SAFe DevOps Practitioner vs Certified DevOps Leader

Changes are happening all around us. The industrial pulse, throbbing with its chrysalis stage, is filled with dozens of agile frameworks and DevOps practices for one sole purpose: delivering better, faster, and smarter. Folks are sprinting down the agile lane to upskill and earn their credentials.

Chances are you, too, are eager to upgrade your skills, notably in SAFe® DevOps Practitioner (SDP) or Certified DevOps Leader (CDL) areas, and earn credentials. Yet still, picking between the two gets convoluted due to insufficient clarity. In this article, we dissect SDP and CDL concepts bit by bit, such that the next time you come across these terms, you know exactly what they mean.

The DevOps Cliff Notes: A Quick Recap

DevOps is a cultural and technical practice that brings two siloed entities involved in software or application development under a single roof. Denoting the key terms “Development” and “Operations”, this methodology enjoins software development and IT operations teams from the planning phase to the delivery of products or services.

The idea behind bringing this approach into play is to enable effective coordination and collaboration to plan, develop, monitor, and automate workflows. This chimes in on fast, efficient, and premium delivery. Professionals like automation architects, security engineers, consumers, and more are involved throughout the project lifecycle in this approach.

In cultural palimpsest, DevOps extends to shared responsibility and cross-functional collaboration among the teams for better consumer satisfaction. With the automation of selected tasks and improved MTTR (Mean Time To Recovery), the TTM (Time to Market) is dialed down significantly. This, in succession, improves ROI, gives businesses prospects for quick market capture, and minimizes financial risks.

Building Blocks of Certified DevOps Leader (CDL) Program

As consumer expectations reach new pinnacles, businesses are investing in progressive project management tools and methodologies. Incorporating such advanced solutions helps these businesses keep their user base happy and generate high ROI. With DevOps culture intensifying in both technical and non-technical enterprises, project managers are seeking ways to perfect their skills and stay balanced amidst uncertainties. The Certified DevOps Leader (CDL) Program is among the most favored choices opted by such professionals to step into the world of DevOps, as detailed in the following sections.

What is the CDL Program All About?

The CDL program is formulated to help organizations break free from old-school working ways and transition to DevOps culture. Individuals certified in this program are apt at leadership and pour their efforts into integrating the 7Cs of DevOps into business operations.

The curriculum typically covers topics such as foundational principles, evolutionary insights, strategies for successful implementation, operational perks, and much more. This may further encompass understanding the CI/CD pipeline, IaC, CALMS model, and so on.

How Does a Certified DevOps Leader Make a Difference?

DevOps leaders handle several responsibilities that push the growth barriers in an organization. Some of the tasks handled by DevOps leaders are listed below.

• Leading DevOps Culture

A Certified DevOps Leader is responsible for ushering an organization into adopting a DevOps-driven culture of innovation and continuous improvement. They also address behaviors that foil DevOps incorporation and change the way people think and perceive this methodology to propel growth. Likewise, leading strategically, creating and disseminating a clear vision, and promoting adaptive thinking & lifelong learning fall under their responsibilities.

• Uniting Teams for Collaboration

These individuals are also entrusted to bring together operations, development, and testing teams for effective collaboration by overturning silos. They must also get stakeholder support, make sure team members are aligned with business goals, and facilitate appropriate training initiatives to eliminate skill gaps. CDLs are the roots of keeping the energy and motivation intact within teams to magnify overall productivity.

• Improving and Measuring Performance Levels

A CDL is also assigned to check on and eradicate existing and potential inefficiencies throughout the development phases. Doing so helps these professionals in maximizing value streams. In the like manner, they're tasked to outline and observe KPIs to calculate the practicalities of DevOps practices. These measured insights are then utilized to make informed decisions, strategies, and iterative refinements.

• Automating and Securing Operations

A DevOps Leader is entrusted to handle various tasks with clockwork precision for smoother end-product deliverables. These professionals are accountable for deploying and monitoring task automation throughout the software development. This may involve designing and integrating reliable automation tools in the workflows. Alongside this, they are also in charge of employing security practices and protocols from the testing to the deployment phases of a project.

