DevOps' broken promise
Software delivery is in crisis, as delayed releases and quality failures block enterprise innovation.
Common symptoms like slow testing, unclear requirements, and data bottlenecks undermine productivity and quality. Enterprises struggle to fix the root cause of these challenges. They instead opt for quick-fix solutions, growing reliant on painkillers that provide temporary relief, but do not offer sustainable solutions.
To diagnose and solve poor productivity and software quality, enterprises must understand how their DevOps lifecycle has split into “inner” and “outer” loops.
What is the inner loop?
The inner loop refers to the high-value development tasks associated with creating software, such as coding, solving problems, reviewing and debugging. These activities are essential for the initial creation and refinement of the software code.
The evolution of inner loop productivity
This inner loop has enjoyed sustained investment and innovation, unlocking ever-greater developer productivity:
1996
Code completion and “Intellisense” introduced to widely available IDEs.
2001
Apache Maven continues advancements in build automation.
2010s
New package managers and code libraries enable lightning-fast code changes.
2020s
AI-powered Co-Pilots and Agents further accelerate development.
“92% of U.S.-based developers are already using AI coding tools both in and outside of work.”
What is the outer loop?
Whereas inner loop is the domain of the developer, the outer loop is the world of the business analyst, product owner, tester and data engineer.
The outer loop drives the initial software ideation, feeds the inner loop with all the high-quality assets it requires, and ensures that software is well-developed, robust, reliable, and ready for real-world use. This involves tasks such as requirements engineering, test case design, test data management, and quality engineering.
Inner/outer loop misalignment
Enterprises have invested heavily in inner loop productivity, often at the expense of the outer loop. Yet, a productive outer loop is equally important to the creation and delivery of high quality software.
High-quality assets delivered to the inner loop mean that developers can quickly implement features, fix bugs, and deploy new versions of the software, contributing to a rapid development cycle. A smoothly-operating outer loop enables rapid software delivery, with clear requirements, accurate test data and a reliable testing environment, alongside continuous feedback to ensure that software meets requirements.
When the outer loop becomes neglected and bottlenecked, it creates negative risk throughout software delivery.
4 Common symptoms of misalignment
Delayed releases
Poor release quality
Rapid development is not traceable to clear requirements. Unmeasured, repetitive tests cannot provide release readiness or confidence.
Misaligned teams
Unclear requirements, silos and miscommunication create rework, while teams must wait slowly for test data, testing and environments.
Talent turnover
Skilled practitioners want to collaborate on valuable software. Fighting fires, toil and a ”hero culture”, they seek new opportunities.
4 steps to rebalance your inner/outer loops
Where should enterprises start in eliminating inner/outer loop misalignment?
Living documentation
Critical assets upfront
On demand data
Continuous quality
4 benefits of inner/outer loop alignment
Faster time to market
Release readiness
Requirements and quality engineering are measured against inner loop changes. Rigorous tests assure the bug-free delivery of requirements and code changes.
Collaboration
Inner and outer loop stakeholders work from a shared under-standing of systems, requirements and quality outcomes, without silos or cross-team constraints.
Talent retention
The best people want to work on the best software. Alignment frees up critical thinking and creativity, nurtures skills and maintains developer experience.
Redefine software delivery
The outer loop platform
Curiosity are on a mission to re-align enterprise software delivery’s inner and outer loops. Our platform prioritises outer loop productivity and quality, while fostering collaboration across your entire software delivery ecosystem.
Quality Modeller Learn More
Eliminate silos, technical debt and outer loop toil. Visual models provide clear understanding of systems and requirements, while generating rigorous tests, data and environments.
Enterprise Test Data Learn More
Address outer loop productivity blockers, coverage gaps and privacy risks, ensuring data availability, compliance, and quality throughout your software development lifecycle.
Ready to lead the future of software delivery?
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