Presentation about how GitLab builds its product. Given at Cloud Expo London 2018

1. Job van der Voort - @Jobvo
Principles of Iteration
@Jobvo

2. GitLab
@Jobvo

3. First commit Oct 9, 2011
Inc. established in 2014
@Jobvo - about.gitlab.com/history

4. GitLab Inc. is why I'm here today
@Jobvo

5. 253 employees
>67 pets
@Jobvo - about.gitlab.com/team/

6. Zero offices
~36 different countries
@Jobvo - about.gitlab.com/team/

7. (Almost) everything is open
@Jobvo - about.gitlab.com/handbook

8. Extremely iterative
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9. Why you should listen to me
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10. Q3 2015
First version of GitLab CI
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11. Q3 2017
GitLab CI Leader in Forrester Wave
CI Tools
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12. @Jobvo

13. PRINCIPLES OF ITERATION
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14. Focus on customer value
@Jobvo

15. Focus on customer value
Consistently build cool things that
people like
@Jobvo

16. Only possible to do consistently by
iteration
@Jobvo

17. First principle
SHORTEN YOUR CYCLE
@Jobvo

18. @Jobvo

19. Cycle time
Time it takes to go from writing down an idea to
shipping that change in production
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

20. Shorter cycles |>
More iterative
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

21. Skate to where the puck is going to be
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

22. Skate to where the puck is going to be
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

23. How?
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

24. 1. Shorter cycles
Minimally Viable Change (MVC)
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

25. 1. Shorter cycles
Deploy frequently (Continuously)
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

26. 1. Shorter cycles
Deploy more when it hurts
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

27. 1. Shorter cycles
Include gatekeepers into each step of the
cycle
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

28. 1. Shorter cycles
Automate everything
1. Have a great test suite (aim for 85% coverage)
2. Automatically deploy on merge to staging / preprod / prod
3. Automatic roll-out and roll-back
4. Adopting Cloud Native (Kubernetes + GitLab) makes this all
100x easier
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

29. 1. Shorter cycles
1. Adopt MVC
2. Deploy frequently
3. Deploy more when it hurts
4. Include gatekeepers into the conversation
5. Automate everything
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

30. 1. Shorter cycles
Result:
• Easier to coordinate, reason, estimate
• Quicker to respond to market needs
• Higher predictability
• Better code quality
• Easier to troubleshoot
@Jobvo - 1: Shorten your cycle

31. Second principle
ADOPT CONVERSATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
@Jobvo

32. Conversational Development
(ConvDev)
Asynchronous, result-driven way of
communicating
@Jobvo - 2: Adopt ConvDev

33. ConvDev is why GitLab can exist
@Jobvo - 2: Adopt ConvDev

34. 2. ConvDev
Write everything down
@Jobvo - 2: Adopt ConvDev

35. 2. ConvDev
Thread the conversation through all stages
@Jobvo - 2: Adopt ConvDev

36. 2. ConvDev
Thread the conversation through all stages
@Jobvo - 2: Adopt ConvDev

37. 2. ConvDev
Asynchronous communication without need
for consensus
@Jobvo - 2: Adopt ConvDev

38. 2. ConvDev
1. Write everything down
2. Thread the conversation through all stages
3. Async without consensus
@Jobvo - 2: Adopt ConvDev

39. 2. ConvDev
Results
• Everyone can always move forward with their work
• Higher efficiency
• Every change and decision is written down and visible
• Can track cycle time
@Jobvo - 2: Adopt ConvDev

40. Short cycle times + ConvDev =
Awesome
@Jobvo

41. Small changes that are easily
revertable / rolled back
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42. There is a clear audit trail for each
and every change
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43. Everyone looks at the same things
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44. Third principle
MEASURE AND LEARN
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45. Connecting business with change
@Jobvo - 3: Measure and learn

46. See how any change affects (business)
metrics in the same place
(You can do this today in GitLab)
@Jobvo - 3: Measure and learn

47. SUMMARY TIME
@Jobvo

48. 1. Shorten your cycles
@Jobvo

49. 2. Adopt ConvDev (async
communication)
@Jobvo

50. 3. Measure and learn
@Jobvo

51. Questions?@Jobvo / job@gitlab.com
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GitLab 10.6 out tomorrow!
@Jobvo