Building a DevOps Team for Successful Software Development

Obviously, the successful delivery of software products is crucial for business growth and competitiveness. It’s not easy, so many organizations are turning to DevOps practices that streamline collaboration between development and operations teams. 

However, implementing this technique isn’t just about adopting new tools and processes; it requires the formation of a skilled and cohesive crew. 

But is it necessary? Are there any challenges for CEOs and CTOs on the way? How to approach building a DevOps team? In this guide, we’ll explore it all.

Reasons to Create a DevOps Team

The first, pretty logical, question is why? Why should I build this crew? We hear you, so here are some of the main reasons our partners come to us to hire such experts.

Accelerated Software Delivery

DevOps teams play a pivotal role in accelerating software delivery, allowing organizations to respond promptly to market demands. Through the implementation of continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, the traditional bottlenecks and delays in the software release process are significantly reduced. This means shorter release cycles, quicker feature deployments, and a competitive edge in the ever-evolving tech landscape.

Improved Collaboration

DevOps principles foster a culture of collaboration, breaking down the traditional silos that often exist between development and operations crews. By promoting cross-functional collaboration, they work together seamlessly, sharing expertise and resources to efficiently resolve issues. This synergy enhances overall productivity, leading to faster troubleshooting and more streamlined operations.

Enhanced Quality and Reliability

A team building DevOps processes practices prioritize software quality and reliability. Automated testing and deployment processes ensure that code changes are rigorously tested before they reach production environments. 

The results show a lower number of errors and bugs in software. This commitment to quality not only enhances the end-user experience but also strengthens the reputation of the organization.

Efficient Resource Utilization

DevOps are adept at optimizing resource utilization, resulting in cost savings for organizations. With a focus on scalability and flexibility, DevOps enables efficient allocation of resources, eliminating unnecessary infrastructure costs. 

By dynamically adjusting resources as needed, organizations can maintain high performance while minimizing expenses, a critical aspect of sustainable growth.

This sounds good, but there are always things to look out for. 

Challenges in Creating a DevOps Team for CEOs and CTOs

As usual, we at ProCoders don’t just provide challenges – we also bring solutions. Carrying this principle throughout our work helps us keep client satisfaction high.

Anyway, here are the TOP-4 challenges connected to assembling a DevOps crew:

• Cultural Shift: Promote a culture of collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement. This means fostering an environment where teams work together seamlessly, share knowledge openly, and embrace feedback for optimization and innovation.
• Skillset Gap: Creating a DevOps team requires a unique blend of technical expertise and soft skills, which can be challenging to find in a single candidate. Consider investing in training or forming cross-functional groups to bridge the gap. Getting an offshore development team for hire with ProCoders solves this problem as our experts combine hard and soft skills professionally.
• Tool Selection: Choosing the right tools can be daunting due to the vast landscape. Ensure selected tools align with organizational goals, considering factors like scalability, integration, and support.
• Resistance to Change: Overcome apprehension and fear of change by employing effective change management strategies. Communicate benefits, provide training, and involve crew members in the decision-making process to ease the transition.

The picture should get clearer at this point. But we have some puzzles missing, like an explanation of the roles of such a team and their responsibilities.

Roles and Responsibilities in a DevOps Team

There are often 4 experts in the group overseeing the process and participating in it:

• DevOps Engineer: Manages CI/CD pipelines and automation tools, fostering collaboration between developers and operations.
• Release Manager: Oversees the release process, coordinating schedules and communication with stakeholders.
• Automation Expert: Focuses on automating tasks and workflows, implementing infrastructure as code (IaC) practices.
• Security Specialist: Ensures pipeline security through audits and best practice implementations.

The question arising from this explanation is, how do we hire these DevOps specialists? What is the best engagement model to save time, money, and effort?

Engagement Models to Create DevOps Teams and Save Costs

What makes a good DevOps team even better? The proper engagement model! Here, we present the best ones to choose from. Pick depending on your needs and budget.

