As digital engineering is central to many organisations structure today, the importance of improving the flow of value to customers by enabling a closer collaboration between software development and operations (DevOps) is a concept widely understood and adopted. 

The software development ecosystem has come a long way since the concept of DevOps was introduced by in 2009. The realisation that rapid software development doesn’t result in rapid software deployment has motivated organisations to implement the DevOps CALMS (Culture, Automation, Lean, Measurement and Sharing) Framework, resulting in an improved flow of value to customers.

The DevOps methodology has evolved due to the need for even greater efficiencies in the flow of value to customers. The emphasis is now on enhancing the experience for software developers (DevEx).

Enhancing the developer experience will create a competitive advantage for your organisation by not just attracting great talent but also retaining the developers in a very competitive market. 

DevEx is applicable in all parts of the world where software products are developed, but the concept of DevEx, although not new, is still relatively unknown in Africa where developers are looking for an enhanced environment providing them access to the right tools, data, telemetry, access, and support to enable them to develop freely without frustrating blockers. 

These interventions will enable developers to ‘hit the ground’ running, motivating a culture where knowledge is transferred across teams, clearer roles and responsibilities and thus greater levels of efficiency – allowing developers to focus on developing, while operational areas ensure roadblocks are removed. Resulting in greater value-driven-output and results for customers. 

Africa’s opportunity…

The continent has long been seen as a hub of innovation and a source for talent. As the world feels the impact of an aging population, Africa can provide a solution. Organisations will however need to focus on understanding the unique challenges facing developers on the continent and create a bespoke DevEx offering. 

Investing in developers, from skills to work environment experience, can open new opportunities to drive better product development and innovation, operational efficiencies, and could lead to an increase in opportunities in Africa – positioning the continent as the go-to for DevOps talent. 

As more organisations are moving towards a platform business model, the demand for talent (specifically developers) increase. This demand for developers fuels the war for this skilled talent in the market and is the reason why organisations need to prioritise retention and attraction. We don’t want to lose talent to other markets, the focus should be on keeping African talent in place but improving their job satisfaction through enhanced DevEx.