DevOps and SAFe 6.0: The New Era of Agile Development

By Daniel A. Martinez

This exhaustive guide to DevOps and SAFe 6.0 will unlock the world of IT innovation. This book provides valuable insights and practices for all readers, whether they are new to these topics or already possess extensive knowledge. Learn how to maximize teamwork, drive continuous improvement, and track your progress. Through case studies, uncover how other businesses have incorporated these methods and the keys to their success. Also consider the future and prepare for the next DevOps and SAFe developments and trends.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel A. Martinez
• Release date: Jul 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223753629

Book preview

DevOps and SAFe 6.0

The New Era of Agile Development

Daniel A. Martinez

Disclaimer

Introduction

Preface and aim of the book

What is DevOps?

What is SAFe 6.0?

Why DevOps is important in SAFe 6.0

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) 6.0

History and development of SAFe

Basic principles and values of SAFe 6.0

Configurations in SAFe 6.0

Roles and artifacts in SAFe 6.0

The SAFe 6.0 processes and practices

Business Agility in SAFe 6.0

Case studies and examples

DevOps Basics

Definition and history of DevOps

DevOps principles and culture

Key practices in DevOps

Roles and responsibilities in a DevOps team

Advantages of DevOps

Practical application examples of DevOps

DevOps in SAFe 6.0

The place of DevOps in the SAFe 6.0 framework

Roles and responsibilities in a DevOps team within the SAFe 6.0 framework

How SAFe 6.0 promotes and supports DevOps

The importance of culture, collaboration and automation for DevOps in SAFe.

Practical steps for implementing DevOps in a SAFe 6.0 environment

Practical examples for the integration of DevOps in SAFe 6.0

Summary and conclusions

Conclusion and outlook

Disclaimer

This book and its contents are provided as is and for informational purposes only. They do not constitute professional advice or recommendations and should not be interpreted as such. The information contained in this book has been compiled with the greatest care and to the best of our knowledge and belief. However, the authors and the publisher do not guarantee the timeliness, accuracy, completeness or quality of the information provided.

The authors and the publisher are not liable for any damages resulting directly or indirectly from the use or non-use of the information presented in this book. This also applies if the possibility of such damages was pointed out.

This book may contain references to trademarks, service marks, patents or other proprietary rights of third parties. Such references are for identification or explanatory purposes only and in no way imply that such trademarks, brand names or rights are not protected by third-party rights. All trademarks and brand names mentioned and, where applicable, protected by third parties, are subject without restriction to the provisions of the applicable trademark law and the ownership rights of the respective registered owners.

The mere mention of trademarks does not imply that they are not protected by third-party rights. All trademarks mentioned in the book are the property of their respective owners.

Introduction

Preface and aim of the book

Welcome, dear readers. You are holding a book in your hands that is intended to give you a comprehensive and at the same time detailed insight into two extraordinarily relevant topics of modern software development and business management: The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) in its latest version 6.0 and the concept of DevOps.

SAFe is a framework for scalable agile software development and stands for Scaled Agile Framework. It was developed to enable agility and lean principles in large organizations. Essentially, it is a pattern that helps organizations move into an agile work environment while improving collaboration and productivity across different teams.

DevOps, on the other hand, is a cultural movement aimed at improving collaboration between development and operations teams in IT to deliver high-quality software faster. It stands for Development and Operations, and the central idea behind it is that through closer collaboration and communication between these teams, software development and operations can be made more efficient and effective.

This book is intended to provide a detailed and understandable introduction to both concepts and to highlight their interplay. Our main goal is to introduce you to the principles and practices of both SAFe and DevOps and explain how they complement each other and can be implemented in an organization. We will not only focus on theoretical aspects, but also include practical examples and case studies to give you as vivid and realistic a picture as possible.

This book is aimed at IT executives, software developers, project managers, Agile coaches, Scrum masters, DevOps engineers and anyone else interested in making their organization more agile and reaping the benefits of DevOps. It is designed to be suitable for both newcomers to the topic and experienced practitioners who want to deepen their knowledge.

We have endeavored to present complex concepts in understandable language, while not overlooking both the big picture and the small but important details. Our hope is that this book will help you find the path to greater agility and better collaboration in your organization.

We wish you an inspiring and insightful read!

What is DevOps?

A basic understanding of DevOps is the foundation on which we will build. DevOps, a term formed from the words development and operations, is a movement, an approach that aims to more closely link the development (writing and updating code) and operations (implementing and managing the infrastructure on which the code runs) of software.

Central to DevOps is the concept of collaboration. Often, developers and IT operations work in separate silos with different goals and priorities. This can lead to delays, errors and frustration, as teams can perceive each other as barriers to their work. DevOps aims to break down these walls and create a culture of collaboration, mutual understanding and shared purpose.

But DevOps goes far beyond just collaboration. It is a profound cultural shift that is transforming the way software is developed, tested, delivered and monitored. It fosters a culture of continuous improvement, where teams constantly strive to optimize their ways of working, tools and processes.

In practice, this often means a shift to practices such as continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD), infrastructure as code, and automated monitoring and logging. These techniques help teams work faster and more reliably by automating manual tasks and identifying problems earlier and more easily.

Implementing DevOps can bring many benefits. It can help reduce time-to-market, improve software quality, increase system reliability, and increase team satisfaction. But it's also challenging. DevOps requires a change in culture, processes and tools - and that takes time, commitment and willingness to change.

In this book, we will dive deeper into the principles and practices of DevOps and how they fit into the context of SAFe. But first, let's get a more detailed overview of SAFe itself.

What is SAFe 6.0?

SAFe, short for Scaled Agile Framework, is a comprehensive framework for scaling Agile principles and methods in large organizations. It enables efficient collaboration between different teams in an organization and helps to implement and manage Agile and Lean principles beyond the team level. SAFe is divided into several levels: Team, Program, Large Solution and Portfolio, each containing specific roles, artifacts and processes.

The latest version of this framework, SAFe 6.0, further integrates and enhances agile principles and concepts to better address the challenges of modern software development and project management. Three key themes stand out: Organizational Agility, Business Agility and Customer Centricity.

Organizational agility refers to an organization's ability to be flexible and responsive. In today's fast-paced, digital world, organizations must be able to respond quickly to changing market conditions and customer demands. SAFe 6.0 promotes this agility by extending agile principles to the entire organization, not just the development teams.

Business agility is the ability of an organization to quickly adapt to market changes, identify new business opportunities, and respond to them effectively. SAFe 6.0 supports this through a set of principles and practices that foster collaboration between different areas of an organization and help identify and optimize value streams.

Customer Centricity is the third key concept in SAFe 6.0 and the framework places a strong focus on designing and developing products and services from the customer's perspective.