Once development and testing are complete, the application needs to be released to users. This involves packaging the code and running it on production servers where users can access it.

Key Points:

• Release process involves building (packaging) the application into compressed code
• Applications run on servers to be accessible to users
• For existing applications, new features must be integrated into the running code
• The application needs to be updated/upgraded without causing disruptions
• This is where IT Operations comes into play

IT Operations teams are responsible for successfully running software in production environments. Their primary goal is ensuring applications remain available and performant for users.

Key Points:

• IT Operations handle deployment of new features to production servers
• They must ensure zero downtime during upgrades (users shouldn't notice when updates happen)
• Operations teams manage server failures and hardware issues
• They ensure applications can handle millions of requests simultaneously
• Their focus is on infrastructure performance and maintaining optimal IT infrastructure

• Developers work in teams to code applications using various programming languages
• They create new features and fix bugs in existing applications
• Testing happens at multiple levels: developers test their own code, manual testing by dedicated testers, and automated testing
• Automated tests are crucial for complex applications to avoid repetitive manual testing
• Testing ensures that new changes don't break existing functionalities

Development and Operations teams require completely different technical skills and tools, creating communication challenges in the software delivery process.

Key Points:

• Development skills: Programming languages, testing frameworks, databases
• Operations skills: Operating systems (Linux), command line tools, scripting, monitoring tools
• Different skill sets make communication difficult between teams
• Traditional handover process involves developers documenting deployment instructions
• Instructions are often unclear, incomplete, or missing critical details
• This leads to deployment delays that can take weeks or months

DevOps emerged as a solution to bridge the gap between development and operations teams, initially as a culture and methodology rather than a specific job role.

Key Points:

• DevOps started as a culture/way of working to improve developer-operations communication
• It evolved into a dedicated role because it required specialized competencies
• DevOps engineers have subset skills from both development and operations
• They act as intermediaries, speaking the "language" of both teams
• DevOps developed its own unique skills: CI/CD pipelines, Docker, Kubernetes
• Core competency: Building continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines

The methodology used for software development significantly influences the speed and efficiency of the entire development and delivery process.

Key Points:

• Waterfall Method: Sequential approach where entire application is planned, developed, tested, and deployed in large batches
• Waterfall creates long cycles (months/years) with multiple failure points and limited feedback
• Agile Methodology: Features are developed, tested, and deployed individually with immediate feedback
• Agile enables faster, more dynamic, and easily changeable development processes
• Popular agile implementations: Scrum and Kanban
• Agile methodology supports the need for DevOps practices and continuous integration/delivery