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Dawid Rycerz

DevOps Mindset

The first thing you need to understand to become a good DevOps engineer is what DevOps truly is. Being a DevOps engineer means driving change in culture, processes, and mindset. I often say I do DevOps evangelization, because the shift in how people think and work is far more important than tools and automation. Without that foundation, no tool will bring real improvement.

This mindset helps focus on what truly matters. As a consultant, I’ve often been asked about priorities - where a project should invest its main efforts, and what actions will bring the biggest results with the least effort.

Some books that helped shape my thinking:

These books won’t solve your problems or give you ready-made answers, but they will help guide your decisions. The principles behind DevOps - building healthy work environments, creating well-sized and effective teams - are universal, regardless of the technology or the company.

Key ideas you’ll find in them:

  • The “wall of confusion” between development and operations teams
  • Shift-left approach and continuous feedback
  • Blameless culture and continuous learning
  • Cross-functional cooperation and shared goals
  • Lean thinking and waste reduction
  • Security as an integral part of the development process
  • CALMS framework
  • DORA metrics
  • Value stream mapping

The most important takeaway: DevOps is not about tools. It’s not CI/CD, it’s not Kubernetes, it’s not Cloud or Ansible. DevOps is a mindset. Tools are just there to support processes. Don’t forget that.