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As software moves through planning, building and release stages, development and operations teams need a shared process for fixing issues and managing updates. The DevOps methodology offers a solution for making software delivery a more collaborative process.

What is DevOps in simple terms? DevOps combines software development and information technology (IT) operations — traditionally seen as separate workflows — into one streamlined way of delivering software. The methodology can help teams deliver applications faster and improve the quality of software through shared processes and collaboration.

In traditional software development, one team may write code for software applications, and another team may handle operating or maintaining the software. The DevOps model combines the teams under a shared set of tools, practices and principles.

DevOps methodology can include planning software functionality, writing and building code, testing the code before release and deploying the software. After deployment, DevOps can also involve monitoring the software and analyzing user feedback for improvements.

The DevOps model generally follows a set of workflows, known as the life cycle. While the workflows can vary based on the team or project, the DevOps life cycle commonly includes the following stages:

Teams identify the software update, feature or product they need to develop. As part of this phase, it’s common for teams to create a backlog document, which is essentially a to-do list of the tasks needed to complete a project.

Teams begin to write and revise the code using programming languages. DevOps team members often review the code together to catch errors and fix bugs.

After writing the code, teams prepare it for testing and release. As they continue to make changes to the code, they store updates in a central repository or shared location. A process known as continuous integration uses automation to integrate code changes into the central repository on an ongoing basis.

Testing checks whether the software runs as expected and identifies bugs to be fixed before release. DevOps teams may use automated testing during this phase.

Teams run their final checks before deploying the software. Continuous delivery, an automated practice of testing and preparing code for release, can keep this process moving smoothly.

The deployment phase is when teams make the software available to users. Sometimes it’s initially deployed to a small group of users to make sure everything works as expected before deploying it more widely.

After deployment, DevOps teams keep the software operating. They review performance and make adjustments as needed to keep the software running correctly.

Teams assess how the software functions. This phase commonly involves collecting feedback to understand what works and what may need to be improved. Teams use the feedback to plan future updates or functions, making DevOps a continuous cycle.

The DevOps approach can help create a flexible, scalable model for software development. Instead of having two teams working separately in silos, DevOps combines those teams to support speed, quality and consistency in the development process.

For businesses, the question can become: What is DevOps used to improve? The operational and business advantages of the methodology can include:

• Faster time to market: With DevOps teams working simultaneously on development, testing and deployment, businesses can roll out software products faster.
• Improved collaboration: It allows people who build and monitor software to share information and feedback, which can lead to more productive collaboration throughout the development process.
• Increased efficiency and reliability: Merging both teams can remove bottlenecks that happen when development and operations work separately from each other. It can support more efficient workflows and quicker improvements, leading to an increase in software quality and reliability.
• Continuous improvement and innovation: When teams can deliver and deploy software more quickly, it frees up time to make improvements and brainstorm innovative features or new products.

While a DevOps model can have many benefits, there are also some challenges to consider when implementing this workflow. Teams that have long worked in specific areas of development or operations may resist merging into one integrated department, at least at first. They may need some time to learn new tools or practices. It may also be difficult for organizations to overhaul legacy systems to accommodate new DevOps workflows, such as automation practices.

For organizations looking to begin or scale a DevOps model, adoption may require a cultural shift. It may be helpful to show teams how their work supports the entire software development process. When teams feel accountable for every stage of development, they may be more willing to change their workflows to adopt DevOps practices.

A true DevOps culture involves open collaboration between development, IT operations and other teams involved in software development. In this environment, teams stay connected throughout the process, from planning and coding all the way through deployment, monitoring and ongoing improvements.

There are a few key principles that influence a DevOps culture:

• Automation: Automating repeatable tasks and processes can help teams develop, release and improve software faster.
• Continuous improvement: Teams share ideas and review what worked well and what can be made better for next time, fostering continuous improvement.
• Shared responsibility: Team members own both the wins and the setbacks. If there’s a problem with the software, the team works together to find a solution and improve the system so it doesn’t happen again.
•  Open communication: Teams communicate freely with each other, creating a culture of transparency and collaboration.

Organizations can implement specific practices to build a DevOps culture. For example, when there’s a problem with a software application, teams can hold reviews to determine what happened and how to fix the issue without singling out any one person. This way, team members understand that they take shared responsibility for everything that happens within the software development life cycle.

What is DevOps in practice? DevOps uses shared methods and tools for software delivery. Common practices within this methodology include:

• Infrastructure as code: This practice uses code-based instructions to set up and manage IT infrastructure, such as servers and networks.
• Configuration management: Instead of manually configuring software, DevOps teams can use code to standardize how they track and maintain infrastructure and system settings.
• Containerization: With containerization, applications are packaged into containers that can run on different platforms, so the software can move from one stage of development to another more easily.
• Security and compliance: Some DevOps teams also incorporate security and compliance checks into the development process. This practice is commonly known as DevSecOps.

Automation is a central part of many DevOps practices and workflows. Automated testing can check code for bugs throughout development, while automated deployment pipelines can move software through the processes of building code, checking quality and deploying software.

Familiarity with the DevOps model can be helpful for people interested in technology careers, including software developers and application developers. These professionals commonly have technical skills related to DevOps, such as programming, automation, operating systems and cloud fundamentals, according to the . Some soft skills, such as collaboration and communication, can also be helpful for a career in this area.

While coding is a useful skill, tools exist to help people with limited coding skills build software applications. DevOps also goes beyond coding to include automation, testing, monitoring and maintaining software after release.

Artificial intelligence tools have changed some DevOps operations. For example, AI tools can support automated testing and issue detection. However, DevOps still requires people who can review outputs and monitor software performance for reliability.

DevOps engineering is the practice of moving software through the development process, from development to release to ongoing maintenance and support. Professionals who work in this area may focus on automating tasks, maintaining applications and monitoring system performance. Their work bridges the gap between IT operations and software development.

Understanding what DevOps education is, as well as software development and how it all ties together, can happen in the classroom. If you’re interested in diving deeper, ������ý offers a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and other technology programs.

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