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Software development and IT operations combined together = DevOps. A DevOps Engineer’s top mission is to shorten the systems development life cycle and deliver a high and secure software quality adopting an Agile development approach. At Thales Digital Factory, we aim to uncover the mysterious world and the odds of digital concepts. Let’s see how it works with one of our DevOps Engineers, Eric Boivin: 

Dev and DevOps, what does it mean in an agile-cultured environment? 

Eric B.: As a DevOps Engineer, I am the facilitator between the Squad, IT and Security Partners. The goal of the DevOps is to improve the deployment frequency, availability and security of the product. I provide and maintain the continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) toolchains to the Squad, including the end-to-end monitoring tools. I also configure the vulnerability management tools which help the Squad and Security Partners to access the vulnerabilities before the product is released to production. 

We fully adopted the Agile Methodology at work and although I'm part of a Scrum team, DevOps tasks are managed via Kanban boards. The priorities are reviewed with the Squad during stand-up meetings. 

As a DevOps Engineer, what is your typical day on a 12-week MVP project? 

Eric B.: At the beginning of the MVP (Minimum Viable Product), I start with the implementation of the Basic MVP Stories (BS). The first stage is to setup a secure development environment in order to host the product for a pre-release. After that step, I implement the other related BS in order to prepare the product for the “go to demo” release following by the “go to prod” release. During the sprint, I make sure to answer the Squad’s need to implement the product features. 

While embracing the Factory’s Culture Manifesto, “Test & Learn Over Plans” is the most important value for a DevOps. We constantly need to review the task priorities to avoid delays in feature deliveries to the user. 

What’s your worst nightmare as a Devops Engineer? 

Eric B.: My worst nightmare is when one of the cloud services is down which prevents me from updating the product. 

How do you think DevOps impact the MVP development based on users’ need? 

Eric B.: The role of DevOps in the MVP is crucial to have a product that meets high security standards. DevOps focus on automating the deployment process so that the developers can work on the features to be released quickly to the customer. 

During the workshops in the MVP scoping phase, the security requirements are defined based on users’ need. For example, the level of security is different if the user will manipulate confidential data with the product. Security needs are reviewed regularly in collaboration with the Product Owner and the Security Partners following user test sessions. It’s a continuous collaboration process to keep the user at the heart of the product development. 

What’s your favorite moment in the development cycle? 

Eric B.: My favorite moment is the last sprint demo. Typically, all the key features of the MVP are demonstrated in the demo environment. It is a deep satisfaction to see all the past weeks team efforts resulting in meeting the user expectations. 

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