REVOLUTIONIZING SMALL BUSINESS OPERATIONS WITH DEVOPS
If you're a small business owner looking to streamline your operations, you might have heard about DevOps and Scrum. But how can these concepts work for your business? Let's explore an illustrative example of a fictitious company, Momma Mia, a food and beverage distributor, to understand how they could implement a DevOps purchasing system to revolutionize their operations.
THE CHALLENGE
Momma Mia was managing their operations with an Oracle database hosted on HP-UX servers, with purchasing and accounts payable handled separately in an Oracle database. They wanted to streamline their procurement process by adding a robust purchasing module to their existing Oracle database. However, their IT team was already stretched thin and needed more resources for this project.
THE SOLUTION
Momma Mia decided to adopt the DevOps method for their development approach. DevOps combines development with operations to improve communication and implementation. They also decided to incorporate the Scrum approach to manage the project. This approach is beneficial as it allows flexibility in modifying requirements during development, enabling the team to quickly identify and implement what works. It also promotes transparency and encourages frequent inspection and adaptation. The goal was to create an advanced management tool to automate redundant tasks. They formed a cross-functional team consisting of members from IT, purchasing, and accounts payable. They managed the project by implementing daily stand-up meetings, sprint planning, and retrospectives.
The first step was to automate the purchasing process by integrating it with their existing Oracle database. The IT team used Infrastructure as Code to set up a new server on the cloud and configured it to host the purchasing module. It allowed them to provide and configure the server without any manual intervention quickly.
Next, the team used Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous delivery (CD) to automate the deployment of the purchasing module. They set up a pipeline that automatically built and tested the code changes made by the developers. It resulted in the automatic deployment of the code when it passed all tests.
The purchasing team worked closely with the IT team to define the requirements for the purchasing module. They used Agile methodologies to break the project into smaller, manageable tasks. Doing so allowed them to deliver incremental improvements and gather feedback from stakeholders throughout the process.
The accounts payable team also played a crucial role in the project. They provided input on integrating the purchasing module with the accounts payable system. They helped define the workflow for processing invoices and payments.
THE SCRUM APPROACH
Scrum is a project management style that provides a guide to ensure the project stays on track. It allows for flexibility in the scope, enabling the team to add new requirements. This approach involves planning, daily huddles, weekly reviews, and retrospectives upon completion of each sprint.
The Scrum approach allowed the team to work collaboratively and efficiently towards a common goal. The daily stand-up meetings ensured everyone was on the same page, and they promptly handled issues or roadblocks. The sprint planning sessions allowed the team to prioritize tasks and deliver incremental improvements, ensuring the project stayed on track.
The retrospectives at the end of each sprint allowed the team to reflect on their progress and identify areas for improvement. This continuous feedback loop helped the team improve their processes and deliver a high-quality product.
THE DELIVERABLES
The DevOps team delivered a fully integrated purchasing module within a few months. The module allowed users to create purchase orders, track inventory, and generate reports directly from the Oracle database. The team also implemented a dashboard providing real-time visibility into the purchasing process, allowing stakeholders to monitor progress and identify bottlenecks.
The team also implemented a monitoring system that alerted them to any issues with the purchasing module. Doing so allowed them to quickly identify and resolve any issues, ensuring minimal disruption to operations.
Deliverables included:
Automated purchasing process integrated with Oracle database
Real-time visibility into purchasing process through dashboard
Monitoring system for quick identification and resolution of issues
Seamless flow of data between purchasing and accounts payable systems
Improved communication and collaboration within the organization
Cost savings through automation and use of cloud servers
Improved security measures for data protection
Well-designed and optimized database for purchasing module
Incremental implementation strategy for smooth and efficient delivery
THE COST SAVINGS
The estimated software, labor, and training cost was $55,000. This investment was seen as a worthwhile expenditure to improve efficiency and productivity. The DevOps approach allowed Momma Mia to save on costs in many ways. By automating the purchasing process and integrating it with their existing Oracle database, they eliminated the need for manual data entry and reduced the risk of errors. It saved the company time and resources.
Using cloud servers also allowed them to save on hardware and maintenance costs. The team could quickly scale up or down the server resources as needed, resulting in cost savings for the company.
The use of Agile methodologies and the Scrum approach also helped to reduce the time and effort required for the project. By delivering incremental improvements and gathering feedback throughout the process, the team could identify and address any issues early on, resulting in cost savings for the company.
THE DATA FLOW
To ensure a smooth transition, the team created data flow diagrams to visualize how data would move from one step to another. It helped them identify any potential issues early in the process.
THE ENTITY RELATIONSHIPS AND DATABASE DESIGN
The team also created an entity relationship diagram to organize the database effectively. This diagram outlined the relationships between data points, ensuring a well-structured database. They also used database normalization techniques to reduce data redundancy and improve the efficiency of the database. It resulted in a well-designed and optimized database for the purchasing module.
THE AUTOMATION PROCESS
The team utilized automation tools to streamline the purchasing process. They used Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to automate the creation of virtual machines and configure the necessary software and settings for the purchasing module. It reduced the time and effort required for setting up the system and ensured consistency across environments. They also implemented Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) pipelines to automate the testing and deployment of new features, reducing the risk of errors and enabling faster delivery of updates. This automation process resulted in a more efficient and reliable purchasing system for Momma Mia.
THE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
The team used an incremental implementation strategy for the purchasing module. It allowed the delivery of small, manageable functionality in each sprint, ensuring that the project stayed on track and communicated the status with management. The team also conducted user acceptance testing at the end of each sprint to gather feedback and make any necessary changes before moving on to the next sprint. This approach allowed for a smooth and efficient implementation of the purchasing module.
THE RESULTS
With the new DevOps purchasing system in place, Momma Mia saw significant improvements in their operations. The automated process reduced the time and effort required for purchasing, resulting in cost savings for the company. Integrating the accounts payable system also streamlined the payment process, reducing the risk of errors and delays
The cross-functional team collaboration and Agile methodologies used in the project also improved communication and transparency within the organization. It led to a better understanding of each team's roles and responsibilities, resulting in a more efficient and cohesive work environment.
By implementing a DevOps purchasing system using the Scrum method, our fictitious company, Momma Mia, was able to streamline its procurement process, making its operations more efficient and productive. This illustrative example shows how small businesses can leverage these methodologies to improve their operations, even with a limited budget.
If you're a small business owner looking to streamline your operations, consider implementing a DevOps system using Scrum. It could revolutionize your business, just like it did in our illustrative example with Momma Mia!
Are you ready to join our community of forward-thinking entrepreneurs and revolutionize your small business with the power of DevOps and BI? Please share your experiences, challenges, or questions in the comments below or contact me for a personalized consultation on how these strategies can transform your business. Let's embark on this journey of growth and innovation together!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This illustration was written in collaboration with AI technology. The AI large language model developed by OpenAI, called ChatGPT, was used to generate ideas, an outline, and assist with graphics.
Any AI-generated text has been reviewed, edited, and approved by Sondra Hoffman, who takes full responsibility for the content of this publication.
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