Overcoming problems implementing cloud based dev ops for distributed agile projects

1© Copyright 2013 Coveros, Inc.. All rights reserved.
Overcoming Problems
Implementing Cloud-Based
DevOps for Distributed Agile
Projects
Thomas Stiehm, CTO
tom.stiehm@coveros.com

 Coveros helps organizations accelerate the delivery of
business value through secure, reliable software.
About Coveros

Cloud-based
 Cloud Computing - In its essence, Cloud
Computing is a massive distributed
computing model consisting of three tiers:
infrastructure, platform and services, and is
about using swarms of computers to deliver
unprecedented computing power to people
and organizations across the globe. Cloud
computing isn't a new technology nor a new
architecture... it's a new delivery model.1
1. http://www.mkpress.com/CloudReading

DevOps
 DevOps – A combination of Development
and Operations, it is a software development
method that stresses communication,
collaboration and integration between
software developers and Information
Technology (IT) professionals. DevOps is a
response to the interdependence of software
development and IT operations. It aims to
help an organization rapidly produce
software products and services.1
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DevOps

Distributed Agile Projects
 Distributed Agile, as the name implies, is a
model in which projects execute an Agile
Methodology with teams that are
distributed across multiple geographies.1
1. . Distributed Agile, DH2A: The Proven Agile Software Development Approach and Toolkit for Geographically Dispersed Teams By: Upadrista Venkatesh

Cloud-Based Agile DevOps
VA
TX
Data Center
CA
India
Ex. SVN, Jenkins, Maven, Sonar, Trac, Linux
Data Center
Code Repo, Build, QA, Dev, Test, Staging, Prod

Cloud Features
 Cloud Provisioning
 Dynamic Computing Infrastructure
 Self-Service, Self-Managed Platforms
 Programmatic Control of Server Resources
 Internet Accessible
 Geographic Distribution

The Problems
 Technology
– Picking a cloud vendor
– Picking a cloud model
– Establishing a build pipeline, a.k.a. automation
of build, test, deploy, test, promote process
 People
– Education
– Change Management
– Process Management
 Distributed Team
– Getting everyone on the same page

The Vendor
 The cloud vendor can make or break you.
Pick one that meets your needs, skip any
that don’t provide real cloud services.
 There is no perfect cloud platform, they all
have problems.
 If you pick a cloud vendor that expects things
to be done their way, do it their way.
 If you pick a cloud vendor that offers extra
services that induce lock-in, consider using
their extra services but think about it a lot. It
could be easer and work better than rolling
your own.

The Model
 Understand your system, application and
organizational requirements
 Pick a Service Model
–Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
–Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
–Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
 Pick a Vendor that suits your requirements,
service model and budget
 Train your team on the vendors technology
and service model

Build Pipeline
 Automate everything and treat it as
software: tests, VM setup, test data
– Version it
– Review it
– Test it
 Test everything, from VM setup to
application deployment to testing to VM tear
down, as you learn error and failure
conditions automate dealing with them
 Automate Testing and Test Data Creation
 Be able to automatically rebuild, from the
ground up, your dev, test, staging and prod

Build Pipeline
SVN
Nexus
Sonar
Test
Developers
Users
Jenkins Staging
Prod
Provisioning
Testers Performance
Test
Test
Automation
Security
Test

Education
 Do a lot of learning, teaching, hand
holding and pushing for new practices
 Explain things multiple times: issues,
processes, practices, and priorities at
multiple levels: developers, architects,
testers, BAs, Project Managers, Product
Managers, Directors, VPs, the client, and
end users
 Expect confusion, rejection and clinging
to old practices, work through it
 Do a lot of expectation setting and
resetting

Change Management
 Get Strong Executive Sponsorship
 Make ultimatums and expect to get strong
pushback to those ultimatums
 Expect to fail the first time, with almost
everything you put in place, work through it
 Everything takes longer than you planned
 There will be an expectation of immediate
results and payoffs, keep resetting
expectations
 Expect your detractors to take credit when
things succeed

Process Management
 Start with a goal in mind, create an initial
plan, work toward that in small steps
 Have a change imperative, make it
something you organization values
 Keep selling the new processes and
practices, people need reminders, keep
getting commitments to follow the new
process
 Get enforceable Service Level Agreements
(SLAs)

Distributed Team
 Do everything you can think of to reduce
location bias
 Use Cloud-based services to communicate:
–Text (IM and Email)
–Voice
–Video
–Collaboration
–Source Code Management
–Code Review
–Project Management Software
 Give all team members equal opportunity for
improvement and advancement

What to avoid
 Vendors that don’t provide real cloud
services
 Physical Data Center Mentality
 Vendors that over allocate VM host
resources
 Underpowered Private Cloud offerings
 Direct confrontation with the entrenched
OPS team
 Direct confrontation with the entrenched
Development team

Trade-Offs
 Loss of control
 Don’t have to worry about infrastructure
 Do have to watch for over-provisioned hosts
 Cloud vendor has different priorities than
you.
 SaaS gets you started very quickly, but it
limits how you can grow.
 PaaS simplifies your choices but locks you in
 IaaS can be like a CoLo arrangement with
less control and all of the responsibility.

Derailments
 Picking the wrong vendor
 Picking the wrong service model
 No or limited automation and test automation
 No access VM host console or VM API
 Staff that is adamantly against change
 Management that doesn’t support change
 Application requirements that don’t fit within
the vendor’s framework or service model

How to Begin
 Create a plan: short term, near term, long
term. You are going to get it wrong, keep
adjusting and resetting expectations.
 Focus on priorities.
 Base priorities on business value,
however you define that. If you don’t show
business value, you will fail.
 Start simple and get more sophisticated
as you go. You are going to have to refactor
your work/processes/practices anyway so
get going and adjust as you learn.

How to Begin
 Work in small, quick steps, adjust your
strategy and tactics around things that
work.
 Fix pain points. Focus on fixing the pain
points of the people that have the most to
gain, provide value to them and their direct
management.
 Get key stakeholders and influencers on
your side. Show them how life will be better
for them using the cloud for DevOps.
 Some people will reject the new way of
working. Route around them and eventually
the organization will leave them behind.

Thank You

Overcoming problems implementing cloud based dev ops for distributed agile projects

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