BizDevOps, or DevOps 2.0, is a buzzword that’s been flying around for a while.
But what exactly is BizDevOps, and why should it be of your interest?
Let’s start by establishing the facts.
The brief history of BizDevOps
For a long time, software development teams worked in isolation from business and operation teams.
The business team used to pass documented product requirements to the development team, which translated them into code. The code was later handed off to the operations team to get deployed.
On the upside, each team had specified responsibilities, and the scope of work was clearly defined. On the downside, the feedback loop and time-to-market were very long, and the product wasn’t exactly as expected.
After a while, the DevOps philosophy became a thing and division between development and operation dissipated. Software improved in quality and speed of delivery. However, the challenge of delivering business value remained.
In 2020, during Devopsdays oNLine conference, Henk van der Schuur, Customer Director at Schuberg Philis, highlighted the need for a better solution:
“DevOps needs a sequel. Doing ‘just the DevOps trick’ alone isn’t going to cut it anymore. Business wants to be involved. BizDevOps is about organizing a short time-to-value, and it actually reduces risk as it allows things to fail early, and to fail fast — together with the business.”
— Henk van der Schuur, Software Production Enthusiast & Customer Director at Schuberg Philis, during devopsdays oNLine 2020
And so the BizDevOps movement began to grow.
BizDevOps brings value that no other approach could
BizDevOps gathers all the people interested in building a product under a common goal — to deliver the right solution to end-users.
It reduces the hand-offs and speeds up the feedback loops and decision-making. As a result, bugs are identified quicker, changes implemented more efficiently, and the results assessed more frequently to enable immediate course corrections.
The role of a business team broadens and evolves from specifying requirements to closely collaborating with development and operations teams.
But BizDevOps brings value not only to business. Developers start taking part in strategic planning and have more decisive power and ownership over the project.
The whole team regularly evaluates risks and seeks opportunities with the ultimate goal to modify the product’s vision and adapt it to users’ needs even more accurately.
“The BizDevOps view of work culture requires that you continually review past results, are ready for change, and agree on whether collaboration and product creation are moving in the right direction.”
— Michał Baćkowski, Delivery Manager at Brainhub
How to implement BizDevOps?
Implementing BizDevOps should begin with inviting business stakeholders to take part in the development process and discuss the product vision, goals, and priorities. Your team needs a common goal, a clear process, and mutual KPIs.
How can you make this happen?
We dedicated a whole section to this topic in the article “BizDevOps — a Bridge Between Business and Tech”, which presents BizDevOps in an approachable and actionable way.
