Continuous Delivery & DevOps

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/uva-darden-continous-delivery-devops

Introduction

### Course Review: Continuous Delivery & DevOps on Coursera In the fast-paced world of software development and digital innovation, the ability to deliver updates and new features swiftly is pivotal. The “Continuous Delivery & DevOps” course on Coursera offers an in-depth exploration of this essential aspect of modern software engineering. This review aims to detail the course structure, its learning outcomes, and why it’s highly recommended for both developers and managers. #### Overview As highlighted, companies like Amazon have set a gold standard by deploying new code every 11.6 seconds, redefining the norms of software release cycles. This course is designed for those eager to understand how to achieve such remarkable speed and reliability in their delivery processes. It emphasizes the importance of combining technical acumen with managerial strategies to create a thriving DevOps culture within organizations. #### Course Syllabus Breakdown 1. **The Importance of Velocity & The Jobs of Delivery** - This module addresses the chaos of meeting software demands in a busy environment. The focus is on understanding the balance between process improvement and the urgent needs of product development. Participants are introduced to the principles of DevOps and continuous delivery, laying the groundwork for the strategies that follow. 2. **Your Testing Stack** - This section dives into the significance of testing in the continuous delivery pipeline. It stresses the importance of automating repetitive tasks and the role of collaboration in DevOps. By examining different components of a testing stack, learners will gain insights into effective automated testing practices that streamline workflows and reduce errors. 3. **Infrastructure and The Jobs of Ops** - Recognizing that much of the software functionality relies on third-party code and systems, this module focuses on managing these elements efficiently. Understanding how to harness existing infrastructure and improve operational capabilities is crucial for a successful continuous delivery model. Participants will explore various techniques and tools that facilitate effective environment management. 4. **Delivering Continuously** - The final section equips learners with the tools needed to implement continuous delivery effectively. It emphasizes creating and maintaining momentum in your delivery pipeline, ensuring long-term success. By focusing on the right priorities and leveraging initial investments, teams can keep their delivery capabilities healthy and robust. #### Why This Course Stands Out - **Comprehensive Content:** The course covers all critical aspects of continuous delivery and DevOps, making it valuable for professionals at different levels of their careers. - **Practical Approach:** With a focus on real-world applications, students can expect to gain insights that are directly translatable to their workplaces. - **Flexible Learning:** Being available on Coursera, the course allows for self-paced learning, making it ideal for working professionals. - **Supportive Learning Environment:** Learners can engage with peers and instructors, fostering a collaborative environment that enhances the educational experience. #### Who Should Enroll? This course is particularly recommended for: - **Software Developers** seeking to enhance their skills in continuous integration and deployment. - **Project Managers and Team Leads** who want to facilitate better communication between development and operations teams. - **Quality Assurance Engineers** aiming to integrate more automated testing into their workflows. - **Tech Enthusiasts** wanting a solid foundation in modern software development methodologies. ### Conclusion Overall, the “Continuous Delivery & DevOps” course on Coursera is an invaluable resource for anyone involved in software development and delivery. Its comprehensive curriculum, practical focus, and flexibility make it an excellent investment in professional development. By facilitating a deeper understanding of DevOps and continuous delivery practices, this course aims to equip learners with the skills needed to thrive in today’s competitive tech landscape. Whether you are looking to bolster your technical capabilities or lead your team with effective delivery strategies, this course is highly recommended for your educational journey. Enroll today and take the next step toward mastering the art of continuous delivery!

Syllabus

The Importance of Velocity & The Jobs of Delivery

If your job is to make software, you’re probably busy. Everyone needs new features yesterday. Stuff breaks. How do you make time to work smarter? How do you know where you should focus the time you do have for process improvement? In this week, we’ll cover the fundamentals of DevOps and continuous delivery with an emphasis on the relationship between required investment and benefits.

Focusing and automating your software testing is one of the most critical foundation elements to a continuous delivery capability. Thinking like a developer and looking at how to automate repetitive tasks is a lot of what DevOps collaboration is about. In this week, we’ll explore the test stack with a focus on the when and how’s of automated testing.

Something like 99% of the code that delivers your functionality to the user is code you don’t write- it’s an operating system and supporting packages from third parties. The quality and availability of standard components has driven down the cost of software development exponentially. It’s also increased the importance of managing this supporting code and the environments where it runs to support your application. In this week, we’ll look at the techniques and tools teams are using to manage their environments and operations for continuous delivery.

You now have an understanding of the key components of a continuous delivery capability. The key to success is focusing on the right things at the right time and creating momentum with your initial investments on the capability. In this final week, we’ll look at how teams get their continuous capability online and keep their pipeline healthy.