DevOps maturity in an IT service environment

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Motivation
• Research Questions
• Research Design
• Outline / Remainder
• Research Methods
• Literature Review Methods
• Empirical Methods
• Literature Review
• Scope
• Research Process
• Systematic Literature Review
• Targeted Review
• Results
• Systematic Literature Review
• Targeted Review
• Empirical Research
• Case Description
• Research Process
• Results
• Practitioner Perception of DevOps
• Model Revision, Iteration 1
• Model Revision, Iteration 2
• The DevOps Assessment Model
• Model Presentation
• The DevOps Mindset Assessment
• The DevOps Capability Assessment
• Model Development
• Managerial Implications on Using the DevOps Assessment Model
• Evaluation
• Summative
• Formative
• Discussion, Limitations, Future Research

Objectives and Key Themes

This master thesis examines the concept of DevOps and its practical application in an IT service environment. The main objective is to develop and evaluate a maturity model that can be used to assess an organization's DevOps performance. This model is intended to help practitioners understand their current state of DevOps maturity and identify areas for improvement.

• Characteristics and implementation criteria of DevOps
• Development of a maturity model for assessing DevOps performance
• Application of the maturity model in real-world IT service environments
• Evaluation of the model's effectiveness and potential limitations
• Recommendations for future research and application of the DevOps assessment model

Chapter Summaries

• Introduction: This chapter provides a motivation for the research, outlines the research questions, and introduces the research design. It also briefly discusses the organization of the thesis.
• Research Methods: This chapter describes the methods used in the literature review and empirical research. It explains the systematic literature review process, the targeted review, and the action design research approach employed for the empirical study.
• Literature Review: This chapter presents the findings from the systematic and targeted literature reviews. It examines the existing research on DevOps, including its outcomes, culture and mindset, organizational environment, automation, and tools.
• Empirical Research: This chapter describes the empirical study conducted in an IT service environment. It includes details on the case description, the research process, and the results obtained from interviews and workshops with practitioners.
• The DevOps Assessment Model: This chapter presents the developed DevOps assessment model, which consists of a mindset assessment and a capability assessment. It discusses the model's structure, development, and potential implications for managers.
• Evaluation: This chapter evaluates the DevOps assessment model based on its summative and formative aspects. It assesses the model's effectiveness, limitations, and future research opportunities.

Keywords

This master thesis focuses on the key concepts of DevOps, maturity models, IT service management, and continuous delivery. The research investigates the characteristics of DevOps, develops a maturity model for assessing DevOps performance, and evaluates the model's application in an IT service environment. The work emphasizes the importance of understanding the DevOps maturity level to improve collaboration, communication, and efficiency in software development and IT operations.