The Secrets of High-Performing DevOps Teams [Part 1]

Ultra-fast innovation holds the key for conglomerates like Apple, Microsoft, and Tencent -- known as the pacesetters in the modern markets.

However, they all faced challenges that are typical for established companies.

Before Supermen aka DevOps came on stage, organizations used to have separated teams that had little to no idea of what was going on at other departments.

As a result, developers would spend several months’ worth of work and pass their code on to QA. Guess what came next? Yep, bugs, bugs, and...lots of bugs.

Surely, that classic cop-out “It works fine on my computer” was a go-to for developers. As for Ops, they would get the same lame code, swallow their pride, and clean up the mess.

Luckily, we have the DevOps approach that allows companies to keep the delivery process in full gear and improve products at a supersonic speed.

However, implementing a DevOps philosophy is not enough. Only high-performing DevOps teams that have mastered some key capabilities can deliver faster, more accurately, and with less downtime. We have curated some secrets that differentiate DevOps leaders from laggards.

Going Beyond the Average Drivers

Finger-pointing generates gridlocks that hamper innovation. In the world of Agile workflow and SaaS products, you don’t stand a chance unless you know and use the secrets of high-performing DevOps teams.

1.  Top-Performing Teams Release Faster Without Sacrificing Quality

Successful dev teams release software to production multiple times a week, whereas low-performing crews do the same closer to once a month.

High velocity is a crucial factor since it leaves more time to hypothesize, act, and get user feedback. Dev crews that deliver top-grade code regularly are able to perform on a more effective learning loop.

2. They Fetch and Finetune UX at the Initial Stages

Big power teams tend to weave quality into all phases of the software delivery lifecycle.

Therefore, they outline and test UX early in the development. This allows perfecting the solution and staying au courant with user objectives. 

High-performance teams also tend to include nonfunctional requirements into user stories during the early stages.

3. They Focus on Relevant Tasks

All too often, full-gear software delivery means partaking in side tasks.

Just imagine: developers can allocate from two to four hours per week to building higher-quality new features, cutting on technical debt, and enhancing the processes.

With that said, it’s not surprising that unlike mediocre-performing teams, leading DevOps spend 5% to 10% less time on side tasks like administration and give more time to actually perform tests.

4. They Fetch UI Feedback Earlier

High-performing squads are more likely to implement early UI feedback than their straggling colleagues.

This allows teams to step back and reflect on the code's impact on the user experience. As a result, developers get a chance to act on a more foolproof release process. 

Your Team can do it

In the long run, high-performance teams are able to update the software every few days, because they aren’t knee-deep in overhead tasks.

Instead, they spend more time on actual, performance-changing tasks like early user feedback and the surefire hypothesis. Keeping your team in the third gear is possible if they engraft fast feedback loops loops across the development cycle.

This will ensure your teams get a leg up in the competitive tech market. Stay tuned for part 2 of our top secrets for DevOps teams.