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Identification and prioritization of DevOps success factors using fuzzy-AHP approach

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Abstract

DevOps (development and operations) is a collaborative and multidisciplinary organizational effort to automate continuous delivery of a software project with an aim to improve software quality. The implementation of DevOps practices is not straightforward as there are several complexities associated with it. The aim of this study is to identify and prioritize the factors that positively influence the DevOps practices in software organizations. Using a systematic literature review, 19 factors were identified. The identified factors were further validated with experts via a questionnaire survey study. Finally, Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was used to prioritize the identified success factors. The results indicate that “DevOps security pipeline,” “use system orchestration” and “attempt matrix organization and transparency” factors are the highest ranked success factors for the successful implementation of DevOps practices. The FAHP analysis is novel in this research area as it provides the prioritization based taxonomy of the identified factors which will assist the researchers and practitioners to focus on the critical areas that are significant for the successful adoption of DevOps practices.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University for funding through Vice Deanship of Scientific Research Chairs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China

    Muhammad Azeem Akbar

  2. Information and Computer Science Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

    Sajjad Mahmood

  3. School of Computer Science and Technology, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, 400065, China

    Muhammad Shafiq

  4. Research Chair of Artificial Intelligence (RCAI), Department of Information Systems, College of Computer and Information Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Ahmed Alsanad & Abdu Gumaei

  5. Information Systems Department, College of Computer and Information Sciences, Imam Muhammad Ibn-Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Abeer Abdul-Aziz Alsanad

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  1. Muhammad Azeem Akbar
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  2. Sajjad Mahmood
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  3. Muhammad Shafiq
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Communicated by Hemen Dutta.

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Appendices

Appendix A

Selected primary studies and quality assessment score (https://tinyurl.com/uq2vjc6).

Appendix B

Sample of survey questionnaire (https://tinyurl.com/wcvf4xw).

Appendix C

Sample of Fuzzy-AHP questionnaire (https://tinyurl.com/wwj9jvg).

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Akbar, M.A., Mahmood, S., Shafiq, M. et al. Identification and prioritization of DevOps success factors using fuzzy-AHP approach. Soft Comput 27, 1907–1931 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00500-020-05150-w

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