The document discusses how principles from the British baking show "The Great British Bake Off" (GBBO) can be applied to DevOps teams and culture. Specifically, it suggests focusing on qualities rather than experience for hiring, setting clear expectations for work, encouraging friendly self-competition and creativity, creating shared struggles through activities like on-call rotations, providing constructive feedback through retrospectives, and recognizing both individual and team achievements. Examples are given for how these GBBO concepts could be implemented in DevOps, such as goal boards, investment time for projects, and emoji rewards.

1. @szelechoski
Sarah Zelechoski (she/her)

2. @szelechoski
Your Host Today: Sarah Zelechoski (she/her)
● VP of Engineering
● Background in operations
● Manage a team of SREs
and Developers
● Hiring manager focused on
building strong teams
● DevOps and engineering
culture enthusiast

3. @szelechoski
Great British Bake Off (GBBO) tl;dr
● British reality TV show
● Amateur bakers compete in a
series of challenges
● Knowledge, creativity and
technical ability
● Feel good, light-hearted and
positive content
● Delicious baked goods

4. @szelechoski
GBBO Cultural Sensation
● 90% of reality TV shows
○ Cutthroat
○ Negative
○ Greed induced
● This outlier seems so special and unique
● Real people
○ work hard
○ excel at their craft
○ take their failures/lessons gracefully
○ cheer each other on

5. @szelechoski
How does this apply to DevOps?
● Culture
● Teams of humans
○ Passionate
○ Full of Knowledge and Experience
● Be Successful
○ Harness their power
○ Work together well
○ Achieve new heights
○ Invest in each other

6. @szelechoski
GBBO: Casting Call
● “You’re serious about baking”
● “You want to learn new things”
● “You’re no quitter”
● “You can take the rough-puff with the smooth”
● “You have space for new best friends”
http://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/takes-class-2018/

7. @szelechoski
GBBO: The Bakers
● Focus on
○ Qualities that make a good
contestant
○ Required ability
● “The perfect mix”
○ Folks from all walks of life
○ Everyone has different
■ Style
■ Years of experience
■ Motivation
■ Specialities
●

8. @szelechoski
DevOps: Hiring
● Focus Interview process
○ Traits needed for success
● Non-traditional experience
○ Learn to identify potential
● Thoughtful Diversity
○ Deliberate
○ Valued

9. @szelechoski
DevOps Example: Engineer Qualities
Qualities of a successful SRE:
● Problem solving
● Ownership/Integrity
● Ability to learn/teach
● Communication
● Conflict resolution
● Decision making
● Working remotely
● Constant Improvement
Built into:
● Screening
● Technical challenge
● Team interviews
● Candidate Feedback
● Engineering Expectations

10. @szelechoski
DevOps Example: Engineer Qualities

11. @szelechoski
● 3 varied exhibits of skill
● Each has
○ Unique aim and challenge
○ Clear success conditions
○ Guardrails
○ Judging criteria
○ Timeline!
● Allows bakers to
○ Plan and practice
○ Show their depth/range
○ Learn and grow
GBBO: Show Format

12. @szelechoski
DevOps: Expectations Setting
● This is what is expected of you
● This is how we will know if you have been successful
● This is how much time you have
● Don’t micro-manage. Leave the tent!
○ Set direction
○ Default to trust
● This works for anyone, anytime you’re sharing a task

13. @szelechoski
DevOps Example: Pod Project
● An engineering project show stopper
● Here’s what we want
○ Goal
○ Context
○ Business Drivers
○ Benefits/Risks
○ Deliverables
○ Timeline
● Show us your best
○ Execution details are up to the pod

14. @szelechoski
DevOps Example: Pod Project

15. @szelechoski
GBBO: The Competition
● Friendly Competition
○ Camaraderie
○ Want others to do well
○ Push each other to be better
● Based on their own ability
○ Perceived level of effort
● Personal best
○ Failures are lessons
○ Successes are growth

16. @szelechoski
DevOps: Self-competition
● Learning/Growth mindset
○ Constant improvement
○ Everyone has something to teach and learn
● Drive their own progress
○ Opportunities are open to everyone
○ Take on challenges when you are ready
● Success of others
○ Rising tide lifts all boat
○ Inspiration

17. @szelechoski
DevOps Example: The Goal Board
● Goal Setting
○ Get everyone involved
○ Short term, long term, stretch
○ Transparent & open
○ Measureable
● Self-competition to achieve your own goals
● Inspired to try new things by others
● Excited to help others

18. @szelechoski
GBBO: Inside The Tent
● Antagonist
○ Well respected judges
○ Tough on everyone
○ Approval is prized
● Supportive environment
○ Counterpoint
○ Help each other defeat the baddie
○ Band together

19. @szelechoski
DevOps: Shared Struggle
● Experience the same challenges and pain
○ Builds empathy
○ Focus energy
○ Unite disparate groups
● Responsibility to each other
○ Work quality
○ Collaboration
○ Support from leadership

20. @szelechoski
DevOps Example: The Pager/Being on call

21. @szelechoski
GBBO: The Bake
● Put their style/stamp on something
● Push the boundaries of what’s possible
● No incentive to be safe
○ Can be a detriment
● Leave a legacy

22. @szelechoski
DevOps: Encouraging creativity & risk taking
● Creativity leads to Innovation
○ Diverse perspective
○ Continuous Feedback/Integration
● Trust & Respect
○ Make good decisions
○ Care about outcome
● Flexibility
○ Flip priorities
○ Solve meaningful problems
● Inspiration

23. @szelechoski
DevOps Example: Investment time
● Real 20% Time (not 120% time)
● Investment in engineers, company, individual, community
● Choose a project
● Set a goal & success conditions
● Share plan with manager
● Set time aside; include in planning
● Sharing rotation
● Have a path for project -> product

24. @szelechoski
GBBO: Judges’ Feedback
● Voices have weight
● Feedback
○ Straight but kind
○ Includes positives and negatives
● Ask questions
● Take a moment to educate

25. @szelechoski
DevOps: Constant Improvement Mindset
● Feedback key tenet
● No one is done learning
○ Culture of Error
● Explain how to improve
● Measured as Improvement over time
● Ownership & Integrity

26. @szelechoski
DevOps Example: Retrospectives
● Review with a specific topic
● Iterate & Improve
● Scheduled at regular intervals
● Synchronous
● Everyone gives feedback
● Discussion
● Action items

27. @szelechoski
GBBO: Winners
● Praise
○ “Well done”
○ “Quite good that”
○ “You should be proud”
○ “Scrummy”
● The handshake
● Star baker
○ No advantages
● Flowers and a cake plate

28. @szelechoski
DevOps: Recognition & Motivation
● Loud about praise
○ #general
○ Meetings
○ to/from their direct managers
● Be Thoughtful about what you recognize
● Point out individual strengths
● Trust with leadership
● Meaningful rewards

29. @szelechoski
DevOps Example: 🐝 emoji

30. @szelechoski
The Spirit of GBBO

31. @szelechoski
Recipe for Joyful DevOps Teams
● Non-traditional experience
● Setting clear expectations
● Self-competition
● Shared struggle
● Encouraging creativity & risk taking
● Constructive feedback
● Recognition & motivation