Visual Studio DevOps Deployment Assessment
Delivery Guide
DevOps Deployment Planning Services
Table of Contents
1 Purpose of the Delivery Guide 3
1.1 Engagement Agenda 3
2 Engagement Overview 5
2.1 Phase 1: Pre-Engagement Activities (Day 0) 5
2.2 Phase 2: Kick-off and Presentation (Day 1) 6
2.3 Phase 3: Discovery Workshops and Interviews (Day 1-2) 6
2.4 Phase 4: DevOps Development Assessment Deliverable Deployment (Day 3) 7
2.5 Phase 5: Plan and Resources Delivery (Day 3) 8
3 Technical Resources 9
1 Purpose of the Delivery Guide
The Visual Studio DevOps Deployment Assessment Delivery Guide is written guidance of the process of this engagement for the delivering consultant, to assist in the development of their DevOps recommendations and roadmap. Please note this document contains live links to resource and reference materials.
In addition to outlining the entire engagement, the Delivery Guide provides detailed instructions for four essential on-site activities:
(1) Understanding the current software development process
(2) Eliciting the desired objectives for a DevOps implementation
(3) Creating appropriate and tailored recommendations
(4) Delivering the final DevOps recommendations and optional Leave-Behind Materials
Note: This DevOps DPS is not amenable to a single, standardized approach. Development organizations have different needs, different environments, and different goals. One type of solution does not match all development teams. This means that discretion must be used when asking questions, following issues and making recommendations.
1.1 Engagement Agenda
This three-day engagement involves a targeted DevOps assessment that assists in developing an effective strategy for assessing and improving DevOps maturity. In addition, a DevOps assessment approach will vary depending on if the customer focuses on mobile, web app or stand-alone application development. Of course, the core DevOps practices apply to all the development scenarios, but mobile DevOps assessment may require additional considerations. Ideally, the implementation of Microsoft DevOps solutions will provide an excellent foundation for improvement. Some example scenarios could include a DevTest solution in support of standardized test environments, an automated Release Management solution or, for mobile development, the implementation of Xamarin Test Cloud and the automated testing in support of higher quality software. The end result of this engagement is a set of customized recommendations for maturing DevOps capabilities.
The table below includes the suggested agenda for the engagement:
Day / ActivityPhase 1: Pre-Engagement Activities (Day 0)
0 / · Customer completes and returns the Project Scope and Customer Commitment* document.
· Customer completes and returns the Pre-Engagement Questionnaire.*
· Customer responses are used to adjust the project scope (if necessary).
Phase 2: Kick-off and Presentation (Day 1)
1 / · Review Pre-Engagement Questionnaire with customer.
· Conduct the DevOps Business Value Presentation[1] for customers, or similar presentation
· Lead discussion to understand desired outcome of engagement.
Phase 3: Discovery Workshops and Interviews (Day 1-2)
1-2 / · Interview SMEs to understand needs of customer organization consisting of:
o Questions tailored to the organization based on the answers from the pre-engagement questionnaire and initial discovery.
Phase 4: DevOps Deployment Assessment Deliverable Development (Day 3)
3 / · Compile inputs from assessment to complete the DevOps Deployment Assessment Template*.
Phase 5: Plan and Resources Delivery (Day 3)
5 / · Review final DevOps recommendations with Customer.
· Install and walk through any leave-behind materials you deem useful for the customer.
· Complete Partner Survey* and submit deliverables* to Microsoft for Payment.
*items that correspond to templates or documents available from DTDPS website
2 Engagement Overview
Each of the engagement phases is briefly described in the following sections. For more detailed information about each step, refer to the “DTDPS Service Guide”.
All engagement materials can be found through the partner portal at www.microsoftdtdps.com
- On the home page, hover over Explore by offering, a second menu will appear to the right. Hover over Developer Tools and another menu will appear to the right. Select “Conduct the Engagement”
- On the “Conduct the Engagement” page for DTDPS, select the appropriate engagement (Visual Studio DevOps Deployment Assessment) from the blue box.
- A new page will open with all engagement materials listed in the right column under “Resources.”
