I get tired of hearing what is DevOps? It just tells me that no one really has got it exactly right, but everyone longs to be the authority on the topic. Everyone writes their perceived answers ad nauseam. Reading all the different definitions is kinda like listening to infomercials. An individual puts themselves out there as an expert simply because they have an audience and the topic is in vogue.

But before I go any further let’s put the “What is DevOps?” questions to bed once and for all. Of course the only real source to turn to is Wikipedia, as that is the definitive source and because it’s on the Internet you know it has to be true. Did I tell you I was a French model; bonjour.  Now to the definition you have been anxiously anticipating:

DevOps (a portmanteau of development and operations) is a software development method that stresses communication, collaboration and integration between software developers and information technology (IT) operations professionals. DevOps is a response to the interdependence of software development and IT operations.

There you have it; DevOps is a methodology not an industry. Now that that question has finally been answered, I hope that I never hear about it again, let’s turn back to those thought leaders. Let’s go back to time when many of today’s thought leaders were still asking what the internet is. Once again I refer to my expert source Wikipedia:

A thought leader can refer to an individual or firm that is recognized as an authority in a specialized field and whose expertise is sought and often rewarded. The term was coined in 1994 by Joel Kurtzman, editor-in-chief of the Booz & Co magazine Strategy & Business, and used to designate interview subjects for that magazine who had business ideas which merited attention.

Everything on the internet is about branding and the marketing of the brand. Thought leaders typically write a blog, column, book, record a podcast or webinar.  As long as the message resonates they don’t care about the delivery mechanism. So called thought leaders are simply marketing their brand whether they truly have the expertise to do so or not.  It is a simple process when you have a topic that is loosely defined in an early stage of development, as there is no objective measure of what is correct.

Thought leaders typically are an individual or firm that profit from being recognized as such. I submit many are truly mere navel gazers, as a navel gazer is derived from the phrase “contemplating one’s navel” or “navel-gazing” if you will, typically referred to in jocular fashion, to refer to self-absorbed pursuits. Please someone explain to me the difference between thought leaders and navel gazers?

We have so many self anointed thought leaders I am beginning to wonder is there anyone out there actually practicing DevOps or is everyone just talking about it to make a fast buck. If you are a thought leader why can’t you tell me if and when DevOps is going to cross the chasm?

What have I learned from all this? DevOps needs an infomercial to cross the chasm, not thought leaders. Don’t even get me started on chasms.

If you would like say something; email [email protected] and don’t forget to comment here.