In-House Team

Establishing an in-house DevOps group involves hiring and training a dedicated group of professionals who work exclusively for your organization. This approach offers the advantage of full control and direct integration with your company’s culture and workflows.

However, building an in-house DevOps team can be resource-intensive, as it requires recruiting, onboarding, and ongoing training, which can lead to higher upfront costs.

Hybrid Model

The hybrid engagement model combines the strengths of both in-house and outsourced DevOps resources. This is one of ProCoders’ working methods, which has proven useful with over 150 teams augmented with our skilled professionals. 

In this model, also called staff augmentation, you maintain an in-house team while also collaborating with external experts when needed.

We use this approach with our partners who require a boost to make sure their product goes to market on time or a fresh look at their development. Thus, they are retaining control over critical aspects of the app creation processes while also taking advantage of specialized skills and cost-effective solutions from their loyal external provider – us.

The hybrid model provides flexibility and adaptability to address specific project requirements or skill gaps within your in-house crew.

Outsourcing

Continuing on with the best working models, outsourcing is another approach we use. We’re adamant that offshoring DevOps services to a specialized provider, such as ProCoders, is a cost-effective alternative to building an in-house team from scratch. It’s the best answer to the question of how to reduce software development costs, but there’s more.

Partnering with an experienced staff provider offers several benefits, including:

• Access to a pool of skilled experts
• Reduced recruitment and training overheads
• Scalability to adapt to changing project demands

Outsourcing allows your organization to leverage external expertise while maintaining flexibility and cost efficiency.We at ProCoders are fond of outsourcing and outstaffing techniques and know everything about how to build a software development team. We’re living proof of the relevance of this approach and its high demand!

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Build a DevOps Team

Based on our experience in augmenting numerous successful teams, we’ve compiled 9 important steps to help you out on your journey to build DevOps team.

Stage 1: Discovery Process

Step 1: Define Your DevOps Strategy

Begin by clearly outlining your business’s goals and objectives. What do you aim to achieve through DevOps adoption? Is it faster software delivery, improved collaboration, enhanced quality, or all of the above? Defining your objectives is crucial in shaping your strategy.

Ensure that this strategy aligns with your business culture. Consider fostering an environment of collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement if you haven’t already. CEOs and CTOs play a pivotal role in promoting this cultural transformation.

Step 2: Assess Current Skillsets

Evaluate the existing skillsets of your group members. Identify individuals with relevant technical skills and those who possess essential soft skills such as effective communication and collaboration.

Then, identify skill gaps within your current crew. And remember that a successful DevOps requires a new team developing not only technical proficiency but also a collaborative mindset.

Step 3: Develop a Training Plan

Based on the skill gaps identified in the previous step, develop a comprehensive training plan. This plan should include training programs, courses, workshops, and certifications tailored to address specific skill deficiencies.

Foster a culture of continuous learning within your organization. Encourage group members to proactively seek opportunities for skill development and stay updated with the latest trends and technologies.

Pro Tip: These 3 steps can be combined into one if you opt for ProCoders Discovery Phase services. Our experts will assess the skills of your team, identify gaps, learn about your product and its needs, and develop a detailed training plan. We can then also provide the missing DevOps talent to your crew, but let’s come back to this in a moment.

Stage 2: Finding the Right DevOps Partner

Step 4: Hire the Right Talent

Without a tech partner, you would have to:

• Define a recruitment strategy for hiring DevOps engineers
• Check them for required technical expertise and cultural fit
• Conduct thorough interviews and assessments to ensure candidates align with your organization’s values and goals

We’re almost totally sure you don’t have the time to to do all that yourself, especially at such an important stage for your product. 

Explore the option of outstaffing talent to access a broader pool and specialized skills without the overhead of full-time hiring. 

When partnering with ProCoders, you save time and resources on HR while we staff your team with our experts from the bench. These are the specialists who aren’t engaged with any other project at the moment and can join your team. All the focus will be on your processes!