SAFe® DevOps Practitioner (SDP) Course: The Bare Essentials

In the marrow of a full project lifecycle, numerous agile methodologies and frameworks are adopted, either independently or in tandem with other practices. SAFe® DevOps, at its core, is one such practice that intertwines DevOps rituals with agile principles. The objective of this method is to ensure a Continuous Delivery Pipeline (CDP) for standard, fast, sustainable, and value-based delivery.

The optimized ARTs (Agile Release Trains) in this methodology make it an ideal tool for automation, continuous delivery and continuous integration. SAFe® DevOps Practitioner (SDP) certification is a program eyed by most DevOps professionals to deliver better solutions, overstep their limitations, and shoot their way up the corporate ladder. To understand the multiple facets of this program, you need to first get down to its fundamentals, as briefed below.

What Exactly is SDP Certification?

SAFe® DevOps practitioner (SDP) program is offered to guide and equip professionals in operationalizing DevOps in a SAFe® environment. With this course, individuals learn the art of delivering fast and reliable on-demand solutions to their consumer base. It includes familiarizing with core values, principles, processes, tools, and practices necessary for SAFe®-based DevOps transformation. Some of the fundamentals covered include methods for continuous improvement, decentralized decision-making, enhancing transparency, and more to deliver high-end solutions.

What are the Responsibilities of a SAFe® DevOps Practitioner?

Post-obtaining the certificate to validate their skills and expertise, Safe DevOps practitioners handle the following responsibilities within the enterprise settings.

• Managing Delivery Pipeline

A certified SDP is responsible for delivering end-to-end value streams by managing a continuous delivery pipeline. They command this through four channels, namely, Continuous Exploration (CE), Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Deployment (CD) and Release on Demand.

• Identifying and Eliminating Bottlenecks

These professionals are also entrusted to dismantle workflow disruptions that threaten to throw project objectives off track. They address bottlenecks linked to technical glitches, ineffective processes, faulty tools, and so on promptly to counteract risks within the project lifecycle.

• Overseeing PROCESS Compliance and Security

Running security assessments routinely, triggering automated tests, and following through with compliance and safety policies are the practices overseen by SDPs. They also audit and submit compliance reports, take care of code vulnerabilities, and authorize access control.

• Facilitating Training and Automation

They work hand-in-hand with multiple teams to iron out hesitations, manage skills gaps through training and mentoring, and coordinate cross-functional collaboration among these teams. On a similar note, automating pipelines and frequently tweaking and revamping automated processes are the responsibility of these leaders.

• Tracking Performance and Feedback

The practitioner lists out and tracks KPIs like the change failure rate and MTTR for continuous monitoring. Monitoring tools are employed to collect and process data in real-time to inspect system performance. They are also tasked with establishing feedback loops to gather opinions from stakeholders, end users, and team members to refine solutions and recognize breakthroughs.

SDP Vs CDL: Which One is Your Right Fit?

Whether you're an IT engineer, software developer, system administrator, or project manager, upskilling and obtaining credentials will distinguish you in the crowded corporate space. As per a report by Skillsoft, 62% of tech professionals who opted for certification observed an upgrade in their work quality. Likewise, 42% of the surveyors reported a boost in job engagement. This goes on to show the necessity of proper training and accreditations. To get into the role of DevOps leader, you can opt for either CDL or SDP programs or both as per your interests and requirements.

Both programs promise perks like personal development through advanced leadership, adaptability, problem-solving abilities, better-earning potential, industry recognition and advancement, etc. If you're just getting started with DevOps, a CDL course will ensure you have a solid foundation. However, if you're aiming to deploy both DevOps and Agile transformation, the SDP program is an ideal choice.

Bottom Line

Both the SAFe® DevOps practitioner and Certified DevOps Leader command the organizational integration of DevOps culture in different ways. Unquestionably, acquiring top-tier skills from renowned training providers is critical for meaningful career advancement. At Garranto, we excel in furnishing interactive, structured, and reliable courses that prime you with in-demand skills. With us, it's not just about succeeding; it's about outshining the ordinary.

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