DevOps Foundations

Abstract

Culture, Lean Thinking, Metrics Blink during a Formula 1 pit-stop and you'll probably miss it. But this wasn't always the case. Fifty years ago, a pit-crew would take over a minute to change the wheels and refuel. Today, anything more than three seconds is considered a fail. It's the same in software development, where teams once tasked with updat-ing enterprise applications at a sedate pace must now deliver new software services as a continuous flow of value to customers. The problem for today's enterprise, however, is that software teams don't work like Formula 1 pit-crews. Rather than working in tandem, IT teams often work serially—development codes, then QA tests, and finally IT operations monitors. However, with application software released, enhanced, and retired over more compressed timeframes (months and even days), this stop-start method of development falls short. It's as ineffective as each member of a Formula 1 pit-crew replacing a tire and checking wheel nut tension before the next one could start—the race would be over before the car left the pits. While we can celebrate the heroics and skill of great racing car drivers, what sets successful constructors apart is their ability to build a winning culture irrespec-tive of role and responsibility, be that driver, team manager, telemetry engineer, or aerodynamics chief, everyone is focused on a singular goal—winning races. It's why drivers thank the teams before they spray champagne on the podium.