<p>Any business initiative would get a traction if you show its relevance to either topline or bottomline of the organization.</p>

<p>Internal initiatives such as devops can only affect the bottomline. You need to identify the costs of recurring work performed by the individiuals and how automation would reduce that expenditure. </p>

<p>Even though non-techy managers may not understand the difference between choosing chef over puppet, they have some understanding of Industry trends. You can make them aware of the costs of delays due to builds not being available, costs of regression issues and how your approach can reduce those costs. If you can show tangible plan for improvement in bottomline, and if it is better than the other action items on their plate, you would get a go-ahead.   </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-28T06:03:54.147Z
2017-04-01T23:00:58.617Z
2017-04-01T23:00:58.617Z
Hemant Shinde
<p>My go-to line of reasoning for people who are unfamiliar (or just mistaken) about the term DevOps boils is down to "delivering business value more frequently". This, in my experience, is something very few managers are able to object to. They get it.</p>

<p>If they say something like "we just need someone to straighten out our devops, probably just a few weeks of work; so there's a limit on how much we're going to invest in devops right now" I just try to explain that's like saying "we don't want our company to deliver too much business value. we just need a bit more, but that's it".</p>

<p>It's just rhetoric, of course, but I find it's effective, much more so than than telling them to read a book about Toyota.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-28T06:11:51.597Z
2017-03-28T06:11:51.597Z
Assaf Lavie
<p>Everything in the previous answers is true, but I think there are some things missing to actually get the approval and commitment from your bosses (BTW: most people only have 1 boss at max ...).</p>

<p>Sooner or later Mr. Murphy will come along (= <em>Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and it shall go wrong when it shouldn't go wrong</em>). And at that point some boss(es) will want to get answers to questions like this one:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>What happened when and why, and which authorized user actually approved it ... upfront?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>And at that point you'll get the real ROI from DevOps-practices you'll have in place ... And/or all of a sudden get all sorts of huge budget approvals to implement what you seem to be looking for.</p>

<p>Even if it would take too long for Murphy to come by, your company might also run into requirements such as what Richard described in the question "<a href="https://devops.stackexchange.com/q/559/40">What processes or tools enable Segregation of Duties when engineers both deploy and run code?</a>" (those kind of requirements scare CxOs ...).</p>

<p>But, if you ever have to introduce "DevOps" to somebody who is new to it, it may help them to "warn" them upfront like "<strong><em>OK, so you want to start DevOps practices, great! But be aware that it is like switching to another religion ...</em></strong>"</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T21:26:36.883Z
"bosses" are my boss and my boss's boss .. and yes unfortunately both of them are irreligious (Technically speaking)
storm
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T19:52:37.543Z
2017-03-28T10:42:32.920Z
2017-04-13T13:01:29.297Z
Pierre.Vriens
<p>You don't. </p>

<p>Despite your enthusiasm about DevOps, non-tech bosses don't really share your fascination with the techie lingo. </p>

<p>First, show your bosses the benefit of a small pilot projects you have done. Collect some useful data points to prove your case. (Found this question that could help: <a href="https://devops.stackexchange.com/q/427/350">What are some methods to measure the ROI for DevOps?</a>)</p>

<p>Next, tell your bosses you have a project that could bring more benefits but need a small investment. (Try to figure out a project that don't let your bosses fall off the chair. You should have a feel of what this figure is if you have been working with your bosses for a while.)</p>

<p>Once you got the investment, do an excellent job of achieving the objective. Better yet, wildly exceed it!</p>

<p>Now, when finally the bosses ask you "So what did you do that brought us so much benefits?"</p>

<p>This is the time that you proclaim:</p>

<p>"DevOps"</p>

<p>And ask for more investment for your next devops project. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T18:54:30.037Z
Similar comment to what I wrote before to Richard's answer: what if "my" boss" is a "her" ...? You mind (also) correcting that somehow?
Pierre.Vriens
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T19:26:35.290Z
Updated. How chauvinist of me! I beg for pardon.
kenchew
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T19:35:01.657Z
No need for "pardon" (and I hope my additional edit is fine for you, since OP-er seems to have multiple bosses) ... BTW: if somebody asks me the last question you mentioned in your answer, I always try to answer with something like "Hire me (again) and I'll tell/teach you!".
Pierre.Vriens
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T19:39:00.157Z
Excellent edit! No issue at all. As for the last answer, I just need to get the word "DevOps" in the answer to stay on topic. ;p
kenchew
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T18:00:30.463Z
2017-03-24T19:32:23.223Z
2017-04-13T13:01:29.297Z
kenchew
<p>Being a consultant I am contractually obliged to answer, "it depends".  With that out of the way, I can actually answer your question.</p>

