As organizations struggle to achieve the promise of DevOps — accelerated delivery of high-quality code — many fall into the trap of thinking, “If we aren’t meeting our delivery goals, we must not have enough tools.” Dev, Test and QA tools can enhance efficiency in the software delivery pipeline, but their value isn’t self-realizing. In fact, throwing tools at a DevOps project only slows things down, as teams stop and try to figure out how to put the tools to best use.

Here’s the gist of the matter. Tools don’t solve problems. People do.

This may sound obvious, but in the rush to adopt the newest shiny tool, business leaders have forgotten that no one ever “tooled” their way out of anything. They make the dangerous assumption that Dev, Test and Ops teams are performing as well as they can, given project conditions. All teams need to fix problematic processes, shorten delivery cycles or reduce defects is more tools.

Assuming tools will fix endemic problems is like taking a car to the shop and expecting the toolbox to resolve the issue. If the mechanic isn’t trained how to use the tools properly, the car won’t get repaired.

With DevOps, the vast array of value stream metrics increases the challenge. Using metrics to benchmark progress, identify weak points, and improve processes is a tricky business. In what form do we find the capacity to interpret data and extrapolate the most beneficial changes to improve outcomes? Humans.

In this presentation, noted Value Stream expert Lance Knight, COO of ConnectALL, will explain how putting tools over people is reducing efficiency and slowing delivery cycles. He’ll also outline a clear set of steps organizational leaders can take to start measuring and optimizing their greatest source of value: their humans.

Presenters:

Lance Knight