15 years of DevOpsDays

Deming to DevOps (Revisited 2024)
2024-09-04 , Main Room

Dr. Edwards Deming and his System of Profound Knowledge - past, present, and future musings.


Ten years ago, I delivered a passionate talk titled "Deming to DevOps: The Science Behind DevOps." In that ignite, I established a strong connection between the fundamental principles of W. Edwards Deming and the emerging discipline of DevOps. Little did I realize at the time that the terms "Deming" and "DevOps" would come to define my professional path. Fast forward to today, and I've learned much about our industry. However, like ten years ago, everything is poised to change again. Revisiting this presentation after all these years allows us to delve deeper into how these concepts can equip us to navigate the tectonic shifts (e.g., GenAI) across software engineering.

John Willis has worked in IT management for over 35 years and is a prolific author, including "Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge" and "The DevOps Handbook." He is researching DevOps, DevSecOps, IT risk, modern governance, and audit compliance. Previously, he was an Evangelist at Docker Inc., VP of Solutions for Socketplane (sold to Docker) and Enstratius (sold to Dell), and VP of Training & Services at Opscode, where he formalized the training, evangelism, and professional services functions at the firm. Willis also founded Gulf Breeze Software, an award-winning IBM business partner specializing in deploying Tivoli technology to the enterprise. Willis has authored six IBM Redbooks for IBM on enterprise systems management and was the founder and chief architect at Chain Bridge Systems.