<p>What does it depend on? Well, that could come down to what your boss thinks about DevOps:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>If your boss has heard of the term, via their obsession with <a href="http://www.cio.com/" rel="noreferrer">CIO.com</a> maybe, then ask them what they think it means.  From there work out what the difference is and if their view is compatible.  Identify a suitable project to trial DevOps on and pitch it to them.  Remember that at the core DevOps is culture so consider how that could be applied to a project. </p></li>
<li><p>If your boss has never heard of the term then build a business case for DevOps. Use the <a href="https://puppet.com/blog/2016-state-of-devops-survey-here" rel="noreferrer">Puppet Labs State of DevOps</a> and material from books such as <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Business-ebook/dp/B00AZRBLHO" rel="noreferrer">The Phoenix Project</a> to write the business case.  Find a problem that your boss has and DevOps could solve and use it as a conversation starter. As kenchew said you don't have to mention DevOps, you might for example, suggest that Operations be more involved in a project or more test automation to be planned as part of project delivery.</p></li>
<li><p>If your boss thinks DevOps is just another buzz word then do one of the above but absolutely don't mention DevOps, look at other similar models such as Site Reliability Engineering, Platform Engineering or Continuous Deployment and find out how they could solve the problem.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>The key is to focus on understanding what your boss is motivated by, then carve out a small bit of time, money and people to take tangible steps to solving that problem.</p>

<p>I highly recommend the book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AO3K05S" rel="noreferrer">To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink</a>, fundamentally Daniel Pink talks about how selling something is a very human thing to do, all we need to do is tap into the needs and align our "pitch" by proposing a solution that serves those needs.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T18:45:49.197Z
OK, fair point that it could be plural "Bosses", to note that using "Their" over "His or Her" is actually considered poor English despite it being used commonly in colloquial British.
Richard Slater
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T18:53:23.777Z
Sorry @Richard, it's your answer, so please go ahead to correct any mistakes I may have introduced with my last edit (if that's the case). After all, you're native English I assume (I suffer ESL ...). But merci (oeps) already for trying to address my already deleted comment from before.
Pierre.Vriens
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T19:05:34.743Z
@Pierre.Vriens I don't think your edits make it any worse, I cringe when I type "their" when referring to a single person.  That said it probably reads just as well if not better to refer to the boss*es* in the plural.  Merci, Dank U, Tack Så Mycket and Vielen Dank as ever for your input.
Richard Slater
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T19:13:44.173Z
ok, bedankt! Gracias, Grazie, Obrigado, Tak, Tack ska du ha ... and if none of that makes any sense, how about just "approve" or "+1" ... like I did about 20 mins or so ago. Time for dinner over here ...
Pierre.Vriens
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T18:31:23.373Z
2017-03-24T18:47:15.067Z
2017-03-24T18:47:15.067Z
Richard Slater
<p>I'm totally excited about DevOps. I know that DevOps is the methodology that will move us into building an IT infrastructure that will streamline and move our company forward.<br>
But how do I sell this to my bosses, especially non-technical bosses?</p>

<p>We are going to implement an automation project which will include, automated deployment , infrastructure cloudification , continuous integration process .. we definitely need to persuade our bosses to invest at higher levels in this.</p>

