Transformation of consulting for software-defined businesses: Lessons from a devops case study in a german it company

Abstract

Digital transformation is occurring across all industries and leads to the presence of information technology (IT) in business processes, products/services and business models. Consulting companies are important enablers in this transformation and contribute knowledge on the (re)design of strategies, processes and systems. At the same time, this involves a change in consulting itself, since the classical distinction of consulting sectors is increasingly blurring. To compete in digital innovation, consulting companies require IT knowledge, in particular, in the domain of software. In view of a growing “softwarization“ of products and services, this chapter argues that consulting companies need to establish skills in efficiently providing software-based solutions. This represents an opportunity for traditional consulting companies, but also for traditional software companies to move towards consulting. Based on agile software engineering methodologies, this chapter conceives DevOps as a promising approach for linking customer requirements with software development and operation. A case study from the German IT company T-Systems Multimedia Solutions is used to formulate a more generic implementation model as well as experiences, which in turn contribute to enhancing the body of knowledge in the DevOps field.