While many organizations are now aiming to deploy their software through 100% Agile and DevOps methods, most are less than 10% of the way there. The VersionOne “State of Agile” Report found that 60% of respondents had less than half their teams practicing Agile. 80% were at or below the “still maturing” stage of Agile.
Even in areas that are fully Agile, there may not be a full DevOps lifecycle in place due to the difficulty of changing cultural attitudes towards Development and Operations. The move to Agile and DevOps is unlikely to be a one-step strategy and there seems to be limited thinking on a transitional path to achieving this.
Some view DevOps as revolutionary, but as Jason Scott-Taggart, Head of Business Technology Support at WorldPay said when interviewed at ServiceNow Knowledge 18, it really comes down to “faster delivery with more control.” This is exactly what enterprises need to compete with FinTechs delivering new technology faster. However, despite what some may say, according to Jason, “scale tends to lend itself to more traditional Waterfall projects.”
Pressure from FinTech startups and Digital agendas are driving enterprises towards automation and DevOps. This has to be done in a safe way that does not jeopardize the “machine” that is the rest of the organization. Jason spoke about using Agile methods for small, innovative teams to test out how Agile delivery works in the organization without impacting major services. Adopting this method for small teams delivering microservices is much easier than trying to revolutionize the whole enterprise from the top down.
From what we’ve experienced the shift to DevOps won’t happen overnight. However, innovation lends itself to Agile delivery and DevOps. Using these methods for new teams producing innovative software will be where the biggest growth comes from. Even when Agile and DevOps make up the majority of release activity, there will still be cases where these are not the best option.
Whether deploying new technology through Waterfall or Agile and DevOps methods, it’s important to have as much control and visibility as possible. Download the brochure for information on how Cutover increases the success of change events and progresses the move towards DevOps automation.
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