How Tech Leaders Are Using DevOps for Change

DevOps is an increasingly popular method for innovation, with the intention often a higher pace of change. Change management is a more traditional method for change and is not typically associated with rapid innovation. According to our recent report on how Tech Leaders are approaching change, some companies are deploying DevOps methodologies for change. Many more expect to be there eventually.

Adoption of DevOps to Support Change Management 

A small portion (16%) of tech leaders surveyed say their companies have adopted DevOps to support change—but half are either currently implementing the methodology (23%) or planning to adopt (23%). Most leaders say they are using or considering, with less than a quarter (24%) saying they have no plans to ever bring the strategy to support change.

DevOps are even more popular among tech leaders that rate their ability to drive change highly. These successful change drivers have adopted the methodology at a rate of 23%.

DevOps Methodologies Align with Change Expectations Overall

Companies deploy DevOps to bring about more efficient innovation, shortening the time to new and improved product offerings, or development in technologies such as SAP S/4HANA. With more efficient business processes as the top expectation of change among tech leaders, the agile strategy may be a means to that goal.

Top Expectations of Change

Automation is also an element of DevOps, and the next higher expectation of change for tech leaders is automating key areas of the business. With automation and efficiency as key goals, it’s no surprise that DevOps appears to be on the rise and on the radar for nearly three-quarters of leaders we surveyed.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

Based on our research into how tech leaders are approaching change, SAPinsiders should consider the following:

Institutionalize DevOps practices wherever possible. One of the striking differences between leaders and laggards in our study is the fact that our leaders have been quicker to adopt DevOps and are also more aggressive in their exploration of new strategies. As more companies move to the cloud and spin off a greater amount of development projects, DevOps will be critical in removing siloes, and managing change in application and development environments.

Invest in strategies and culture, not just technology. While our research shows that those companies that are successfully managing change are investing in automation and other technologies, they are also the most willing to commit to change management centers of excellence and other foundational elements that can manage and drive change not just for a single project, but also in the long term.

Download the full CIO Benchmark report “How Tech Executives are Leading Organizational and Technology Change” for more insights.