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DevOps Paradox
DevOps Paradox

DevOps Paradox: The truth about DevOps by the people on the front line

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DevOps Paradox

Introduction

Introducing the Author

Viktor Farcic is a Principal Software Delivery Strategist and Developer Advocate at CloudBees, a member of the Google Developer Experts and Docker Captains groups, and published author.

His big passions are DevOps, microservices, continuous integration, delivery and deployment (CI/CD) and test-driven development (TDD).

He often speaks at community gatherings and conferences.

He published The DevOps Toolkit Series (https://www.devopstoolkitseries.com) and Test-Driven Java Development (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YSIM3SC).

His random thoughts and tutorials can be found in his blog TechnologyConversations (https://technologyconversations.com/).

What is the DevOps paradox?

I love sharing with others. That's my main motivation when I write a book. There's a hard-to-explain joy in knowing that our work as authors might be helping others. But strangely, that's not the case with DevOps Paradox.

This time, my motivation was much more self-serving. I wrote this book because I personally wanted to understand what DevOps is. Now if you know anything about me, or have read any of my multi-book DevOps Toolkit series (https://www.devopstoolkitseries.com), then you're surely thinking that I should already know what DevOps is, especially if I'm trying to spread my knowledge of it through these books.

The thing is, if there's anything that my years of working in the field have taught me, it's that DevOps is not a well-defined process. There is no set of rules that must be followed. As I discovered in my journey, and as you'll read in these pages, it's even questionable whether there is such a thing as a "DevOps department" or a "DevOps engineer." This ambiguity is exactly why DevOps is so fascinating to me, and I hope to you, the reader, as well.

I love going to conferences, but not for the obvious reasons. I rarely listen to talks. Instead, I tend to roam the corridors of conference centers and convention halls looking for the next victim who will allow me to pick his or her brain. The best thing about conferences is networking. The most interesting conversations are not taking place at scheduled talks, but rather in corridors and at the after-parties.

I consider myself lucky for being able to dedicate an important portion of my time attending conferences since I know that I benefit greatly from those "corridor-talks." I wanted to do something similar with this book.

This book is called DevOps Paradox. For those of you who may be wondering what it means, the Oxford English Dictionary defines the word "paradox" as:

A seemingly contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true.

Over the course of these interviews, my objective is to look at these often-contradictory views of what DevOps is, which, as we will investigate, may prove to be well founded.

What we have right now is an idea that people should work more closely together and that we should remove the barriers that slow them down.

As such, anything can be DevOps.

Almost every software company is marketing its products as "DevOps," and "DevOps engineer" is the most sought-after role in job listings. That's not to mention the fact that "DevOps departments" are popping up like mushrooms after the rain.

Yet despite this, almost every person I spoke to in this book gave me a different answer to the fundamental question of "What is DevOps?"

DevOps brings sanity into a very chaotic world created by a misunderstanding that software development is similar to factory production. DevOps continues where Agile left off, and urges us to remove the obstacles that we were often not even aware existed.

The idea of DevOps builds empathy between team members that ultimately results in greater cooperation. It's about culture, but it's also about the processes and the tools. At least, that's what I originally thought, even though I received very opposing definitions from the teams I worked with.

To answer the questions I had about DevOps, I asked a number of DevOps practitioners what they thought DevOps was. Some of them are industry veterans, while others are up-and-coming stars. Some are my friends, while others are people I have admired from afar.

Many of these conversations were recorded via remote sessions, while others took place in pubs or in conference corridors. Whenever I could, I did my best to speak with someone face-to-face.

I wanted the interviews to be casual. I did not want people to answer predefined questions. Instead, my goal was to bring to a wider audience the types of conversations I normally have with experts I meet in conferences and in companies I work with as a consultant. I do believe that some of the best breakthroughs come from corridor-talks. That's the spirit I wanted to maintain in the interviews.

Each conversation starts with the question "What is DevOps?" or some variation thereof. It is only meant to be a conversation-starter and to facilitate something that is an unstructured, unprepared, and very casual conversation. Think of each interview as a conversation with a friend or an acquaintance that I've met in a pub. As a matter of fact, a few of them were actually recorded in a bar over a few beers!

In this book, I wanted to share casual conversations with people who practice and often shape DevOps. My hope is that we'll get insights into what drives those people and come away with a better understanding of what makes DevOps so powerful.

