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Alex Cowan

Amazon famously delivers new code every 11.6 seconds. Just a few years ago, this was unthinkable: many ‘cutting edge’ firms would release software quarterly. When it comes to digital innovation, velocity is critical and many would say it’s the most reliable determinant of success.

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Amazon famously delivers new code every 11.6 seconds. Just a few years ago, this was unthinkable: many ‘cutting edge’ firms would release software quarterly. When it comes to digital innovation, velocity is critical and many would say it’s the most reliable determinant of success.

Bringing an organization to the state of the art (or even functional capability) in this area requires strong work in a combination of disciplines and a combination of both technical and managerial skills. There is no single cookie-cutter approach for achieving this capability. Much like agile, the right focus and formulation depends a lot on the facts and circumstances of the team. This course, developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and taught by top-ranked faculty, will provide you with the interdisciplinary skill set to cultivate a continuous deployment capability in your organization.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Diagnose a team’s delivery pipeline and bring forward prioritized recommendations to improve it

2. Explain the skill sets and roles involved in DevOps and how they contribute toward a continuous delivery capability

3. Review and deliver automation tests across the development stack

4. Explain the key jobs of system operations and how today’s leading techniques and tools apply to them

5. Explain how high-functioning teams use DevOps and related methods to reach a continuous delivery capability

6. Facilitate prioritized, iterative team progress on improving a delivery pipeline

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What's inside

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.
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Taught by top-ranked faculty at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia
Focuses on the DevOps skill set, which is highly relevant in industry
Develops the specialized skills and knowledge required for a continuous delivery capability
Provides hands-on experience with the tools and methods of continuous delivery
Requires prerequisite knowledge in DevOps and software development

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Reviews summary

Practical continuous delivery & devops guide

According to learners, this course provides a solid and practical foundation in Continuous Delivery and DevOps principles. Students appreciate the focus on real-world application and feel the concepts taught are directly applicable to their jobs. The course offers a comprehensive overview of key topics, including automated testing, infrastructure management, and team dynamics, delivered through clear and engaging lectures. While many found it highly beneficial for professional development, some reviews suggest that having a foundational understanding of IT and development concepts is helpful, indicating it might be best suited for those with some prior technical background rather than complete beginners. Overall, it's seen as a highly valuable resource for professionals looking to implement or improve DevOps practices.
Best for those with IT knowledge.
"While comprehensive, some sections assumed a level of technical familiarity that might challenge absolute beginners."
"Having some prior knowledge of software development and IT infrastructure was definitely beneficial for grasping some concepts."
"If you're completely new to IT, you might find the pace fast in places, but it's manageable with effort."
"I'd recommend this course more for developers or IT pros rather than someone with zero technical background."
Lectures are clear and engaging.
"The instructor is very knowledgeable and explains complex ideas in a clear and understandable way."
"I found the video lectures engaging and easy to follow, which made learning enjoyable."
"The presentation style kept me interested throughout the course material."
"Really appreciated the clarity of the explanations for sometimes abstract concepts."
Covers key CD/DevOps topics.
"The course provides an excellent overview of the entire continuous delivery landscape, from testing to operations."
"It covered all the critical areas of DevOps, giving me a broad understanding of how different pieces fit together."
"I appreciated the syllabus structure; it built up the concepts logically week by week, providing a complete picture."
"Good coverage of automated testing and the jobs of ops, which are central to CD."
Focuses on real-world practice.
"I found the practical examples and case studies incredibly valuable; I can see how to apply these concepts directly to my team's workflow."
"This course gave me actionable strategies and tools to improve our deployment pipeline immediately. Very practical advice."
"The emphasis on applying DevOps principles in a business context was exactly what I needed. It wasn't just theory."
"Learning how to diagnose and improve our delivery pipeline is something I've already started doing at work."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Continuous Delivery & DevOps with these activities:
Review Web Development Core Concepts
Review fundamental web development concepts such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to enhance your understanding of the course material.
Browse courses on Web Development
Show steps
  • Review HTML syntax and structure
  • Practice building basic HTML layouts
  • Explore CSS properties and selectors
  • Write CSS to style and position HTML elements
  • Practice using JavaScript for basic interactivity and DOM manipulation
Read DevOps Handbook
Gain insights into best practices and real-world case studies by reading this foundational DevOps handbook.
Show steps
  • Read the book thoroughly and take notes
  • Identify key concepts and principles
  • Relate the book's content to the course topics
  • Discuss your learnings with your team or classmates
  • Apply the principles to your own projects or work
Complete Coding Challenges
Engage in practice drills and coding challenges related to DevOps and continuous deployment to enhance your problem-solving skills.
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Show steps
  • Identify coding platforms or websites offering challenges
  • Select challenges aligned with course topics, such as CI/CD, testing, or deployment
  • Attempt to solve the challenges independently
  • Review solutions and learn from your mistakes
  • Apply your learnings to practical scenarios in the course
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Create a Deployment Automation Script
Develop a script or tool to automate the deployment process, enhancing your DevOps skills and reducing manual effort.
Browse courses on Automation
Show steps
  • Identify the deployment steps and requirements
  • Research and choose an appropriate scripting language
  • Write the script to automate the deployment process
  • Test and debug the script
  • Integrate the script into your continuous delivery pipeline
Attend DevOps Workshops
Participate in workshops or online events focused on DevOps and continuous delivery practices to enhance your practical knowledge.
Browse courses on DevOps
Show steps
  • Research and identify relevant workshops
  • Register and attend the workshops
  • Take notes and actively participate in discussions
  • Apply the concepts and techniques learned to your own projects
  • Share your learnings with your team or classmates
Write a DevOps Case Study
Develop a case study on a successful DevOps implementation, analyzing benefits, challenges, and lessons learned to enhance your understanding and critical thinking.
Browse courses on Case study
Show steps
  • Identify a suitable case study topic
  • Research and gather data on the case study
  • Analyze the DevOps practices and outcomes
  • Write a comprehensive report outlining the findings
  • Present your case study to your team or classmates
Develop a Continuous Delivery Pipeline
Build a continuous delivery pipeline from scratch, integrating concepts covered in the course such as testing, automation, and deployment.
Browse courses on Continuous Delivery
Show steps
  • Define the project scope and goals
  • Set up source control and versioning
  • Automate testing and build processes
  • Configure a continuous integration server
  • Implement a deployment process
  • Monitor and optimize the pipeline

