IBM has defined a DevOps adoption model to help organizations incrementally adopt DevOps capabilities and measurably improve effectiveness and efficiency. There are 4 adoption paths represented by the 4 rows: Steer, Develop/Test, Deploy and Operate. The gray column represents a stark description of the status quo in most organizations. These are the typical root causes of inefficiency and ineffectiveness many software delivery enterprises.

The middle column represents the primary transformation in each adoption path with a differentiating theme of DevOps adoption:

1. Measure and steer the product, for honest insight into progress and value

2. Accelerate development and test feedback cycles through agile methods to reduce uncertainties.

3. Automate the build and release process to enable frictionless deployment.

4. Collaborate consistently across the software supply chain for holistic efficiencies.

The 3^rd column is the continuous improvement theme associated with even leaner and smarter outcomes.

1. Optimizing decisions with better steering, continuous feedback and analytics.

2. Increasing the predictability of development with leaner methods and agile proficiency.

3. Improving the transparency of deployment updates with automation.

4. Improving the continuity of operations with better quality, fewer defects.

For the Develop/Test adoption path, we have defined formal practices for Continuous Integration and Virtualized Services.  For the Deploy path, we have Automated Deployment.  This is just a start at a more complete set of practices to help you become Leaner and Smarter.

A last word from Walker E. Royce:

We all want to spend less time in overhead work like meetings, compliance documentation, late rework, waiting and progress reporting. And we want to spend less time in manual tasks that can be automated. By avoiding these sources of waste AND by steering with continuous feedback and advanced analytics, we can improve the economics and value of software delivery.