Our example DevOps skills matrix and DevOps gap analysis metrics will help you know where to build next
It can be hard to know when you have all your bases covered for a DevOps team, as it’s a rapidly developing field that encompasses multiple disciplines. That difficulty is only compounded by the competitive hiring market for DevOps engineers. Do you prioritize jacks-of-all-trades across the board? Do you build a tightly-knit team of specialists in their individual departments?
Whatever approach you decide on, using a DevOps skills matrix will help you spot potential gaps in your coverage. It will also help you better understand when to train, when to hire, and when to look for other solutions to help you reach your goals faster.
While every DevOps team will be different depending on the needs of their projects, this guide will help you make sure yours is equipped for success.
What Is a DevOps Skills Matrix?
A DevOps skills matrix illustrates the different capabilities and proficiencies DevOps engineers should possess at different stages of their careers.
If you’re not sure what that means in practical terms, let’s go back and answer the question of “what is a skills matrix?” In short, a skills matrix is a grid that illustrates roughly what proficiencies and capabilities employees may possess based on their rank within a team. In our example below, the columns correspond to experience levels, while the rows represent categories of capabilities.
When using a skills matrix, remember that they are meant to be descriptive, not prescriptive. They are informed by the overall structure of a team and describe roughly where most employees are according to the terms of the matrix. They do not prescribe what exact capabilities any single employee must possess to occupy a given position.
Your DevOps skills matrix should answer the question of, “what are DevOps skills that are prioritized in this particular team?” Here’s an example DevOps skills matrix that breaks roles down by seniority, with five categories of proficiency that employees within those roles typically possess.
Example DevOps Roles and Responsibilities Matrix
| Junior | Senior | Lead | |
| Development | Proficient in carrying out assigned tasks in at least one relevant coding language | Can see entire projects through the development process, fluent with multiple coding languages. | Capable of planning and coordinating multiple projects within a single development umbrella across multiple languages. |
| Operations | Familiar with shell scripts and capable of monitoring relevant systems. | Can write complex scripts for distribution across teams and identify issues based on signal reports. | Capable of identifying issues that require a switch in development processes and vice versa, and of advising the process throughout. |
| CI/CD | Can establish a basic CI/CD pipeline. | Capable of using multiple package managers and delivering more complex pipelines. | Can oversee complete CI setups and advise on integration of package managers throughout projects. |
| Documentation | Capable of following documentation and submitting requests for further explanation. | Can contribute individual entries to documentation as appropriate. | Able to plan out a cohesive documentation process and ensure complete coverage. |
| Soft Skills | Shows a professional demeanor and solid communication skills. | Can proactively coordinate with colleagues to ensure projects run smoothly. | Can lead teams into new projects and set a positive, collaborative tone of development culture. |
Each team is different. While this DevOps roles and responsibilities matrix may serve as a helpful starting point for creating your own, you should work with your team to ensure each point is relevant and accurate for your unique approach.
You should also make sure your team is capitalizing on industry-standard tools to streamline processes and multiply their efforts. As one example, our survey of 500 IT professionals found that more than 90% have adopted or plan to adopt an IDP within the next five years. Pick up your free copy of our white paper today to learn more:
How to Conduct a DevOps Gap Analysis
You have a measurable way to assess the capabilities of your team members. Now it’s time to conduct a DevOps gap analysis to ensure they can achieve the results you want. Thankfully, some discipline-wide metrics help compare where you are now versus where you want to be.
- Lead Time for Changes: This metric measures the time between when new code is committed to when it is compiled and deployed. It can be used as a shorthand measure of how quickly your team is able to improve its product.
- Change Failure Rate: How frequently does your team push bad code through to deployment? This has a strong impact on how much downtime and disruption end users see. Note that this should be seen less as a measure of “quality of code” and more an assessment of your team’s ability to test each piece of code before deployment.
- Deployment Frequency: This is a simple measure of how frequently your team pushes new code to your live product. Don’t be fooled into thinking higher deployment frequency is always better — if your change failure rate is high too, your team may be taking the “move fast and break things” mantra a little too far.
- Mean Time to Recovery: Even the best projects have downtime. This metric calculates how long it takes to restore services on average, regardless of the source of the interruption. It’s a helpful yardstick for determining both how effective your monitoring tools are and how well your development and operations teams collaborate.
What to Do With Your DevOps Gap Analysis
You’ve laid out your DevOps skills matrix, you’ve run your DevOps gap analysis, and you’ve identified some areas of improvement you’d like to address. What should you do next? In short, you have three options: focus on training for your existing team, hire new team members, or automate your DevOps process.
Train
If your team members have a solid grasp of the fundamentals but lack expertise in certain areas, you may wish to invest in DevSecOps training. This combined discipline places further emphasis on shifting security left in your development cycle, and a range of programs and certifications can help guide your team’s growth in an efficient and effective direction.
Hire
DevOps engineers are still some of the most in-demand professionals in the industry. But if you work hard to get your DevOps hiring processes dialed in, you may still be able to attract high-level talent. Compensation and benefits aside, one of the best ways to improve your hiring prospects in a highly competitive market is to make sure your DevOps practices are state of the art.
Automate
Looking for a solution that’s fast, scalable, and affordable? Working with a DevOps automation platform could be all you need to address the pain points identified in your DevOps gap analysis. But you can’t afford guesswork when it comes to such a key part of your business. You need a partner with proven results in platform engineering.
DuploCloud’s no-code/low-code platform provides fully automated and secure provisioning, as well as complete cloud orchestration. It allows users provision infrastructure 10 times faster. And as our $32 million round of Series B funding proves, decision-makers across the tech industry are taking notice. Contact us today to set up your free demo and see how DuploCloud could be the one-stop solution to your DevOps needs.
