DevopsDaysNYC - Clojure / Ops

Ignite from DevopsDays NYC about how Clojure enables our ops team to have a more empathetic perspective when working with other engineering teams.

Transcript

1. [Empathy Intensifies] Clojure & Operations
2. This Talk • Not specifically about Clojure • More about shared experiences • Bridging ops-dev gap
3. • We have a lot of JVM • Shared libraries, common patterns • Opportunity for insight into other teams So Why Clojure?
4. The Problem™ • Other teams need things • Cost of change is high • Insight is low
5. Specifically … • Engineers need platform changes • Config management can be slow, brittle • Reactive vs. preemptive response
6. Let’s Fix It! • “Hey, other teams use the JVM!” • Manager gave thumbs up to experiment • Paired on Clojure with another engineer
7. Let’s Fix It (Pt. 2)! • Used our service libraries • Wrote my first service • Deployed it like any other
8. Let’s Fix It (Pt. 3)! • Ops shifts into service writing • “Deploying a service is difficult!” • Necessary changes become clearer
9. Two Way Street • Other engineers contributing to platform • Starting conversations earlier • Feedback on what works, what doesn’t
10. Where Ops Ended Up • Writing services • Defining platform interface • Shared ownership of platform
11. Concrete Gains • Documentation —> Empowerment • Interfaces —> Inclusivity / Anti-complexity • Shared ownership —> Empathy
12. It’s Not Perfect • Still a ways to go • Easier with some teams than others • Timing of needs still challenging
13. Better Than Before • Platform changes difficult • Unclear objectives between teams • Frustration, pain, debt
14. Empathy • Engineers eating the same dogfood • Share the pain and gain • Cross-team collaboration
15. Inclusivity • Cross-team conversations • Develop shared patterns • Empower engineers to participate
16. Complexity • Less of it • Shared workflow • Easier to understand perspectives
17. TLDR • Inherited workflow of other teams • Felt pain of deploying services • Positive changes to platform
18. How to Get There • Create space to experiment • What tools / languages are other teams using? • Step outside your team’s point of view
19. Takeaways • Goal: gain other teams’ perspective • Any team can do this • Not “devs” and “ops” … engineers!
20. Thanks! • Twitter: @jokedovis • Email: jake@simple.com • simple.com/careers :)