Ron Wilson
One of the latest trends within IT is DevOps. It is especially true for those IT organizations that are following the Agile methodology. Here are some best practices that need to be followed when establishing a DevOps practice:
1. Automate
It is a good practice to automate as much as you can with DevOps. Basic elements like automated code deployments and automated smoke tests are a must when setting up your practice. Strive to perform Continuous Integration.
2. Shift Left
Identify as many defects as possible and move left in the development life cycle. Shifting Left will help to find those defects that can become expensive. Perform analysis on the requirements to ensure they are testable, complete and clear. Identifying defects sooner in the life cycle will reduce expenses in resolving those defects later.
3. Checklists
In order to ensure quality it is a good idea to have checklists so a standard process can be followed, especially if you can’t automate some of your tasks. The checklist will help keep things moving in an efficient way and help those who are performing DevOps activities.
4. Metrics
One of the most important aspects of DevOps is the use of metrics. First, you need to know what metrics are important. Once you know the metrics you want to track, then you can focus on gathering those metrics and making management decisions based upon those metrics. Having metrics will enable the right decisions to be made therefore helping the project move forward.
5. High Availability
You must have highly available environments so that your team can focus on delivering their work. Having all the items above will ensure that the environments are stable and operational.
If you would like more information on Agile, DevOps or Software Testing, please visit my Software Testing Blog or my Software Testing YouTube Channel.