<p><strong>Note</strong>: we started to improve our process by automating tests, releases and supervision , it's a step towards adopting devOps but the automation project itself is in stand by as we need more investment.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T16:18:54.290Z
As this is cultural and organizational structure change mainly, it should be almost the other way around. Your boss should be selling you on this. As most of the reasons why to do this have nothing to do with technology. But this question needs some work. You should expand on it some more.
Jiri Klouda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T16:22:50.527Z
@Pierre.Vriens : yes we are going to implement an automation project which will include , automated deployment , infrastructure cloudification , continuous integration process .. we definitely need to persuade our bosses to to invest at higher levels in this.
storm
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T17:35:30.920Z
Do you mean (1) you want to start (but have not started) an automation project and need investment to start or (2) you already started an automation project and want more investment?
kenchew
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-25T20:19:00.217Z
Hey @storm , do you have like 1K boss**es**, who all came to visit your question here? +1K views of this question, in 1 day???
Pierre.Vriens
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-25T20:45:30.520Z
@Pierre.Vriens : Seems like everyone wants to convince his boss to care about devOps.
storm
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-02T04:36:22.743Z
The first step is to define what DevOps means to you.  What does it?
Xiong Chiamiov
<culture><project-management>
How to explain devops to non-techy managers?
storm
# How to explain devops to non-techy managers?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-03-24)

I'm totally excited about DevOps. I know that DevOps is the methodology that will move us into building an IT infrastructure that will streamline and move our company forward.  
But how do I sell this to my bosses, especially non-technical bosses?

We are going to implement an automation project which will include, automated deployment , infrastructure cloudification , continuous integration process .. we definitely need to persuade our bosses to invest at higher levels in this.

**Note**: we started to improve our process by automating tests, releases and supervision , it's a step towards adopting devOps but the automation project itself is in stand by as we need more investment.

**Tags:** culture, project-management

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: As this is cultural and organizational structure change mainly, it should be almost the other way around. Your boss should be selling you on this. As most of the reasons why to do this have nothing to do with technology. But this question needs some work. You should expand on it some more.  
> **username_0**: @username_3 : yes we are going to implement an automation project which will include , automated deployment , infrastructure cloudification , continuous integration process .. we definitely need to persuade our bosses to to invest at higher levels in this.  
> **username_2**: Do you mean (1) you want to start (but have not started) an automation project and need investment to start or (2) you already started an automation project and want more investment?  
> **username_3**: Hey @username_0 , do you have like 1K boss**es**, who all came to visit your question here? +1K views of this question, in 1 day???  
> **username_0**: @username_3 : Seems like everyone wants to convince his boss to care about devOps.  
> **username_4**: The first step is to define what DevOps means to you.  What does it?  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_7 on 2017-03-24. Score: 15 | Accepted answer

Being a consultant I am contractually obliged to answer, "it depends". With that out of the way, I can actually answer your question.

What does it depend on? Well, that could come down to what your boss thinks about DevOps:

1. If your boss has heard of the term, via their obsession with [CIO.com](http://www.cio.com/) maybe, then ask them what they think it means. From there work out what the difference is and if their view is compatible. Identify a suitable project to trial DevOps on and pitch it to them. Remember that at the core DevOps is culture so consider how that could be applied to a project.
2. If your boss has never heard of the term then build a business case for DevOps. Use the [Puppet Labs State of DevOps](https://puppet.com/blog/2016-state-of-devops-survey-here) and material from books such as [The Phoenix Project](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Business-ebook/dp/B00AZRBLHO) to write the business case. Find a problem that your boss has and DevOps could solve and use it as a conversation starter. As username_2 said you don't have to mention DevOps, you might for example, suggest that Operations be more involved in a project or more test automation to be planned as part of project delivery.
3. If your boss thinks DevOps is just another buzz word then do one of the above but absolutely don't mention DevOps, look at other similar models such as Site Reliability Engineering, Platform Engineering or Continuous Deployment and find out how they could solve the problem.

The key is to focus on understanding what your boss is motivated by, then carve out a small bit of time, money and people to take tangible steps to solving that problem.

I highly recommend the book [To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AO3K05S), fundamentally Daniel Pink talks about how selling something is a very human thing to do, all we need to do is tap into the needs and align our "pitch" by proposing a solution that serves those needs.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: OK, fair point that it could be plural "Bosses", to note that using "Their" over "His or Her" is actually considered poor English despite it being used commonly in colloquial British.  
> **username_3**: Sorry @Richard, it's your answer, so please go ahead to correct any mistakes I may have introduced with my last edit (if that's the case). After all, you're native English I assume (I suffer ESL ...). But merci (oeps) already for trying to address my already deleted comment from before.  
> **username_7**: @username_3 I don't think your edits make it any worse, I cringe when I type "their" when referring to a single person.  That said it probably reads just as well if not better to refer to the boss*es* in the plural.  Merci, Dank U, Tack Så Mycket and Vielen Dank as ever for your input.  
> **username_3**: ok, bedankt! Gracias, Grazie, Obrigado, Tak, Tack ska du ha ... and if none of that makes any sense, how about just "approve" or "+1" ... like I did about 20 mins or so ago. Time for dinner over here ...  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-03-24. Score: 10

You don't.