2.1 - Phase 1: Pre-Engagement Activities (Day 0)
In Phase 1, “Pre-Engagement Activities”, the consultant and customer document the scope and objectives for the overall engagement.
The specific tasks that are completed in this phase include:
· Review the customer’s business requirements
· Request that the customer complete the Pre-Engagement Questionnaire
· Review completed Pre-Engagement Questionnaire
· Review the DevOps Practices Maturity Level Model (see section 3 – 7 of the Deliverable Template, as well as the “Optimizing for DevOps materials”) as supplemental materials in preparation for interviews with customer
· Work with the customer to identify Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) - the consultant will work with the customer to ensure that the roles and experiences of the SMEs, who have been identified as interviewees, provide the proper breadth of understanding of the customer’s processes and tools
· Create an interview schedule
· Create a working-session schedule
2.2 - Phase 2: Kick-off and Presentation (Day 1)
In Phase 2, “Kick-off and Presentation”, the Lead Consultant will conduct a presentation to provide the customer’s team a broad knowledge of the business value of DevOps and Microsoft DevOps solutions (including, but not limited to, Team Foundation Server, System Center, Visual Studio Team Services, Release Management, Microsoft Azure, Application Insights, Xamarin and Xamarin Test Cloud) and use the workshop discussion to help the customer define their desired end state.
Tasks for this phase include:
1. Hold a kick-off meeting with appropriate stakeholders
2. Present “Agility and DevOps”
3. Select and demonstrate 1-2 key Microsoft solutions based on initial customer responses (e.g., Pre-Engagement Questionnaire or discussion during DevOps presentation)
4. Conduct a Q&A session to gather requirements/scope
2.3 Phase 3: Discovery Workshops and Interviews (Day 1-2)
In Phase 3, “Discovery Workshops and Interviews,” the Lead Consultant interviews the subject matter experts (SMEs), gathers documentation, and develops initial findings. The “DevOps Planning Delivery Guide” (this document) is a reference that walks the consultant through the steps required to complete this phase.
The specific tasks that are completed in this phase include:
· Gather documentation on existing processes and tools spanning the customer’s full lifecycle (idea, dev, test, release, monitor, learn).
· Gather information on existing cloud utilization. If no cloud use exists, determine customer’s perception and attitude toward cloud solutions.
· Gather information on existing mobile development practices. Determine whether customer developers separate mobile apps per platform, they use a Write-One, Run Anywhere (WORA) model using tools like HockeyApp or Cordova, or if they use a cross-platform development tool (Xamarin).
· Interview customer subject matter experts.
· Assess and document the current DevOps Practices Maturity Level
· Begin to identify high-value opportunities for improvement using the DevOps Practices Maturity Level Model
For this Planning Services engagement, the Lead Consultant is expected to have a good grasp of DevOps concepts. In circumstances where the customer develops for mobile platforms, the consultant should have a thorough understanding of the various development models for mobile apps as well as the tools available to properly assess a Mobile DevOps practices. As noted above, this engagement guidance does not provide a simple checklist, or Excel workbook, that will automatically generate the bulk of the report. Instead, the consultant is expected to come up with a tailored set of recommendations that meet the target customer’s needs. In addition, discretion, understanding, and a bit of sympathy are required for a successful engagement.
2.4 - Phase 4: DevOps Development Assessment Deliverable Deployment (Day 3)
In Phase 4, “DevOps Development Assessment Deliverable Deployment,” the Lead Consultant reviews the initial findings from Phase 3 with the customer’s leadership team, determines recommendations to be included in the plan that are outside the areas addressed by the engagement, and writes the plan.
During the first part of the session, the consultant should work with the customer to drill down on the specific core capabilities for their needs and target the primary issues with the highest impact for working session topics. Use the DevOps model practice areas to guide discussion, consider a range of opportunities based upon the customer’s unique current state:
· Areas where mature practices may already be established, and/or the customer has good knowledge and buy-in for changes needed to achieve a higher maturity level
· Areas where maturity is unusually low compared to the customer’s other practices, and improvements could yield higher-value results
· Areas where existing (“tiger”) teams are already modelling more mature practices that could be socialized throughout the organization
For the second half of this phase, the consultant combines the learning from the engagement to write the final DevOps recommendations.
