DevOps Team
The ones who make everything tick. They're as likely to be getting stuck into future releases as they are to be helping one of our customers out on an integration. So what does a typical day entail, or does it even exist? Let's find out.
We asked, they answered
A few questions we know you were dying to ask our DevOps team
One of the first actions of our week is to join what we call the "DevOps Sprint planning" on Google Meet. The idea is to discuss planned topics for the week and inform other team members of our provisional schedule. Aside from this, every day starts with a good tea or coffee.
Then, at the end of the week, the "DevOps sync meeting" takes place to agree on the planned/carried out actions for the week and discuss potential improvements or problems encountered throughout the week in more detail.
The most important action of the day is any action that responds directly to a customer issue, such as solving a problem or improving an aspect relating to customer feedback. For our team, continuously bringing value to our end users is our key objective ;)
Volt the dog!
We live by one simple rule, "Always find the right balance between perfect tech solution and business needs"
We tend to favor communication by Google Meets, especially when we know that a subject must be treated quickly. We do of course communicate on our Zulip chat as much as possible. We also enjoy one to one meetings on Google Meet, it’s also always a good excuse to see each other :)
Every member of the DevOps team has a voice in any decision taken. We make collective decisions on essential matters and on bases that have been shared (sharing is vital for us). Decision-making is often made during an oral and debated discussion. Sometimes decision-making can be done by voting on our Zulip chat or by presenting a POC (proof of concept) to the team. Other times, decision-making can be individual (depending on the team member's area of expertise, urgency of the topic, etc.) but, of course, the decision and reasoning is shared with the team afterwards.
One example of collective decision making, would be the choice of the product roadmap tool. The initial need for a roadmap tool was raised by Ops and the product team. Those interested in the project volunteered to meet with each team to gauge specific requirements. A comparaison board was created based on the criteria discussed, then the product was chosen after the main users had tested it.
We think that our team works well together as we focus on harbouring a climate of trust, autonomy, sharing, and benevolence. We evolve individually and as a team continuously which allows us to go stronger as a team. Finally, we work as much as possible with a smile on our face and take time to help each other.
→ working with a buddy on a specific topic and resolving difficult issues with the help of all the team
→ time spent at the beginning of the sprint planning asking how everyone's weekend went ;)
We solve our problems by communicating, collecting feedback (via our tools and different Cycloid team members), and collaborating to solve the problem as quickly as possible. We then review what caused the problem to ensure that it does not happen again :)
We share knowledge via dedicated meetings or by sharing links/documents in our Zulip chat stream known as "technology watch".
We also share information by writing internal documentation and participating in pair-programming sessions.
After each customer integration or big technical topic is successfully completed, we set up a dedicated call with all the team to present the project. The call is mostly focussed on the solutions we found and new tips learned.