Team Augmentation + Agile DevOps = Team Acceleration
There’s no question that pairing agile development with DevOps methodologies helps with team acceleration, faster time-to-market, and, ultimately, boosts company growth. When Forrester surveyed 200+ technology leaders in late 2017, they found that teams treating Agile and DevOps as a single transformative initiative, as opposed to distinct efforts, were more likely to see the benefits associated with both practices: more frequent releases, better alignment between business and IT, improved technical quality, and reduced time to value.
Nevertheless, injecting Agile DevOps into your organization is far from simple, especially when you have a small or resource-strapped development team. Agile DevOps isn’t something you can buy; it requires a cultural shift that takes time, consistency, and, most importantly, a team that understands the process.
We’ve found that the most significant roadblock is having a team highly skilled in implementing Agile DevOps. Hiring a new team is cost-prohibitive, but expecting your current team to understand and implement new methodologies after only a few trainings while continuing to execute is just as unreasonable. It’s like asking pilots to rebuild the plane while it’s flying at 30,000 feet.
The solution? Team augmentation.
With Team augmentation, you can seamlessly integrate DevOps experts into your team, elevating the skills of your in-house staff, and integrate that best practices are being built into the fabric of your development process. This complimentary expertise will come at a fraction of the costs of hiring new developers and enhance your bottom line. At 10Pearls, we combine team augmentation with Agile DevOps to drive team acceleration, bridge skill gaps, and ensure exceptional business outcomes.
Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind if you’re considering team augmentation:
KEEP A ONE-TEAM MINDSET
Engaging with a DevOps partner is neither a training nor a consultation. It’s a collaboration that will result in immediate value and long-term knowledge sharing when managed by the right partner. Effective team augmentation occurs when DevOps methodologies are internalized, the external team must view themselves as an extension of the team, not a silo or a replacement. Setting this collaborative tone starts at the top, with clear communication from leadership, and is key for team acceleration.
CHOOSE A FLEXIBLE PARTNER
Depending on your needs, you may require a larger team for the initial phase of your program and a smaller team later on. As your existing employees grasp the new processes, you’ll likely be able to scale back to only a handful of experts. It’s critical to select a team augmentation partner with a robust bench that quickly scale up and offer the flexibility to scale down without arduous contract negotiations.
REMEMBER, IT TAKES TIME
Have patience. DevOps is a cultural shift that requires time – rushing the timeline can result in mistakes or bad habits that will cost you in the long run. It is important to remember that leadership plays a crucial role in driving DevOps adoption and, in turn, the level of success. DevOps teams with transformative leaders are 50 percent more likely to be high performers.
The math is simple: Team augmentation will lead to a quicker adoption of Agile DevOps practices, leading to more frequent, stable releases, an accelerated delivery of value to the customer, and overall company growth. Forget the buzzwords – this is about selecting a team acceleration partner to help your team achieve speed and boost ROI.
To learn more about team augmentation and to evaluate your needs, contact us about a DevOps Assessment.
