The SKIL Framework created by the DevOps Institute focuses on a holistic approach to the human aspect of advancing DevOps rather than the machines involved in it. The DevOps Institute aims to connect people in the DevOps community and provide networking and educational opportunities. 

“We really feel very strongly that while automation is obviously a critical success factor for DevOps, it really is the human factor that’s going to make a difference,” Jayne Groll, CEO of the DevOps Institute, told SD Times.

The framework stands for skill, knowledge, ideas and learning, and it aims to guide people toward the best way to approach upskilling. The DevOps Institute emphasized that there is a tremendous demand for the skills necessary for DevOps; the top three of which were automation skills, process skills and, perhaps most unexpectedly, soft skills, based on the Upskilling: Enterprise DevOps Skill’s Report 2019. 

Groll said that there is a shortage in the skills that are critical to DevOps and that most of the challenges organizations have are tied to the need for these skills. The SKIL framework aims to address that issue by guiding people to receive certifications to prove they understand the subject, have the knowledge to get comprehensive insight, have opportunities to exchange ideas and a path for continuous learning to achieve mastery in skills.  

“We recognize that we needed to create a framework that helps people understand how to transform without being specific to things to things like ITIL or Agile,” Groll said. “DevOps is really about continuous learning and mastery.”

There are countless ways to address upskilling including bootcamps, massive open online courses (MOOCs), higher education institutions and even some effective YouTube videos on the subject at hand. However, Groll says she hopes the framework will provide context for individuals who are told to upskill, but are really struggling to find out the best way to go about it. Groll says she also hopes to provide context for organizations so that they can upskill  their teams. She adds that the DevOps Institute targets all of these facets in its own work. 

The four key elements are:

  • Skill: Focuses on the career growth of individuals and supplies them with the requirements they need to put on CV’s whether that’s certifications, skill assessments or learning paths.
  • Knowledge: Rich content and insight and is meant to supplement one’s career including research reports, case studies and books written about the topic at hand.
  • Ideas: This includes opportunities for people to share ideas, Skillups, slack channel groups, peer-to-peer networking.
  • Learning: Continuous learning, listening to thought leaders give context around DevOps know-how and discovering learning paths toward mastery.