Role of Issue Tracking Tools in DevOps
In the old conventional-issue tracking system, spreadsheets were used to organize and manage the issues which were identified in the system. However, with the adoption of DevOps methodologies and the increase in the size and complexity of projects, the traditional system of issue management has become redundant as it is no longer able to keep up with the growing challenges. Hence, organizations today require sophisticated and holistic issue tracking tools that are able to keep track of the changes, schedule and prioritize issues, assign them to the relevant members, and generate comprehensive reports as well.
DevOps is not merely a process or set of practices, instead, it’s an entirely different development approach that requires collaboration and team effort for successful implementation. Given that the primary focus of DevOps is the tighter integration of processes, better communication between teams, and a cultural shift from the waterfall approach towards a more agile and lean approach, it is important for all teams, especially development and operations, to work together closely to achieve their shared goals. The fundamental aim of the DevOps strategy is to make the process of creating, testing, and releasing the software application faster and reliable primarily through the automation and integration of processes between the software and IT departments. With the DevOps methodologies, the companies are able to bridge the gaps between teams that were previously working in Silos, and thus better productivity and efficiency is achieved.
How Issue Tracking Fits into DevOps?
Issue tracking tools have long been used by companies to measure the quality of software products, where the main objective was to identify all possible defects and bugs in the system. While the defect finding approach is still relevant and largely used in the agile and DevOps organizations today, many teams have shifted their approach and moved beyond just the basic functions and aspects of the issue tracking system. Issue tracking in an agile environment not only facilitates the testers to identify the prevailing problems in the application, but it also offers them a customizable platform to track the progress of the issues and use valuable metrics. With these tools, the teams across the organization also have access to a shared repository for the purpose of detailed documentation which supports the troubleshooters. An efficient issue tracking system reduces the workload of the team by eliminating the need for performing tedious tasks, for instance, it sends notifications and reminders to the relevant team members if an issue or bug is detected in the application.
Benefits of Issue Tracking in DevOps Organizations
Finding the defects in an application or code is a complex and time-consuming task which requires a tester to meticulously comb through the code to find possible issues. This is why a sophisticated and advanced issue tracking system is necessitated to track, manage, and organize the issues as opposed to the conventional and basic spreadsheet system. Continuous testing of the application at almost every stage of the development process is critical in a DevOps environment and is required for high quality and timely delivery of the product. A proficient issue tracking system not only facilitates the application to pass all the parameters of quality for its release but it also shortens the reporting gaps and manages teamwork. In an agile driven working environment, continuous testing and reporting can become a bottleneck and an overhead very easily, however with advanced issue tracking the overall time and effort of the team is reduced. The ability of the issue tracking system to detect bugs and issues in the application in the early stages of the development and preventing them from snowballing into larger problems saves substantial time and costs for the company. It also offers real-time reporting for the issues that have been discovered in the test run so that the reporting time is reduced and the development team is able to schedule the issues accordingly. One of the main requirements for the effective implementation of DevOps methodologies and strategies is communication and collaboration between teams, and the issue tracking system provides a platform that helps to bridge the gap between the quality assurance team and the developers. With the shared knowledge and language, it ensures that everyone in the team has the same understanding of the issues and is able to track the progress of the reported bugs as well. The detailed and thorough reports which are generated allows a comprehensive view of the issues and all the associated details to the team members as well.
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