How to start a DevOps transformation

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.

It’s important to start small. Getting started, it’s best to tackle small to medium-sized projects or products. These offer the advantage that changes require much less time and energy because decisions have less impact and involve fewer people. And you will encounter less resistance, as the teams and decision-makers will not feel overwhelmed or paralysed. This will increase self-confidence and create strong momentum.

Putting together a winning DevOps team

Getting the right people on board is a must. And the golden rule here is – generalists before specialists. It’s also important that your team include innovators, early adopters and people who are respected throughout the company. This ensures that you have sufficient credibility and influence.

The brand new DevOps team needs to be freed up from any other work so that they can focus completely on the project. If possible, all team members should work in the same location and be exempted from corporate rules and guidelines wherever possible. This new team will then transform the first project or product thanks to DevOps.

Critical mass

As soon as the requested improvements are incorporated into the first product, you should be selecting and transforming the next project or product. This enables you to reach a critical mass, which makes it easier to undertake further transformations with DevOps and build alliances. Repeat this procedure until all desired projects and products are transformed.

No magic

A DevOps transformation is not magic. Any company can do it. The important thing is to start small, select the right people for the team and then constantly, continuously improve.