevOps.

Introducing DevOps in a large enterprise is difficult. But wait, why do we want to introduce DevOps in the first place? Good question. The Full Story # In this talk, I answer the question and show you what happens when you introduce DevOps, and what does not happen.