Despite your enthusiasm about DevOps, non-tech bosses don't really share your fascination with the techie lingo.

First, show your bosses the benefit of a small pilot projects you have done. Collect some useful data points to prove your case. (Found this question that could help: [What are some methods to measure the ROI for DevOps?](https://devops.stackexchange.com/q/427/350))

Next, tell your bosses you have a project that could bring more benefits but need a small investment. (Try to figure out a project that don't let your bosses fall off the chair. You should have a feel of what this figure is if you have been working with your bosses for a while.)

Once you got the investment, do an excellent job of achieving the objective. Better yet, wildly exceed it!

Now, when finally the bosses ask you "So what did you do that brought us so much benefits?"

This is the time that you proclaim:

"DevOps"

And ask for more investment for your next devops project.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Similar comment to what I wrote before to Richard's answer: what if "my" boss" is a "her" ...? You mind (also) correcting that somehow?  
> **username_2**: Updated. How chauvinist of me! I beg for pardon.  
> **username_3**: No need for "pardon" (and I hope my additional edit is fine for you, since OP-er seems to have multiple bosses) ... BTW: if somebody asks me the last question you mentioned in your answer, I always try to answer with something like "Hire me (again) and I'll tell/teach you!".  
> **username_2**: Excellent edit! No issue at all. As for the last answer, I just need to get the word "DevOps" in the answer to stay on topic. ;p  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2017-03-28. Score: 4

Any business initiative would get a traction if you show its relevance to either topline or bottomline of the organization.

Internal initiatives such as devops can only affect the bottomline. You need to identify the costs of recurring work performed by the individiuals and how automation would reduce that expenditure.

Even though non-techy managers may not understand the difference between choosing chef over puppet, they have some understanding of Industry trends. You can make them aware of the costs of delays due to builds not being available, costs of regression issues and how your approach can reduce those costs. If you can show tangible plan for improvement in bottomline, and if it is better than the other action items on their plate, you would get a go-ahead.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2017-03-28. Score: 4

My go-to line of reasoning for people who are unfamiliar (or just mistaken) about the term DevOps boils is down to "delivering business value more frequently". This, in my experience, is something very few managers are able to object to. They get it.

If they say something like "we just need someone to straighten out our devops, probably just a few weeks of work; so there's a limit on how much we're going to invest in devops right now" I just try to explain that's like saying "we don't want our company to deliver too much business value. we just need a bit more, but that's it".

It's just rhetoric, of course, but I find it's effective, much more so than than telling them to read a book about Toyota.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-03-24. Score: 2

Everything in the previous answers is true, but I think there are some things missing to actually get the approval and commitment from your bosses (BTW: most people only have 1 boss at max ...).

Sooner or later Mr. Murphy will come along (= *Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and it shall go wrong when it shouldn't go wrong*). And at that point some boss(es) will want to get answers to questions like this one:

> What happened when and why, and which authorized user actually approved it ... upfront?

And at that point you'll get the real ROI from DevOps-practices you'll have in place ... And/or all of a sudden get all sorts of huge budget approvals to implement what you seem to be looking for.

Even if it would take too long for Murphy to come by, your company might also run into requirements such as what Richard described in the question "[What processes or tools enable Segregation of Duties when engineers both deploy and run code?](https://devops.stackexchange.com/q/559/40)" (those kind of requirements scare CxOs ...).

But, if you ever have to introduce "DevOps" to somebody who is new to it, it may help them to "warn" them upfront like "***OK, so you want to start DevOps practices, great! But be aware that it is like switching to another religion ...***"

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: "bosses" are my boss and my boss's boss .. and yes unfortunately both of them are irreligious (Technically speaking)  

---

