DevOps, a process that helps foster collaboration between the teams that create and test applications with the teams that maintain them in production, can help organizations speed up application development, improve software quality and accelerate time-to-market.

For those looking to implement DevOps in their organization, CA Technologies offers the following six steps:

1. Designate an executive-level DevOps evangelist. Organizational complexity is a key obstacle in DevOps, and it demands executive leadership. Only an executive with a higher-level view across IT domains can communicate the mandate to adopt DevOps and make DevOps a must-do for the IT organization as a whole.

2. Appoint DevOps-focused team members from each required domain. These individuals must not only understand the concepts around DevOps, but also the practical applications of processes and technologies to make the DevOps implementation successful.

3. Make a must-have skills list. A number of new business and technology skills will be needed for DevOps. Process experts will help get companies started, and tool specialists will put technology designed to accelerate processes in place. The skills could be scarce, so additional in-house training programs could be required.

4. Streamline processes to incorporate input across development, QA/test and operations. Before rolling out technology, DevOps teams should work on business and IT process improvements to ensure they have identified the pitfalls they could encounter, and plan how to eliminate glitches. Knowledge of existing business processes is a key skill for DevOps.

5. Budget for talent and technology. Additional headcount, training programs and new technology will be needed to make DevOps work. Technologies such as application delivery, service virtualization, IT automation and release management will only be successful with knowledgeable staffers taking the reins. And don’t forget to conduct an internal inventory of tools, identify gaps, and fill the holes needed to support DevOps.

6. Identify the troublemaker applications. IT organizations looking to test DevOps before committing completely might think starting small is the right approach. It’s not. The best way to prove the value of DevOps is to start with an application that has been causing problems across production and headaches for developers trying to work out the code defects. This is the application that will show exactly how much DevOps can do. Use this success to take on the next application, and repeat.

These steps were taken from “TechInsights Report: What Smart Businesses Know About DevOps,” a recent study commissioned by CA Technologies.