A-Team of Top Tier

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young man wear eyeglasses on wall at home
I’m a team player, I just don’t like working on teams.
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Yeah it’s that time again, time to find out why being that hotshot lone ranger could do you more harm than good. You’ve been tasked with working on the creation of an application, and it has to reach the market as quickly as possible.

However, since it’s just you and you’re only one person, being able to launch is going to take a tall order chunk of time. You find this situation would be better suited if you were to have a team…I know what you’re thinking and no I wasn’t trying to make an A-Team reference, the words just landed in such a way.

Anyway, you’re pondering if you should gather a team to work on the creation of this wonderful, ground-breaking application. How would you feel if I told you that like finding anything you need on the internet, there’s an app for that?

Well not an actual app per se to build the team, but then again there’s an app for Indeed that kind of works like what we’re talking about- you know what, never mind, just know in order to build this team you’re going to need Indeed.

older man wearing a blue shirt
You mean there was a time before me? No grandpa, not that far.
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Developers Before Ops

So in the land before trying new ideas was a thing, when applications and such were in development there would be a team of developers and a team of operations.

The developers would go through several steps in creating an application, these steps were to plan, code, build, and test. On the other side, operations’ primary function was to test what the developers had made and provide feedback on what worked and what didn’t.

Operations steps were to deploy, operate, and monitor. An issue with working in this fashion was, when the developers were done and handed off to operations, many if not all of them took on other projects and by the time operations returned with their feedback for the developers to work on…they were, well for lack of better words, gone. Sounds bad? It was.

What was the solution to this problem? Well it’s the team we were talking about earlier. You didn’t read that part? Shame on you, go back up and read your line.

The name of the team is called DevOps, this is just a combination of the two… real creative I know. DevOps aims to shorten the development life cycle and provide rapid delivery with high software quality.

DevOps is complementary to Agile software development, actually, several aspects of DevOps came from the Agile way of working. I can see you with your hand raised. Z-daddy, what is Agile? Worry not child of mine, Z-daddy has you covered.

Agile is an iterative approach to project management and development that deliver value to their customers faster. There’s more to it than that but explaining would take over this script.

Just know the combination of developers and operations working in tandem speeds up the process and there are fewer headaches to deal with.

young man reading a burning newspaper
Our project went up in flames…the irony.
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Fathering DevOps

Who in their right mind would think to adopt this crazy outside-of-the-box format way of working?

Many large-name companies like; Amazon, Target, Nordstrom, Netflix, and Walmart have made the switch to DevOps and have seen a decent return in doing so. The DevOps model relies on effective tooling to help teams rapidly and reliably deploy and innovate.

So like with Netflix, when they adopted the DevOps model, they created a tool called “Simian Army” which created bugs in their systems on purpose to motivate developers to create kind of a “be prepared for anything” type of situation, so you could Netflix and become or find out you’re a baby’s daddy without having to worry about your service ever going out…which is kind of chill.

uncertain black man in hoodie
You said I’m who daddy now?
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Keys and Goals

What’s that? “This is madness,” you say. “Other things that make DevOps so important are that it emphasizes team empowerment, cross-team communication and collaboration, and technology automation.

All of this is supposed to nullify what happened back in the old days of development, I only say “supposed” because not sure if you have ever worked for a large company or not but if you have, you will know that communication is, for lack of better terms non-existent.

Again, I know that every company is different or at least they try to be but, in my experience, dear sweet Satan it’s been bad. Anyway, DevOps at its core, the ultimate goal is to enable the organization to deliver continuous value to its customers.

At the end of the day, the aim is for the customer to be happy with the product and use it worry-free.

photo of woman in red top wearing eyeglasses
Daddy said get out, but what if that was my goal all along?
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Degrees of Daddy Issues

So, have you been feeling peer pressure of returning to school to get a degree? Your daddy has been telling you to “either get a degree in something or get out”?

Well…I have good news and bad news. The good news first is, like always, Z-daddy got you and would never kick you out…unless you broke in then you would have to leave.

The bad news, however, is that you may have to leave if you don’t want to spend time in college because you don’t have to in order to get into DevOps… or many other fields. I don’t know why we’re still harping on the four or how many ever years in college troupe.

Education is, for the most part, free nowadays, going to a college is like going to a restaurant, depending on which one you attend you’re really just going because of the name. Sorry for the monologue, back to the script.

DevOps attracts people with technical and non-technical backgrounds, meaning you can be an intern who fetches coffee, refills, and beats on printers, and still, find your way to DevOps.

Alternate resources are doing some online courses or a coding Bootcamp. Gaining extensive knowledge of the Software Development Life Cycle or SDCL, automation tools, and processes to resolve complex operational problems would see you well.

Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.

Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Do you have an interest in joining a DevOps team?

Script a comment below about what company you would dev for.

The Power of Scrum: Enhancing Productivity and Adaptability in Project-Based Work

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rugby players doing a group huddle
Remember, even if we lose, we’re still winners. Tom, that doesn’t even make sense.
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Here is a question I have which needs to be answered. Have you ever been at a job orientation, and they inform you about the ongoings of the job? You sit listening, hearing all processes of how they typically get the job done and afterward hearing what’s expected, you calmly scratch your head with a question mark above it.

