Optimise for Flow

Delivering value quickly and safely via DevOps practices.

Flow Optimization System

Continuous Improvement

📊 DORA Metrics

🚀 Deployment frequency

⚡ Lead time for changes

🛡️ Change failure rate

🔧 Mean time to recovery

🤖 Automation Systems

🔄 CI/CD pipelines

🧪 Automated testing

📦 Infrastructure as code

👀 Observability

📈 Real-time monitoring

🚨 Alerting systems

📊 Performance dashboards

⚙️ Engineering Practices

🌲 Trunk-based development

🧩 Small batch sizes

🔄 Continuous integration

⚡ Delivery Speed

💎 High Quality

🛡️ System Stability

DORA Metrics Framework

1. Deployment Frequency

  • How often code is deployed to production
  • Target: Multiple times per day
  • Measurement: Deployments per day/week

2. Lead Time for Change

  • Time from commit to production
  • Target: Less than one hour
  • Measurement: Average time in minutes

3. Change Failure Rate

  • Percentage of deployments causing incidents
  • Target: Less than 15%
  • Measurement: Failed deployments / Total deployments

4. Mean Time to Recovery

  • Time to recover from incidents
  • Target: Less than one hour
  • Measurement: Average recovery time

Implementation Tools

1. CI/CD Pipeline

pipeline:
  stages:
    - build:
        - unit_tests
        - integration_tests
        - security_scan
    - deploy:
        - staging
        - production
    - monitor:
        - health_checks
        - metrics_collection

2. Value Stream Mapping

Development

Testing

Staging

Production

Monitoring

Implementation Guide

First 30 Days

  1. Establish baseline metrics
  2. Set up monitoring
  3. Document current process

60-90 Days

  1. Implement automation
  2. Reduce manual steps
  3. Establish feedback loops

Beyond 90 Days

  1. Continuous improvement
  2. Advanced automation
  3. Cross-team optimization

Anti-patterns

1. Manual Deployments

Problem: Human error and slow delivery ✅ Solution: Automated deployment pipeline

2. Long Feedback Loops

Problem: Delayed issue detection ✅ Solution: Continuous monitoring and alerts

3. Siloed Operations

Problem: Disconnected teams ✅ Solution: DevOps culture and practices

Integration Points

With Other Practices

With Tools & Systems

  • CI/CD platforms
  • Monitoring systems
  • Incident management

Pro Tip: Focus on reducing lead time and increasing deployment frequency while maintaining stability. Speed without safety is dangerous.


Further Reading

  • “Accelerate” by Nicole Forsgren
  • “The DevOps Handbook” by Gene Kim
  • “Continuous Delivery” by Jez Humble