At Laika Ops, we prioritize setting clear objectives for every project to ensure smooth organization and management. Here’s a detailed example of what you can expect when working with us to deliver a new DevOps pipeline for your software delivery.

Project Definition

Once we are past the planning and analysis part, where we make sure the project is actually a good solution for the problem we are trying to solve, we can go on with defining the project.

There are a couple of aspects that we define together, including the scope, deliverables and constraints. That’s our definition of done. We also define the stakeholders.

Let’s review those aspects with an example : You contact us to build a brand new DevOps pipeline for your software delivery. That’s great! We are thrilled to collaborate with you.

Scope:

The scope defines what the project includes and excludes, its start and end points.

For our example, we need to understand where the pipeline begins. Let’s assume you already have a well-developed piece of software and a git repository. The pipeline will start from this point.

Next, we determine where the pipeline ends. In this case, it finishes with the software being deployed in production on your AWS account. This includes spawning additional resources as required.

Constraints:

Identifying constraints is crucial for successful project completion.

For this project, the primary constraint is the need to deliver Infrastructure as Code to handle resource management on your AWS account.

Deliverables:

It is important to define precisely what will be delivered and to be able to measure it.

In our example we will provide a fully operational DevOps pipeline, integrating with your existing git repository and deploying to your AWS account. Additionally, we will deliver Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to manage the new resources on your AWS account.

Stakeholders:

Defining stakeholders ensures effective communication and smooth progress. For this project:

• Mark: The project manager on your side. We will report to him regularly. He also manages your AWS account, so we will coordinate with him for AWS connectivity.
• Lisa: The lead developer for the software. We will sync with her regarding resources on your git repository.

Timeframe:

Setting a clear timeframe helps manage expectations.

We all agree to start the project two weeks from now. After assessing the requirements, we estimate the delivery date to be one week later.

Costs:

With all this information we can now establish a clear cost to the overall project.

The pipeline delivery is one of our core services and has a defined cost.
We add the costs of the constraints in the form of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and communicate this information to you.

Conclusion:

This structured approach ensures that everyone involved has a clear understanding of the project’s scope, constraints, deliverables, stakeholders, timeframe, and cost. With these elements in place, we can work efficiently and effectively, providing you with a successful, fully tested and documented, DevOps project delivery.
We usually communicate milestones, dependencies, estimation and work assignment on a Gantt chart. Once the project is done we offer a retrospective to check on our goals. We can optionally offer some advice on blending in the newly delivered product into your current methodologies.