The increase in the number of companies adopting DevOps to improve their workflow and productivity has led to an increase in recurring concerns regarding its implementation. The answers to questions such as ‘Where and how do I start with my DevOps adoption?’, ‘What are the challenges that I might face?’ and ‘How do I go about resolving those challenges?’, are very commonly sought after. Bringing about such a revolutionary change from the traditional Waterfall approach to DevOps is not an easy process. The following lists some of the major challenges that organizations face while implementing DevOps.
Top 8 Challenges of Implementing DevOps in any Organization
Here are the top challenges of implementing DevOps at your organization.
i. Change in Culture
The workplace culture undergoes the major amount of transformation while implementing DevOps. It is also one of the most difficult areas of transformation as it is a long term process which also requires a lot of patience and endurance. To make the process a bit easier, enterprises should try and maintain a positive as well as a transparent atmosphere in the workplace.
ii. Switching from Legacy Infrastructure to Microservices
In order to reduce stability issues, organisations now use infrastructure as code along with microservices for quicker development along with sharp innovations. Moreover, organisations need to update their hardware and software systems according to the latest trends on a regular basis, so that new systems can co-exist with the existing systems.
iii. Issues with the standards and metrics
Dev and Ops departments have different goals and working systems, hence they have different toolsets as well. It might become very tedious to sit together and integrate the tools. Under such circumstances, it is advisable that the teams agree upon a commonly decided metric system.
iv. Tool Turbulence
Switching to DevOps practices might make people dependent on the various tools that are available to solve even the smallest of their problems. Due to this, organisations might become addicted to those tools which provide with short-term benefits over the ones which provide with long-term benefits. Some of the tools are open-sourced or SaaS-based and can be easily adopted without any authorization. To make things easier, you can provide teams with a set of library tools from which they can opt for their preferred tools. This will also help the leaders stay up-to-date with the activities of the employees.
v. Resistance to Change
You might come across people in your company who might not be supportive of the legacy systems. They are the ones who have become comfortable with their way of working and are not willing to leave their comfort zones. Hence, it is very important that you don’t bend down to such elements but instead bear with the discomfort of change.
vi. Challenges during the process
Adopting DevOps can prove to be challenging for workers who blindly follow guidelines and stay stuck to the rules, or for companies which follow specific guidelines for software development, as DevOps doesn’t have any fixed framework stating procedures that employees can follow to reach their desired goals.
The teams can decide on their own course of action without any structural approach, giving them opportunities and more scope for innovation.
vii. Test Automation
Test Automation holds equal importance as CI/CD deployments. It has been commonly observed that companies tend to neglect test automation and focus more on CI/CD deployments. For DevOps to be a success, continuous testing acts as a key.
viii. Cost and Budget
It is very important to keep in mind that open source does not necessarily mean that it is free of cost. Moreover, factor in integration and operational complexity to your overall costs.
A Practice-based Approach to Problem-Solving with DevOps
As organizations continue to adopt DevOps methodologies, they often face several challenges that can hinder their success. These challenges can arise due to various reasons, such as cultural resistance, lack of clarity around objectives, skill gaps, tooling and infrastructure constraints, and organizational silos. However, organizations can adopt a practice-based approach to problem-solving to overcome these challenges.
The practice-based approach focuses on identifying specific areas where DevOps practices can be implemented.
1. Continuous integration and delivery
One such area is continuous integration and delivery. Continuous integration and delivery is a fundamental DevOps practice that involves frequently merging code changes into a shared repository, ensuring that each change is tested and validated, and then deploying the code to production rapidly and automatically. By implementing this practice, organizations can ensure that their code is tested and validated frequently, reducing the risk of errors and improving the product's overall quality.
2. Infrastructure as code (IaC)
Another area where the practice-based approach can be applied is infrastructure as code (IaC). IaC is a practice that involves using code to manage infrastructure in a declarative manner. This approach allows organizations to manage their infrastructure in the same way they manage their applications, enabling them to automate the provisioning and configuration of their infrastructure. This approach reduces the likelihood of errors due to manual configuration, increases the speed of infrastructure provisioning, and allows for easy replication of environments.
3. Monitoring and observability
Monitoring and observability is another area where the practice-based approach can be applied. Monitoring and observability involve collecting and analyzing data from systems and applications to gain insight into the performance and behavior of these systems. By implementing this practice, organizations can gain insight into how their systems and applications are performing, identify potential issues before they occur, and make data-driven decisions to improve their products' overall performance and reliability.