Career center

Learners who complete Continuous Delivery & DevOps will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Systems Administrator
A Systems Administrator is responsible for managing and maintaining computer systems and networks. This course may be helpful for Systems Administrators looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Continuous Deployment Engineer
A Continuous Deployment Engineer is responsible for ensuring that software is continuously delivered to production environments. This course may be helpful for Continuous Deployment Engineers looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
DevOps Engineer
A DevOps Engineer is responsible for bridging the gap between development and operations teams. This course may be helpful for DevOps Engineers looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Operations Engineer
An Operations Engineer is responsible for maintaining and supporting IT systems and infrastructure. This course may be helpful for Operations Engineers looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Software Engineer
A Software Engineer designs, develops, and maintains software systems. This course may be helpful for Software Engineers looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Quality Assurance Analyst
A Quality Assurance Analyst is responsible for testing and ensuring the quality of software products. This course may be helpful for Quality Assurance Analysts looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Automation Engineer
An Automation Engineer designs, develops, and maintains automated systems. This course may be helpful for Automation Engineers looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Cloud Engineer
A Cloud Engineer designs, develops, and maintains cloud-based systems and applications. This course may be helpful for Cloud Engineers looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Release Manager
A Release Manager is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing software releases. This course may be helpful for Release Managers looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Project Manager
A Project Manager is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing projects. This course may be helpful for Project Managers looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Technical Program Manager
A Technical Program Manager is responsible for managing and coordinating technical projects. This course may be helpful for Technical Program Managers looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
IT Manager
An IT Manager is responsible for managing and overseeing the IT department of an organization. This course may be helpful for IT Managers looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Solutions Architect
A Solutions Architect designs and implements IT solutions for organizations. This course may be helpful for Solutions Architects looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Business Analyst
A Business Analyst analyzes and documents business requirements for IT systems. This course may be helpful for Business Analysts looking to further develop their skills. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
Engineer
An Engineer builds, tests, and repairs products, processes, and systems. This course may be helpful for Engineers looking to develop or expand their skills for continuous delivery. The course will teach you how to diagnose and improve delivery pipelines, explain skill sets and roles involved in DevOps, deliver automation tests, explain key jobs of system operations, and understand how high-functioning teams use DevOps and Continuous Delivery. With this knowledge, you can build and maintain products and systems more efficiently and effectively.

Reading list

We've selected six books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Continuous Delivery & DevOps .
Practical guide to implementing DevOps in your organization. It covers everything from the basics of DevOps to advanced topics such as continuous deployment and infrastructure automation.
Presents the results of a five-year study of high-performing technology organizations. It identifies the key factors that contribute to success, including a strong DevOps culture.
Fictional story about a team of IT professionals who implement DevOps in their organization. It great way to learn about the benefits of DevOps in a practical and engaging way.
Guide to the Lean Startup methodology, which process for developing and validating new products and services. It valuable resource for anyone looking to apply the principles of continuous delivery to their business.
Practical guide to continuous deployment with Kubernetes. It covers everything from the basics of Kubernetes to advanced topics such as Helm charts and blue-green deployments.
Comprehensive guide to site reliability engineering (SRE). It covers everything from the basics of SRE to advanced topics such as chaos engineering and incident response.

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