Keith has worked in IT for over 30 years leading various software development, DevOps and operations teams at IBM, ADP and Ordnance Survey. In his previous role. he led a project in Ordnance Survey which transformed the way environments were provisioned using a combination of culture change, DevOps, open source tools and changes to business processes. Keith is now Director of DevOps for ADP UK for the iHCM product and is responsible for promoting continuous delivery and DevOps principles as well as changing the patterns and tools used for build and deployment within development and operations teams. He has also spoken at and chaired various DevOps conferences and user groups.
Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-watson-00b90015/
Twitter: @yokeithian
Convincing the doubters: The politics of DevOps
Tools are a necessary but not sufficient condition for the success of DevOps. Implementing a DevOps strategy involves not just a change in tools and culture but also a change in the political and organisational landscape. Resistance can build up due to the way people react to taking on additional or new responsibilities, learning new skills and tools, cross team collaboration or just a perception that their roles, jobs or even departments are no longer required. It also involves justifying spend with some clear return on investment which involves negotiations with key financial stakeholders. This presentation gives examples from two organisations on how to identify some of these issues and navigate the perilous journey through to the new world of continuous delivery.