TY - JOUR
T1 - Integrating development and operations teams
T2 - A control approach for DevOps
AU - Wiedemann, Anna
AU - Wiesche, Manuel
AU - Gewald, Heiko
AU - Krcmar, Helmut
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - Information systems (IS) literature has predominantly studied IS project control with a focus on software development projects. However, by virtue of digital transformation, an increasing number of organizations are implementing cross-functional teams, combining software development with software operations tasks. The goal is to react quickly to the ever-changing market requirements. The DevOps concept aims to effectively orchestrate development and operations activities and smoothly manage tensions within teams, resulting from the heterogeneous composition of skills, responsibilities, and working styles. In contrast to the predominant project management view of control of prior research, which focuses on software development, this study investigates a different perspective: focusing on exerting control in DevOps teams and simultaneously navigating tensions between software development and operations. Utilizing an inductive theory-building approach, we first identify the four tensions discussed in prior literature—namely, goal conflict, method discomfort, decision rights, and time rhythm—and then empirically derive corresponding resolutions. Integrating our findings, we present an empirically derived model that can serve as a DevOps control approach for navigating the tensions between development and operations teams. This model extends our theoretical knowledge about control in DevOps teams and serves to inform IT practitioners, helping them successfully implement and manage DevOps teams.
AB - Information systems (IS) literature has predominantly studied IS project control with a focus on software development projects. However, by virtue of digital transformation, an increasing number of organizations are implementing cross-functional teams, combining software development with software operations tasks. The goal is to react quickly to the ever-changing market requirements. The DevOps concept aims to effectively orchestrate development and operations activities and smoothly manage tensions within teams, resulting from the heterogeneous composition of skills, responsibilities, and working styles. In contrast to the predominant project management view of control of prior research, which focuses on software development, this study investigates a different perspective: focusing on exerting control in DevOps teams and simultaneously navigating tensions between software development and operations. Utilizing an inductive theory-building approach, we first identify the four tensions discussed in prior literature—namely, goal conflict, method discomfort, decision rights, and time rhythm—and then empirically derive corresponding resolutions. Integrating our findings, we present an empirically derived model that can serve as a DevOps control approach for navigating the tensions between development and operations teams. This model extends our theoretical knowledge about control in DevOps teams and serves to inform IT practitioners, helping them successfully implement and manage DevOps teams.
KW - Case study
KW - Control theory
KW - DevOps
KW - Internal IT teams
KW - Product management
KW - Tensions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85165007345&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.infoandorg.2023.100474
DO - 10.1016/j.infoandorg.2023.100474
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85165007345
SN - 1471-7727
VL - 33
JO - Information and Organization
JF - Information and Organization
IS - 3
M1 - 100474
ER -