The only thing the people I interviewed have in common is an interest in DevOps itself. You'll see, however, that some of them have very opposing views of what DevOps actually is (or is not), and even whether it's a worthwhile pursuit. You may often feel that what is described by one person contradicts what others have said. This is intentional and, in my opinion, reflects the chaos DevOps is trying to tame. It also serves as a reminder that we are still in the very early stages of adopting DevOps to our workplace cultures, while trying to navigate the complexities of the software industry and finding different solutions to the same problems.

With all that said, I urge you, the reader, to be open-minded. You've almost certainly heard about DevOps, and many of you are likely implementing some form of DevOps in your organizations right now. I just ask that you leave what you know aside. The interviews in this book are likely to turn everything that you think you know upside-down. They will definitely challenge your assumptions and your experience. What this book won't do, however, is tell you on which side of the DevOps debate to pitch your tent. There is no right or wrong answer here. This book also won't tell you how to "do" DevOps, though you may glean some ideas for implementation from the experiences related in these interviews. My goal with this book is solely to present both sides of the DevOps paradox and leave the door open for you to make up your own mind.

How ironic that something designed to break down silos within organizations and foster cross-departmental collaboration is the subject of so much debate within the IT community! But that's the crux of the DevOps paradox, isn't it? And that's why it's such a fascinating topic of conversation. You may not agree with everything you read in these interviews, but at the very least they should provoke thought and maybe even debate within your organizations as you and your teams embark upon your own DevOps journeys.

Lastly, before we get started, I'd like to thank those who gave their time to be interviewed, I couldn't be more grateful for all the great contributions you made. Thank you! This book wouldn't be what it is without you!

I do my best to be approachable and help people improve their skills. Feel free to contact me on Twitter (@vfarcic), to send me an email (viktor@farcic.com), or to join Slack workspace DevOps20 (http://slack.devops20toolkit.com/).

Viktor Farcic is a Principal Software Delivery Strategist and Developer Advocate at CloudBees, a member of the Google Developer Experts and Docker Captains groups, and published author.

His big passions are DevOps, microservices, continuous integration, delivery and deployment (CI/CD) and test-driven development (TDD).

He often speaks at community gatherings and conferences.

He published The DevOps Toolkit Series (https://www.devopstoolkitseries.com) and Test-Driven Java Development (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YSIM3SC).

His random thoughts and tutorials can be found in his blog TechnologyConversations (https://technologyconversations.com/).

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Key benefits

  • Leading DevOps experts share their insights into modern DevOps practice
  • Engage with the real-world challenges of putting DevOps to work
  • Strengthen your DevOps practices now and prepare for future DevOps trends

Description

DevOps promises to break down silos, uniting organizations to deliver high quality output in a cross-functional way. In reality it often results in confusion and new silos: pockets of DevOps practitioners fight the status quo, senior decision-makers demand DevOps paint jobs without committing to true change. Even a clear definition of what DevOps is remains elusive. In DevOps Paradox, top DevOps consultants, industry leaders, and founders reveal their own approaches to all aspects of DevOps implementation and operation. Surround yourself with expert DevOps advisors. Viktor Farcic draws on experts from across the industry to discuss how to introduce DevOps to chaotic organizations, align incentives between teams, and make use of the latest tools and techniques. With each expert offering their own opinions on what DevOps is and how to make it work, you will be able to form your own informed view of the importance and value of DevOps as we enter a new decade. If you want to see how real DevOps experts address the challenges and resolve the paradoxes, this book is for you.

Who is this book for?

Anybody interested in DevOps will gain a lot from this book. If you want to get beyond the simplistic ideals and engage with the deep challenges of putting DevOps to work in the real world, this book is for you.

What you will learn

  • Expert opinions on:
  • Introducing DevOps into real-world, chaotic business environments
  • Deciding between adopting cutting edge tools or sticking with tried-and-tested methods
  • Initiating necessary business change without positional power
  • Managing and overcoming fear of change in DevOps implementations
  • Anticipating future trends in DevOps and how to prepare for them
  • Getting the most from Kubernetes, Docker, Puppet, Chef, and Ansible
  • Creating the right incentives for DevOps success across an organization
  • The impact of new techniques, such as Lambda, serverless, and schedulers, on DevOps practice

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Aug 30, 2019
Length: 532 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789133639
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Product Details

Publication date : Aug 30, 2019
Length: 532 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789133639
Concepts :
Tools :

