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DevOps Practices - Mindset and SCM first

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To embark on a DevOps transformation journey, you need the basics in place: Proper mindset and excellent source code management practices. Only then, you will be able to continue on with Continuous Integration.

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Yesterday, I experienced how things that we take for granted can all suddenly go off the rails when the most basic practice is not followed. How complex systems, even when that complexity is carefully hidden from end users, can fail at the most inopportune time, and for the simplest reason. How this can affect the confidence you have placed in that system, thus making you think that you might need a new and better one, with more features, etc. So when dealing with complex systems, we should always remember that the more critical the system 1-the more important all the practices around it become. 2-the more important the non-functional requirements become and 3-the more important the relationships with your users become.

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I am a strong proponent of transparency and honesty. Especially when offering my services to potential business partners. I think there are many things that I do reasonably well. I think there are a couple of things that I do very well. I think there is a maximum of 1-3 things that I do exceedingly well… But expert in something? Maybe, but I am certainly unsure about it. And I would most assuredly hesitate a lot before telling anyone that I am an expert at anything.

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The (Human) Architect
These days, who needs an architect? Really. With the Agile movement, the importance of an experienced software architect in a software development team has continuously declined. Or so it seems. Software Developers are big boys (and girls sometimes!) that do not need to be told what to do, how to do it, etc., right? Plus these architects tend to cost a lot… and they are difficult to find… so why bother? Why not reassign the tasks that a good architect normally performs to other members of the software development team and forget about it? Unless the architect has some key role to play that we are unaware of…

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Excuses to not do testing

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That’s a question you won’t hear from most software developers who do not know where to start when thinking about doing software test automation! To put you in context, I’m currently a continuous improvement initiatives leader in a large non-software company (doing a lot of software). I faced a lot of resistance in adopting practices and processes to improve our software quality. Automated testing is by far the most difficult practice I had to put in place, even in my own team; Now imagine when you have to convince 1000+ developers you don’t even work with directly! This article is about the most important reason why tests do not get written.

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Throughout the years, I have come to realize that: doing the software itself is not always easy; doing the software right, is even more difficult; doing the right software, is not easier; but combining all those elements… well… is even harder… but at the same time, so essential to the success of any serious software development project! To me, this is the main responsibility of a software professional developing solutions for its customers. You have to strive to develop a software that fixes problem for them and do it in a consistent manner over time. The goal of this site is to inspire you so you can amaze your customers even more!

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