A critical analysis of the impact of DevOps on information technology organisations: a case study

Abstract

Volatile market conditions push businesses to develop strategies to adapt. Information technology organisations are no exception, and some of them have adopted DevOps, while others are in the process of implementing it. DevOps is a software development philosophy that involves the working together of various departments, such as development, operations, and other software development departments, with the common aim of accomplishing common business objectives. However, little has been done to establish the footprint of DevOps in information technology organisations, hence, this phenomenon remains inadequately communicated and not fully understood in both the practitioner and academic research communities. The current study therefore used a single case study to build a theory about different scenarios of successful DevOps implementation in a multinational company that is headquartered in South Africa. Various DevOps role players were engaged to obtain their perceptions regarding the DevOps adoption process that the organisation went through. An overview of the existing literature provided information on how organisations have restructured during the DevOps implementation process. The study then compared the existing views on DevOps as found in the literature, with the details of real scenarios that occurred during DevOps adoption. This research study aimed to provide an adequate understanding of an appropriate DevOps restructuring approach that would be suitable for information technology organisations, and this will help other institutions to make informed decisions that positively affect the process of migration towards the adoption of DevOps.