Development/operations (DevOps) teams streamline the process of software design, testing and deployment. Despite the advantages, challenges remain. According to survey data, more than 80% of software developers report feeling burnt out by their work, while 37% of companies say they have trouble finding skilled staff to fill development positions.
Continuous learning can enhance staff skills to make the most of DevOps frameworks and help developers streamline key processes to reduce total stress.
Benefits of DevOps for Businesses
DevOps emerged as an alternative to traditional IT practices. Instead of a linear approach that starts with development and proceeds to operations, DevOps opts for parallel processing as teamwork in tandem. This offers several benefits for businesses, including:
Faster Release Cycles
The faster the teams develop new solutions and integrate software with existing processes, the better. This is the biggest benefit of DevOps. By working in tandem, development and operations teams can discover what works, what doesn’t, and what to do about it ASAP.
Consider a company developing a new user interface for production line technologies that combines legacy toolsets with new application programming interfaces (APIs). In a traditional development-to-operations model, development teams design, build and test different solutions, and then select one to deploy.
Once deployed, operations teams are responsible for evaluating how the solution interacts with current frameworks and how it compares with previous processes. If serious problems occur, the toolset is sent back to developers for refinement. The problem? This approach wastes time and money.
DevOps enables faster release cycles. Issues aren’t identified after going live — instead, they’re detected and addressed during the development phase.
Enhanced System Reliability
System issues can lead to unexpected and costly downtime. Although DevOps doesn’t prevent these issues, it helps teams identify them as early in the process as possible. Consider the example above. If early development efforts show promise but operational evaluations discover feedback loops or issues with legacy tools that could impact day-to-day functionality, teams can go back to the drawing board — before solutions are implemented at scale.
Improved Collaboration
DevOps facilitates improved collaboration. By working synchronously, development and operations teams can run tests and make changes in near real-time, effectively making IT processes cyclical rather than straight lines.
The Role of Continuous Learning in DevOps Success
DevOps isn’t tied to a single practice or process. Instead, it’s an evolution of development and operations that progresses as business needs change. As a result, staff can’t stay static: To deliver on DevOps potential, continuous learning is critical.
Three components play a role in this learning process — skills development, knowledge sharing and a culture of experimentation.
Skills development may take the form of in-person or online classes that offer certifications or continuing education units (CEUs). For example, companies might consider generative AI training classes to help teams make better use of emerging GenAI tools or Power BI training courses to effectively leverage Microsoft’s business analytics and visualization tools.
Knowledge sharing focuses on opening lines of communication across development and operations teams. Approaches here may include the development of self-service knowledge bases that staff can use (and contribute to) or the use of collaboration platforms that enable text, multimedia and video connections on demand.
With skills in place and lines of communication open, the stage is set for experimentation. This is the core tenant of DevOps — discovering what works, rather than relying on what’s always been done. By giving teams the freedom to experiment — to find successes and to make mistakes — businesses are better prepared to keep pace with evolving technologies such as cloud computing, big data analytics and GenAI.
Staying the Course for Better DevOps Output
DevOps success doesn’t happen in a day or a week. It’s not a fixed point in time but rather an ongoing process that prioritizes getting things done over getting everything right.
For staff to keep pace with expected DevOps output, it’s critical to stay the course. This starts with online and in-person training that provides practical applications for industry best practices and is sustained by ongoing experimentation backed by consistent collaboration.
Bottom line? DevOps isn’t a single practice or a simple process. Instead, it’s an approach that evolves alongside your business, bolstered by technology and ultimately underpinned by the continuous development of staff skills and knowledge.