After counting how many times you said to yourself while listening, “that’s not legal” you follow this by questioning how they manage to stay in business. Contemplating the thought that you may have to employ a lawyer because they might become froggy and well you know…leap over your boundaries.

Poorly ran companies aside, which is most of them, I’m still struggling to understand how large companies make millions of dollars a day, ran by incompetence, and yet people are terrified to start a business is beyond me. Power to the sheep, I guess.

But anyway, ranting aside, would you believe me that there are some processes created out in the world that actually works and makes sense at the same time? No, you say? Keep reading, believe me, you’re going to come to trust this process.

young man with grey hoodie speaking in front of peers.
No one told you to think, we’ve been over this, your idea was already created by Grub Hub.
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New Game+

What is this amazing game-changing process put in place for you to get things done efficiently and on time? It looks like you may be audibling to something called Scrum. But Z-daddy, isn’t scrum like some type of football huddle or something?

One, what you’re inquiring about happens in Rugby, and two, quiet dear sweet child of mine, let me explain. Scrum is a management framework that teams use to self-organize and work towards a common goal. If you have ever worked on a team before, you will know getting people on the same page can be quite difficult since people are well, going to be people.

Don’t know what I mean? Try being the new guy voicing a set of good ideas and having a bright outlook on life, they’ll get shoved where the sun doesn’t shine quickly, trust me. Scrum’s framework begins with a simple premise; start with what can be seen or known and then track progress and tweak when necessary.

This is project management with an initial emphasis on software development, although it has been applied to other fields such as research, sales, marketing, and technologies. The key difference between Agile and Scrum is that Agile is a philosophy about how to successfully deliver software to a customer, scrum is a proven methodology for software development teams to follow.

Scrum involves a set of meetings, tools, and roles for efficient project delivery. This emphasizes teamwork, accountability, and iterative progress toward a well-defined goal. Much like a sports team practicing for a big match, practices allow teams to self-manage, learn from experience, and adapt to change.

This is the equivalent of reflecting on that blind date that turned into a one-night stand, it was good, and you don’t feel bad that it happened, but you ponder if it happened again would there be a better outcome?

football team at the line of scrimmage
Somehow…this photo doesn’t make sense.
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Creeping in the Backfield

You may be thinking to yourself, “Who uses meth- I mean Scrum methodology?” Well Scrum is used by companies of all sizes for its ability to provide high-end collaboration and efficiency for project-based work.

In fact, anyone who needs to produce a product, such as a webpage, software program, script like this one, and even a construction project can utilize scrum methodology. This framework is defined to address complex adaptive problems in an organization while creatively and productively delivering products of the highest value.

There are a few drawbacks to Scrum, however, one being “scope creep”. No, not that person that attempts to watch you take a shower from across the street with a telescope.

Scope creep, if you didn’t know is the addition of possible improvements to a project that was not a part of the “definition of done”. Just think of it like shopping at Target for a few things and walking out with half of the store.

Scope creep happens in Scrum when there is a lack of a definite end date and this also happens if individuals working aren’t very committed or cooperative, which raises the chance of project failure. The adoption of the Scrum framework in large teams is a challenge. However, the framework can be successful only with seasoned team members.

cherries placed in position to make the number five.
This is the symbolism of how work gets done.
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Cherry-picking Values

Do you want to know how important this methodology is? Scrum helps in a large increase in productivity and reduction in time to benefits compared to the traditional waterfall process.

The adoption of Scrum has helped companies to easily adapt to changing requirements and create a product that matches the business objectives that are emerging fast.

There are five core values for handling a project that Scrum follows; number one is, they ask for it in a relationship but get scared when you do it, and that would be commitment – all members are committed to time-based tasks and goals and are dedicated to continuous improvement to find the best solution.

Two is a thing many people lack in their lives, courage – displaying courage by asking open, challenging questions to arrive at the best solution.

Three is I have it but frequently lose it, focus – members will work on the selected tasks to provide deliverables within a limited time frame.

Four is another thing asked for in a relationship, but I’m terrified of displaying it, and that is openness- members are open to new ideas and opportunities that support individual learning and overall project quality.

And finally, put some of that on my name, five is respect – members respect the project managers, each other, and the process. These five core values give birth to a culture of respect and create a spirit of mutual collaboration and cooperation within the team…hopefully.

young woman sat thinking
It wasn’t bad…and it was just that one night. I’ll call him back…maybe.
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Worry Not, Need Not

At this point, you’re probably wondering if this is something you need any certification or degree to be a part of. Since this is a framework and not actual job placement, you don’t need a degree or certification.

However, you would benefit from familiarizing yourself with a reading or two going into further detail about Scrum. If you’re interested in becoming a leader of the gang then you could benefit from taking some courses on becoming a Scrum Daddy.

Advent readers know the reference and if you don’t then read my script on Scrum Daddies and find out if you’re one or not.

gentleman sat at laptop with a cup and smiling
It was just a tiny fart…she’ll call me back.
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Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.

Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Have you ever worked scrum before?

Script a comment below about your experience or what you hope for.