The practice-based approach enables organizations to focus on specific DevOps practices and how they can be implemented, which provides clarity around the objectives and benefits of DevOps. This approach also allows teams to work collaboratively and identify the best practices and tooling required to implement DevOps successfully. By focusing on specific methods, teams can better understand the value of DevOps and how it can be used to improve their workflows.
Thus, DevOps adoption challenges can be overcome by taking a practice-based approach to problem-solving. By focusing on specific areas where DevOps practices can be implemented, such as continuous integration and delivery, infrastructure as code, and monitoring and observability, organizations can gain clarity around the objectives and benefits of DevOps. This approach enables teams to work collaboratively and identify the best practices and tooling required to implement DevOps successfully. Adopting DevOps methodologies allows organizations to deliver high-quality products faster and improve their overall business outcomes.
Develop Your Own Roadmap for DevOps Adoption
DevOps adoption is a challenging feat and often requires a considerable investment of time, resources, and effort. One effective way to overcome DevOps challenges is by developing a roadmap that outlines the specific steps needed to implement DevOps practices. This roadmap helps organizations gain clarity around their objectives and how to achieve them.
- The first step in developing a roadmap is identifying the specific DevOps practices that need to be implemented. It involves understanding the current state of your organization's infrastructure, processes, and tools and identifying the areas that require improvement. It may include implementing continuous integration and delivery, infrastructure as code, and monitoring and observability practices.
- Once the specific DevOps practices are identified, the next step is to create a plan for how to achieve them. This plan should include a timeline for implementation, identifying the key milestones and deliverables that need to be completed. It should also fit the resources and budget required to implement each practice successfully.
- Creating a timeline is critical to the success of the roadmap. It helps organizations prioritize tasks, allocate resources, and set realistic expectations around implementation timelines. The timeline should be broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks that can be completed on time. It is also essential to build contingency time to accommodate unforeseen issues or delays.
- Identifying the key stakeholders that need to be involved is another critical component of the roadmap. These stakeholders may include executive leadership, development teams, operations teams, security teams, and other relevant departments. The involvement of these stakeholders is necessary to ensure buy-in and alignment around the objectives of the DevOps adoption.
- Finally, the roadmap should be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that it remains relevant and aligned with the organization's overall objectives. It includes measuring progress against the timeline and adjusting the plan as needed based on feedback and changes in the organization's priorities.
Thus, developing a roadmap is crucial in overcoming DevOps adoption challenges. It helps organizations clarify the specific steps required to implement DevOps practices successfully. It also allows organizations to prioritize tasks, allocate resources, and set realistic expectations around implementation timelines. By regularly reviewing and updating the roadmap, organizations can ensure that they remain aligned with their overall objectives and successfully implement DevOps practices.
Facing DevOps Challenges & Issues the Right Way
Implementing DevOps practices is a complex process that involves multiple challenges and issues. However, it is essential to remember that these challenges are a normal part of the adoption process. The key is to approach them in the right way by staying focused on the goals and benefits of DevOps, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, and being open to learning and iterating as needed.
- Staying focused on the goals and benefits of DevOps is critical to overcoming challenges. It is essential to clearly understand how DevOps practices can improve your organization's workflows and processes. It can help you stay motivated and committed to the adoption process, even when faced with obstacles.
- Fostering a collaboration and continuous improvement culture is another critical component of successfully adopting DevOps practices. Collaboration between different teams and departments is vital for successfully implementing DevOps practices. This collaboration should involve technical and non-technical teams, including developers, operations, and management.
- Continuous improvement is also a crucial element of DevOps adoption. It involves regularly reviewing and improving processes, tools, and workflows to ensure that they remain aligned with the organization's goals. It also involves being open to feedback and ideas from different stakeholders and making necessary changes.
- Being open to learning and iterating as needed is also essential when facing DevOps challenges. DevOps is a continuous process that requires ongoing learning and adaptation. It may involve trying different approaches and techniques, experimenting with new tools, and being open to new ideas and feedback from team members and stakeholders.
Conclusion
In conclusion, facing DevOps challenges and issues is a normal part of the adoption process. However, by staying focused on the goals and benefits of DevOps, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, and being open to learning and iterating as needed, teams can successfully overcome these challenges and reap the benefits of this robust set of practices. As Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher says that change is the only constant. It might be hard in the beginning, messy during the process, but it is always glorious in the end. Evolving in the IT culture, DevOps brings you closer to bridge the boundary between business, development and operations. Overcoming these challenges from the root will make the transition process smoother for you.