The specific tasks that will be completed during this phase include:
· Identifying initiatives appropriately based on the maturity level of the practices in place
· Generating a report based on the findings
· Inserting the report into the “DevOps Deployment Assessment Delivery Template”
· Customizing the deployment plan by attending to the relevant sections such as the “Future State”, “Key Areas for Improvement” and “Roadmap” in the document
A consultant may elect to use his/her own deployment plan template, however the consultant must ensure all relevant topics (as outlined in the provided template) are covered in the final plan. Additionally all materials and resources listed on the first page of the “Visual Studio DevOps Deployment Assessment Recommendations Template” must be included in the final plan for the customer.
2.5 - Phase 5: Plan and Resources Delivery (Day 3)
In Phase 5, “Plan and Resources Delivery”, the Lead Consultant wraps up the engagement.
In the final phase of the engagement, the Lead Consultant will:
· Install and walk through any relevant leave-behind materials provided by Microsoft
(see section: Section 5, Upload Leave-Behind Materials)
· Review the completed DevOps recommendations document with the customer
· Submit deliverables to Microsoft for payment.
The final step in Phase 3 of the DevOps Deployment Assessment is to upload leave behind materials for the customer. These key resources are intended to help customers become more familiar with DevOps practices and further their decision to implement. During the course of the on-site activities, the consultant may choose to upload these materials with the customer’s subject matter expert, in preparation for a demonstration with the customer on the final day of the engagement.
A list of these resources is provided in the “DevOps Deployment Assessment Delivery Guide” (below) as well as in the “DevOps Deployment Assessment Template.”
3 Technical Resources
The following resources are available for consultants to reference:
· Visual Studio ALM Virtual Machine(s) - These virtual machines (VMs) include the latest versions of Visual Studio Ultimate and Visual Studio Team Foundation Server, a sample application with sample data, and a comprehensive collection of hands-on labs—everything you need to learn and/or deliver demonstrations of many application lifecycle management (ALM) capabilities in Visual Studio: http://aka.ms/almvms (this link always points to the latest version of the VM)
· Case Studies – A compilation of industry-leading white papers and case studies that describe the Microsoft Application Lifecycle Management and DevOps solutions: http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/
· Team Foundation Server MSDN Page: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/ff637362.aspx
· Visual Studio Team Services MSDN Page: https://www.visualstudio.com/mt723601
· “How Do I?” TFS and Azure videos on MSDN: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=150470
· Microsoft Visual Studio Trial(s): http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/downloads
· Team Foundation Server Team Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/team_foundation/
· Visual Studio Team Servers Blog: https://www.visualstudio.com/news/release-archive-vso
· How to sell Xamarin as a consulting partner: http://cdn1.xamarin.com/resources/How%20to%20sell%20Xamarin%20as%20a%20Consulting%20Partner.pptx
· How to sell Xamarin Test Cloud as a consulting partner: http://cdn1.xamarin.com/consulting-partners/How%20to%20sell%20Xamarin%20Test%20Cloud%20as%20a%20Consulting%20Partner.pptx
· VS and TFS ALM News: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visualstudioalm/
· Brian Harry’s Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bharry/
· Channel 9 Team Foundation Server Videos: http://channel9.msdn.com/tags/TFS/
· Visual Studio ALM Rangers: http://aka.ms/vsarunderstand and http://aka.ms/vsarsolutions
· Read about “Microsoft’s Journey to Cloud Cadence” by Sam Guckenheimer
http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/3/F/73FD407C-ABCD-4599-90A6-90FFEDFBC9E1/From%20Agile%20to%20DevOps%20at%20Microsoft%20Developer%20Division.pdf
For this DevOps engagement we are keeping certain documents that need more frequent updates at this location: https://devopsms.com/Partner/Guidance/SalesAndMarketing, under the DevOps section.
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[1] DevOps_CustomerDeck100L.pptx, found on the Microsoft ALM Partner page at https://www.almpartner.com/Home/Content.