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Table of Contents

21 Chapters
Introduction Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Jeff Sussna Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Damien Duportal Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Kevin Behr Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Mike Kail Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
James Turnbull Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Liz Keogh Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Julian Simpson Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Andy Clemenko Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chris Riley Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Ádám Sándor Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Júlia Biró Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Damon Edwards Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Kohsuke Kawaguchi Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Sean Hull Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Bret Fisher Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Nirmal Mehta Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Gregory Bledsoe Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Wian Vos Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Packt Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.3
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4 star 14.3%
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1 star 14.3%
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Johnsonfire Jan 28, 2023
Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 1
Eigentlich gedacht als Devops-Variante der „Coders at Work“-Reihe, ist das Buch der Versuch eines Spagats. Auf der einen Seite erwehrt der Autor sich im Intro einer Definition des Thema DevOps selbst und verweist stattdessen auf die unterschiedlichen Meinungen der interviewten Personen, hofft also eine Einführung durch Gespräche schaffen zu können. Auf der anderen Seite geht es um festes Expertentum des Fachgebietes und die Gesprächspartner dürfen sich zu fortgeschrittenen Nuancen wie DevSecOp oder Routing äußern. Der Autor bremst in den Gesprächen niemanden ein, gibt nie Widerspruch. Selbst wenn der Gesprächspartner allen Ernstes erzählen will, DevOps sei die Rückführung der IT auf die Empathie und Wertschöpfung. Wer kennt es nicht. Wer solche Interviews führt braucht keine Feinde mehr. Nach zwei Kapitel hatte ich genug und kann niemanden raten sein Geld für dieses Buch auszugeben.
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Denny Feb 27, 2022
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I just finished an engagement that I thought their culture was atypical; but after reading DevOps Paradox, realize information silos and tribalism may be the norm. Importantly, I now see the light that organizational change is my business. Before, I decided that it's just too hard when leadership is not involved. Another take away was that Agile was a revolution in software development, but not necessarily an organization, and DevOps really expands similar thinking to operations as well.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Sean Davis Dec 09, 2019
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If you're past that part of your life where you asking what DevOps is or what it consists of, you'll find solace in this book. The author compiles an amazing cast of industry experts to share real life stories that resonate with practitioners and those who have been touched by DevOps in various capacities. It's a breath of fresh air compared to most DevOps books who attempt to tell the tale of DevOps form a single minded perspective. In this book, thought diversity reigns supreme and uncovers some of the struggles, challenges and even successes from the common folk. You will appreciate the fact that a great amount of research was done to make the contributing subject matter experts as diverse as possible, each with thier own unique tales to bring to the table.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Denver Oct 24, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I've worked with Viktor briefly, as a client, and so he offered me the chance to preview this book. But as is my approach to such things, after reading it, and finding it good, I purchased it for myself using my own money. It IS good. It's a surprisingly real collection of surprisingly real people talking about real things they have done and continue to do, to improve the lives of all of us bound up with this thing we call software development.I say surprising because knowing Viktor as a gifted technologist I was expecting something far more technically focused and this book is not that. It is very focused on the human realities of changing organisations, changing business cultures, changing habits and thus, changing lives. Oh, there's good technical advice in it, but this is not the major concern of the book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in and/or committed to making ourselves better at what we do, and through what we do, who we are.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Q. Hartman Oct 07, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading this book, as I have not read any of Viktor Farcic's other work. At first I was skeptical of the value that a series of interviews would provide, but that skepticism was quickly swept away. As a DevOps practitioner for the last 8-ish years, I really enjoyed the stories from others who have walked similar paths and have fought similar battles. Farcic has a knack for asking questions in a way that draws out insightful details, and the conversational quality made for effortless reading. I particularly enjoyed Damon Edwards' discussion about how the misalignment of incentives between how a business historically works and how DevOps asks that business to work leads to problems. That's one of my own soapbox issues that I rarely see people take on explicitly.Tucked inside all these conversations are useful nuggets of wisdom that I think anyone working with software development could get value from. Of course there's a lot that specific to DevOps practices, but there's also lots of Agile, and technology within enterprises in general that I think anyone in the space could put to use.I highly recommend this book. It's entertaining, enlightening, and a delight to read. As another reviewer pointed out, I think it would have benefited from some analysis by the author in picking out common themes or translating some of the stories into actionable recommendations, but even lacking that, there's a lot of value to be gotten here!(Review based on a pre-release copy of the book)
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