Formed in 2009, the Archive Team (not to be confused with the archive.org Archive-It Team) is a rogue archivist collective dedicated to saving copies of rapidly dying or deleted websites for the sake of history and digital heritage. The group is 100% composed of volunteers and interested parties, and has expanded into a large amount of related projects for saving online and digital history.
DevOps, as the name implies, is a combination of two professional teams—software development and the IT experts. Both the teams collaborate well with the aim of creating a bridge that accelerates and automates the process of software development and a more intensive testing before releasing it into the market with high confidence.
DevOps has been identified as a software engineering culture that relies on philosophies and practices to bring more agility and improve the organization’s efficiency to cater continuous delivery and integration.
Now, with the introduction of DevOps culture and transforming trends, the development and operations teams no longer work in isolation. In fact, the role of the DevOps team is also to keep an eye on the software development and manage the infrastructure.
Many organizations have already begun using the DevOps, while various others are on their way to implement the new software development trend. According to a survey, the number of software developers adopting DevOps has increased to 17 percent in 2018 from 10 percent in 2017 worldwide.
It is a good decision to implement DevOps and maximize its benefits to the fullest. However, choosing the right tool can be difficult, which could lead to mistakes and further lead to project delay or a complete failure. To avoid this situation, here are some of the common mistakes DevOps developers usually commit while undertaking the projects.
Choosing the Wrong Team to do the Job
One of the major mistakes organizations make while integrating DevOps is choosing the wrong team to do the job. It is the task of a proficient project manager to choose an appropriate team, but when inexperienced people come on the board, there can be issues.
DevOps is a blend of both development and operations; thus, it’s a complicated job. DevOps is not limited to just bringing agility but also conducting the right deployment. Also, developers have to focus on both ends—development and administration—equally.
Problems can occur when you start concentrating on one aspect of the cycle. So, it is better to hire an experienced team on both ends that can work in full coordination and collaboration with one other. Thes should have a sound technical knowledge and expertise in bringing the best.
Starting a DevOps Project Without Planning
Before commencing any project with DevOps, you first need a foolproof strategy and extensive planning. All of the members involved in the project need to understand their role comprehensibly.
However, some organizations don’t think much about the planning and preparing a road map. They are just anxious to work on the project to complete it as soon as possible.
This is a wrong mindset that will never be successful. Maintaining a good speed and delivering the project on time is perfect practice, but you cannot prefer speed over quality.
Emphasizing More on the Agility
Some of the DevOps developers have a misconceptions that Agile development alone will create a win-win situation for them and that they will deliver optimum applications. But the truth is the other way round.
Yes, you cannot deny the significance of agility in DevOps development, as it has changed a lot from waterfall. However, merely depending on it to implement DevOps is not the right approach. When you use Agile, you primarily work on incremental, iterative work cadences. It is focused more on ensuring the customer satisfaction but you cannot deliver quality product, as Agile doesn’t have the proper infrastructure.
Getting Rigid During the Implementation
Don’t try to be too rigid while integrating the DevOps. This can hamper the entire project; it is difficult to act in accordance with the core tenets of DevOps. However, you can make adjustments using the DevOps model.
You also should lay some guidelines about how to manage the stability of DevOps in the beginning and make sure it remains the same, even if problems occur.
You won’t always get the desired result, so be prepared for any unexpected outcomes. You need to identify the root cause of the issue and so make adjustments accordingly within the DevOps ecosystem.
Not Complete Buy-in
Your DevOps implementation can also fail if both the development and the IT team are not fully on board. Therefore, it’s crucial that every professional involved in the project is synchronized.
Remember, if you get stuck at even one point during the development or the testing, it would delay your project. Coordination should be well-knit and there should be one experienced person who can manage the entire team.
Not Conducting Tests at Regular Intervals
Another mistake during DevOps implementation is not running tests at regular intervals, which will provide improved outcome. You need to run the tests synchronously.
Executing the tests at the same time will save lot of time and will allow you to complete your project within set deadlines. You need to employ the concept of continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) for the automatic process of test cases.
Don’t Take Security for Granted
While incorporating the DevOps, you are making a big mistake if you take security for granted. The two complement each other, and so security cannot be ignored. You have to plan a strategy for strengthening the security right from the beginning so that you don’t face any problems later on.
For instance, if you expand the architecture using DevOps and afterwards find that security is not updated, you will have trouble. If you are developing a microservices architecture, security will come into play as apps interact with one another. And keep in mind that at no point of time can you compromise with security to provide ease of access.
Not Giving Importance to Database
Often developers avoid the importance of database during the integration of DevOps—while the implemention expands, the database falls short due to the automation process.
The automation of database is also necessary as part of other issues such as managing the codes and continuous integration. You have to deal with the database carefully, as it plays vital role for the data-related apps.
Implementing New Technologies Earlier
It is good practice to choose the latest technologies for a project but when you are implementing DevOps, you need to be cautious. It is recommended not to jump on new techniques straightaway without proper knowledge and research—don’t go for the experiment.
Don’t be a copycat and use any procedure just because others are using it. Plugins change frequently. You need to use tools smartly and intelligently according to the project requirements. Analyze the pros and cons of each of the use cases and then make a proper decision.
Conclusion
DevOps is a good software development and cultural practice that has gained enough attention round the world. It advocates automation and keeps a check on the entire cycle of software engineering, bringing both the development and the IT team in union.
However, the developers commit mistakes while implementing the DevOps and so it’s important that they should be aware about these in advance.
— Mehul Rajput
