Skip to main content
Welcome to this lesson by Michael Forrester. In this session, we’ll dive into the essentials of building effective DevOps teams—identifying healthy collaboration, avoiding unproductive collusion, and steering clear of misaligned conspiracy. By the end, you’ll have practical strategies for fostering respect, cohesion, and high performance in your organization.

​
1. Understanding Team Dynamics

True teamwork means working together toward a shared goal. In contrast, collusion and conspiracy introduce hidden agendas that erode trust.
The image features a Venn diagram illustrating the dynamics of teamwork in DevOps, highlighting collaboration, conspiracy, and collusion. There's also a person in the bottom right corner.

​
2. Self-Assessment: Gauge Your Collaboration Skills

Before exploring best practices, take a quick quiz to uncover your strengths and gaps in team building and collaboration.
The image features a slide titled "Quiz – Let’s Assess" with an icon labeled "Team building and collaboration skills." In the bottom right corner, there is a person speaking.
Use your quiz results to customize your learning path. Knowing your baseline helps you focus on high-impact areas.

​
3. Core Collaboration Practices

Adopt these proven techniques to accelerate problem-solving and strengthen team bonds:
  • Teaching & Learning Together
    Host regular knowledge-sharing sessions, code walkthroughs, and mini-workshops.
  • Co-Creating & Mobbing
    Practice pair programming, group troubleshooting, and mob sessions to crowdsource solutions.
The image features a diagram with three ascending blocks labeled with icons, representing stages of "Troubleshooting" and "Co-creating." In the bottom right corner, there's a person gesturing while seated.
Siloed work can lead to technical debt and knowledge gaps. Schedule collaborative coding sessions regularly.

​
4. Cultivating “Social Grease”

Informal chat—once at the water cooler—now happens in Slack channels or Discord servers. These casual check-ins (e.g., “How was your weekend?”) build trust and rapport.
The image shows a slide titled "Social Grease and the Old 'Water Cooler'" with two illustrated figures, one asking "How is your weekend?" There is also a small inset of a person in the bottom right corner.

​
5. Observation & Context: Reading the Room

Pay attention to nonverbal cues and environmental factors—lighting, temperature, weather—which all influence mood and team energy.
The image is a slide titled "Mastering Observation and Context in Teams," featuring icons for observing, people, room, lighting, seasons, and environmental factors. In the bottom right corner, there's a person sitting with a guitar.

​
6. Making Progress Visible

Showcasing wins and sharing progress encourages adoption and motivates teams to keep improving.
Leverage visual tools—Kanban boards, dashboards, or shared slide decks—to celebrate milestones and track metrics.

​
7. Scenario & Final Assessment

Watch a real-world scenario illustrating how teams can falter or flourish based on these collaboration strategies. Then, retake the quiz to measure your improvement.
The image shows a slide titled "Quiz – Assess 'What did you learn about Teamwork?'" with an illustration of a checklist on a clipboard. In the bottom right corner, there's a small video frame of a person speaking.

​
Summary Table

TopicFocus
Team DynamicsCollaboration vs. Collusion vs. Conspiracy
Self-AssessmentBaseline quiz on collaboration skills
Core PracticesTeaching, learning, co-creating, mob programming
Social GreaseInformal interactions in Slack/Discord
Observation & ContextNonverbal cues and environmental factors
VisibilitySharing progress and celebrating wins
Scenario & AssessmentPractical scenario and final quiz

​
Final Agenda Overview

The image is a slide titled "Agenda for Collaboration, Collusion, and Conspiracy – Summary," outlining four sections on teamwork, assessments, learning topics, and team dynamics. It includes icons and a small photo of a person in the bottom right corner.
By following this roadmap, you’ll master the techniques needed for aligned, high-performing DevOps teams. See you in the next lesson!

Watch Video