Originally announced May 28, 2020. Source: devops.com and DevOps Institute press release.
DevOps Institute Introduces the SKILup Playbook Library
DevOps Institute, the global member-based association dedicated to advancing the human elements of DevOps, announced the launch of its SKILup Playbook Library on May 28, 2020. The library is designed to serve as a dynamic Collective Body of Knowledge (cBok) — a curated, living resource that aligns thought leadership from industry experts with actionable research, frameworks, and practical guidance for DevOps practitioners at any stage of their journey.
The inaugural publication in the library is “The DevOps Journey Playbook”, a structured guide built around a “start where you are” philosophy. Rather than prescribing a single path, the playbook is designed to meet practitioners and organizations wherever they currently stand in their DevOps maturity, providing relevant content for beginners and experienced teams alike.
Who Contributed to the DevOps Journey Playbook?
The playbook features chapter contributions from a cross-section of well-known DevOps industry voices, including:
- Shaaron Alvares
- Helen Beal
- JP Garbani
- Andi Mann
- Eveline Oehrlich
- Matthew Skelton
- Karen Skiles
This multi-contributor model reflects DevOps Institute’s broader philosophy: that modern DevOps knowledge is best assembled from diverse perspectives spanning analysts, practitioners, vendors, and organizational leaders.
The Four Sections of the DevOps Journey Playbook
The playbook is organized into four progressive sections, each targeting a different phase of DevOps adoption and growth:
1. Explore and Discover
This section establishes foundational context. It covers the vision, mission, and objectives behind the DevOps human journey and examines what success looks like through case studies drawn from different vertical markets. It also maps the current “State of DevOps” landscape, helping readers understand where the industry stands and what role DevOps professionals play within it.
2. Understand and Learn
Moving deeper, this section provides frameworks for understanding DevOps and related industry practices. It highlights the principles and concepts essential to a successful DevOps transformation, and also covers functional and technical content relevant to the DevOps practitioner — including glossary definitions and certification information.
3. Plan, Practice and Do
This action-oriented section addresses the cultural dimensions of a DevOps journey: core skills, job roles and descriptions, and how to assess and build effective workplace structures. It also covers process-oriented tasks and automation, with links to resources from industry research bodies, associations, and established practices.
4. Optimize and Improve
The final section focuses on performance management, measurement, and continuous improvement. It spotlights key performance indicators (KPIs) and Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), and includes a community-contributed resource library to support ongoing conversations around improving daily work and team performance.
What Comes Next: Planned Playbooks in the SKILup Library
The DevOps Journey Playbook is intended as the first in a growing series. Led by Eveline Oehrlich, DevOps Institute’s Research Director (also listed as Chief Research Director in the announcement), additional playbooks were in the planning stage at the time of this announcement, including:
- DevOps Engineer Playbook
- Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) Playbook
- DevOps Human Playbook
Each planned playbook follows the same cBok model: curated, community-informed, and built around the human dimensions of DevOps work.
Why Playbooks Matter for DevOps Teams
Eveline Oehrlich, Chief Research Director at DevOps Institute, explained the rationale behind the playbook format at launch:
“Playbooks are critical to improving the efficacy of teams and the lives of many individuals because, through an assembly of data and information connected to industry-renowned patterns and practices, people can adopt action plans for improving how they go about a new journey and how to progress successfully.”
— Eveline Oehrlich, Chief Research Director, DevOps Institute
Jayne Groll, CEO of DevOps Institute, added context on the broader mission:
“Now more than ever, the DevOps community needs a dynamic body of knowledge that captures the latest thinking, orchestrates artifacts and assets from other sources and provides actionable guidance and resources. DevOps Institute has always advocated for a Collective Body of Knowledge (cBok) and I am particularly proud that the DevOps Institute SKILup Playbook Library can create a holistic series of playbooks with contributions from leading industry analysts, practitioners, vendors, thought leaders and others with extensive, practical experience.”
— Jayne Groll, CEO, DevOps Institute
About DevOps Institute
DevOps Institute is a global member-based association focused on advancing the human side of DevOps. It connects IT practitioners, education partners, consultants, talent acquisition professionals, and business executives to support digital transformation and modern IT practices. Its work — including accreditations, research, events, and continuous learning programs — is organized around a human-centered SKIL framework: Skills, Knowledge, Ideas, and Learning.
For more information, visit the DevOps Institute website.