DevOps in software testing
DevOps is a combination of practices and tools which can help to automate and integrate processes between IT and software development teams. Organisations deploying DevOps in software testing can typically deliver applications and services faster than those using traditional processes. Today we take a closer look at this and suggest how you might embrace it for your business.
What is it?
The term itself is a combination of the words development and operations. Conceptually, it is a movement that emphasises collaboration, team empowerment and cross-team communication. It began circa 2007, when the traditional software development model was questioned by developers and those within the IT operations community. DevOps embraced technology automation. It sought to bridge the gap between developers who wrote code and those who deployed / supported the code.
How does it work?
Typically, developers and those in IT operations work closely together throughout the product lifecycle. This can increase the speed and quality of software deployment. It is often viewed as a completely new way of working, because development and operations teams are no longer “siloed.” In some cases, the two teams are merged into one and each engineer has a range of multidisciplinary skills.
DevOps teams use tools to automate and accelerate processes. This in turn helps to increase reliability. As well as automation and collaboration, the fundamentals of a DevOps model also include continuous integration and delivery.
What are the benefits?
- Better collaboration
- Quicker deployment
- Increased quality and reliability
- More robust security
Organisations deploying a DevOps model encourage a culture of collaboration between developers and operations teams. These then share responsibilities and combine work in a much more efficient manner. As a result, time related to work handoffs and code creation is decreased. This then in turn allows for the frequency and velocity of releases to grow. These organisations also promote continuous integration and delivery, which ensures that changes are functional and safe. It also improves the quality of a software product and allows for security to be better integrated. Indeed, ‘DevSecOps’ is typically an active part of the development process. This sees security audits and security testing built into agile development and DevOps workflows.
How can you adopt DevOps?
Adopting DevOps in software testing initially requires a commitment to evaluating all current teams and processes. Crucially, it also means you must be prepared to change these and possibly even build a new infrastructure. You must try to develop a DevOps culture and implement its practices:
- Continuous integration and delivery
- Situational awareness
- Automation
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
- Monitoring
Do you currently deploy a DevOps model? If so, then we would love to hear about your experiences! Get in touch if you would like to share them with us, or if you would simply like to know more.