Stage 3: Establishing DevOps Processes

At this stage, you (or your software development partner if you opt for staff augmentation) will select, set up, automate, and facilitate everything for the mechanism to start working.

Step 5: Set Up Collaboration Tools

Choose collaboration and communication tools that facilitate seamless interaction among cross-functional teams. Implement instruments that promote transparency, knowledge sharing, and real-time communication.

Provide training and onboarding for the selected collaboration tools to ensure that team members can effectively utilize them.

Pro Tip: You can also trust ProCoders’ tech specialists with the tool selection, benefiting from years of experience and research of the most suitable instruments for projects of different complexity.

Step 6: Establish Clear Workflows

Define and document clear workflows and processes. Ensure that every team member understands their roles and responsibilities within these workflows.

Also, encourage cross-functional crews to work collaboratively and efficiently. Create an environment where teams share knowledge and resources to achieve common goals.

Step 7: Automate Everything

Identify repetitive and time-consuming tasks within your development and operations processes. Prioritize areas where automation can yield the most significant benefits.

We recommend implementing continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines to automate the software delivery process. Utilize infrastructure as code (IaC) practices to maintain consistency.

Step 8: Monitor and Optimize

Set up monitoring tools to track the performance of your DevOps processes. Monitor key metrics, such as deployment frequency, lead time, and mean time to recovery.

Then, use the data collected from monitoring to make data-driven decisions. Continuously optimize processes based on performance insights and feedback from crew members.

Step 9: Foster a DevOps Culture

Promote a culture of collaboration, learning, and innovation. Recognize and reward DevOps achievements and contributions to reinforce the value of collaboration.

Also, encourage team members to propose innovative ideas and improvements to existing processes. Create a culture where experimentation and learning from failures are encouraged.

This is a pretty detailed step-by-step that shows just how much work it takes to establish a proper DevOps team for organizations. While accelerated software delivery, improved collaboration, enhanced quality, and efficient resource utilization are the clear benefits, the scope of work may seem tremendous.

Finally, let us introduce ProCoders and tell you how we can help you on the way to finding a perfect group to boost development.

How Can ProCoders Help to Build a DevOps Dream Team

At ProCoders, we understand that assembling a proficient DevOps team is a critical step towards achieving your organization’s software development goals. We specialize in providing you with the right talent and resources to ensure your product is launched smoothly and on time.

Here’s how we can assist you in building your dream team:

The People

• Middle and Senior Specialists Only
  We exclusively hire middle and senior-level specialists who bring a wealth of experience to your projects.
• Rigorous 4-Stage Hiring Process
  Our candidates go through a 4-stage hiring process, including interviews and practical tests, to assess their technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, and adaptability. We leave no room for uncertainty when it comes to selecting the right talent for your initiatives.

The Process

• Multiple Working Models
  Whether you need to enhance your existing team via Staff Augmentation or require a group of fully self-managed specialists via our Team as a Service working model, ProCoders has the ideal solution to meet your requirements.
• Comprehensive Project Analysis
  During our Discovery Phase, our experts will meticulously analyze your project and its unique needs. We deliver a roadmap that outlines the best strategies for assembling and managing your crew.

The Experience

• Over 9 Years of Experience
  With over nine years of experience in the industry, ProCoders has successfully augmented diverse teams worldwide. We know all about managing remote development team and will show you the benefits of this approach!
• Perfectly Matching Employees for Your Success
  At ProCoders, we understand that the success of your project requires the perfect alignment of your specialists. We take pride in matching our employees to your unique project requirements, ensuring a harmonious and productive partnership. 

With a focus on collaboration and efficiency, we empower CEOs and CTOs to create dream teams that drive innovation and growth.

Conclusion

Assembling a DevOps team is essential for organizations looking to thrive in today’s competitive tech landscape. CEOs and CTOs must recognize the benefits of this approach, address challenges effectively, define roles and responsibilities, and choose the right engagement model. With the right strategy and support, building a successful team is within reach.