DevOps — major processes & flow maps
CI/CD pipeline — Every commit triggers an automated pipeline. Build, test, scan, deploy in sequence. Failures at any stage block progression. The pipeline is the single source of truth for deployment readiness.
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1. CI/CD pipeline (conceptual)
CI/CD commit-to-deploy pipeline
How each commit advances through build, test, scan, and deploy with gated progression.
- StartA commit or merge triggers the automated pipeline run.
- Core steps (see walkthrough below)Build, test, scan, and deploy execute in governed sequence.
- OutcomeA deployable artifact or blocked release decision is recorded.
CI/CD pipeline (conceptual)
Start
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Core steps (see walkthrough below)
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Outcome2. DevOps infinity loop
DevOps continuous feedback loop
How operational signals cycle back into planning, build, test, release, and monitoring.
- StartA delivery or operational signal enters the DevOps cycle.
- Core steps (see walkthrough below)Planning, code, infrastructure, test, release, and monitor stages interconnect.
- OutcomeImproved delivery posture feeds the next loop iteration.
DevOps infinity loop
Start
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Core steps (see walkthrough below)
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Outcome3. Incident response flow
Governed incident response gate
How severity and readiness checkpoints route incidents toward coordinated response or escalation.
- Current stateAn active alert or production incident enters structured response.
- Checkpoint / gateConfirm severity, scope, and whether the response bar is met.
- refine or escalateRework triage or escalate when the gate does not clear.
- Continue flowProceed with coordinated mitigation and communication per severity.
Incident response flow
Current state
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Checkpoint / gate
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Continue flow4. Deployment strategy decision
Deployment strategy selection gate
How risk tolerance and rollback needs route releases toward rolling, canary, blue-green, or flag-based paths.
- Current stateCapture release scope, risk profile, and rollback requirements.
- Checkpoint / gateTest whether the candidate strategy meets tolerance and observability needs.
- refine or escalateRevisit strategy choice or escalate when the gate fails.
- Continue flowProceed with the selected deployment approach into release execution.
Deployment strategy decision
Current state
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Checkpoint / gate
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Continue flow5. Phases A–F (DevOps emphasis)
| Blueprint phase | DevOps emphasis | Key practice |
|---|---|---|
| A Shape | Include operability requirements (SLOs, monitoring needs) | Shift-left on operational thinking |
| B Plan | Pipeline design; deployment strategy; environment planning | IaC from the start |
| C Build | CI: automated build, test, scan on every commit | Trunk-based development; small, frequent commits |
| D Verify | Automated test pyramid; security scanning; performance testing | Quality gates in the pipeline |
| E Release | CD: automated deployment; canary/blue-green; feature flags | Make deployments boring |
| F Learn | Monitoring, alerting, incident response, post-mortems | Production feedback closes the loop |
6. DORA metrics collection
DORA metrics collection flow
How teams gather delivery signals aligned with DORA research-backed metrics and capabilities.
- StartOperational and delivery events enter the metrics collection flow.
- Core steps (see walkthrough below)Instrument pipelines and production to capture delivery capability signals.
- OutcomeReviewable metrics support prioritizing DevOps capability improvements.
DORA metrics collection
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Core steps (see walkthrough below)
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Outcome7. Flow details (walkthrough)
CI/CD pipeline — Every commit triggers an automated pipeline. Build, test, scan, deploy in sequence. Failures at any stage block progression. The pipeline is the single source of truth for deployment readiness.
Infinity loop — DevOps is not a linear process; it is a continuous cycle. Planning incorporates operational learnings. Code includes infrastructure. Testing includes production-like environments. Monitoring informs the next planning cycle.
Incident response — Structured, not ad-hoc. Severity determines response level. Incident commanders coordinate complex responses. Post-mortems extract learning from every significant incident.
Deployment strategies — Choose based on risk tolerance. Rolling updates are simplest. Canary releases test with a subset of traffic. Blue-green provides instant rollback. Feature flags decouple deployment from user-visible release.
8. Authoritative sources & further reading
- Wikipedia — DevOps — Stable overview of practices and culture.
- Wikipedia — CI/CD — Continuous integration and delivery.
- DORA — State of DevOps — Research-backed metrics and capabilities.
- Google SRE Book — Free online; SRE practices and principles.
Full curated list: External reference URLs (methodology guides).