The document discusses the evolving role of team leaders in DevOps transformations, emphasizing the importance of capacity allocation and work planning. It outlines two approaches for team leaders: 'move in' to participate directly with the team or 'move out' to support from a distance, along with four key focus areas for effective leadership. These focus areas include fostering a learning culture, promoting automation, guiding career development, and clarifying prioritization responsibilities.

2. The changing role of the
TEAM LEADER
in a DevOps transformation
Steve Mactaggart @stevemac

3. Steve Mactaggart
Application Delivery Evangineer
$ whoami

4. @stevemac
What makes a team leader?
Responsibility for people
Ownership of process
Technical leader
Allocate capacity
Business influence
Strategic thinking
Plan work

5. @stevemac
Agile and DevOps myths
• They are the same thing
• DevOps is just about Automation
• We don’t need Operations staff anymore

6. @stevemac
DevOps
“DevOps is an extension of agile that
brings responsibility for long term
systems operations to delivery teams”

7. @stevemac
Where is the biggest change?
Allocate capacity
Plan work

8. @stevemac
With DevOps
How we allocate capacity has changed
We have long-lived persistent teams - Capacity is known

9. @stevemac
With DevOps
How we plan work has changed
Teams do work and have defined backlogs - Work is planned

10. @stevemac
With DevOps
If we have a handle on:
• Allocating capacity
• Planning work
What is the role of a Team Leader?

11. @stevemac
The two options
Move In - Join the team
Move Out - Support the team

12. @stevemac
Move In - Join the team
• Product Owner
• Scrum Master
• Technical Lead
• JATM - Just another team member

13. @stevemac
Move Out - Support the team
• Product Manager
• Capability Leader
• Business Sponsor

14. 4 key foci

15. @stevemac
1. Challenge the team to learn from failure
• If new to Operations - Understand the impact of failure
• Failure is only bad if you don’t learn from it
• DevOps is new - accept that problems will occur
• Use diplomatic skills to improve relations

16. @stevemac
2. Empower increased capacity through automation
• It’s not the all of DevOps - but often a focus
• Work is infinite - the team is not
• Automation may be new to team - start early - start small
• Outcome is reducing repetitive actions
- not headcount
• Showcase even the small gains

17. @stevemac
3. Drive understanding of new career options
• Encourage empathy between Dev and Ops
• Understand the motivations of team and stakeholders
• Continually look for ways to T-shape people
• Head towards opportunities of cross-skilling
• Respect concerns - take your time

18. @stevemac
4. Educate on the responsibility of priority
• DevOps is an extension of Agile - Prioritisation is the key
• Focus inside a team creates confidence
• Clear priority that is not constantly changing
• Educate both ways - In and Out
• Define some guidelines

19. Questions
Steve Mactaggart
@stevemac
#LASTconf 2017
• Move In or Out
• Work on the 4 key foci
• Challenge the team to learn from
failure
• Empower increased capacity
through automation
• Drive understanding of new
career options
• Educate on the responsibility of
priority