The Tell-Tale Signs of Fake DevOps: How to Spot It

Based on the article “Tell-Tale Signs of Fake DevOps” by Nikolay Gekht.

DevOps has become a defining philosophy in modern software delivery. At its core, it’s about delivering the right things fast, and continuously improving along the way. But what if the DevOps practices in place aren't delivering what they promise? What if what you’re seeing is just the appearance of DevOps?

Let’s break it down in today’s post: how to tell when DevOps is genuine, and when it’s just theater.

When Delivery Lags, Start Asking Questions

One of the earliest signs of Fake DevOps is a breakdown in delivery: whether it's delays, inconsistency, or a lack of meaningful outcomes.

Since DevOps is fundamentally about creating a fast, reliable flow of value, any disruption in that flow signals an issue. It could be a bottleneck, a misalignment, or something more systemic.

If delivery is stalled or sluggish, it’s a clear sign the system isn’t working as it should—and that’s where your investigation should begin.

How the Team Handles Failure Reveals Everything

Failure to deliver, or delivering too slowly, isn’t automatically a sign of Fake DevOps. Even the best teams run into problems. What truly matters is how the team responds when things go wrong.

This brings us to the second test, which is often the more revealing one: what does your team do when delivery fails?

In a true DevOps environment, teams don’t bury issues. They expose them, analyze root causes, share insights, and make visible improvements. The goal is to strengthen the system, not to hide its flaws or deflect responsibility.

If that response is missing, or merely superficial, then what you’re seeing isn’t DevOps. It’s the illusion of progress wrapped in process. And no matter how polished the tooling or language may be, without accountability and improvement, it’s not real.

A Test Rooted in DevOps Principles

These aren’t arbitrary leadership checks, they align directly with the Three Ways of DevOps, as outlined by Gene Kim and others:

• The First Way: Simplify and improve the flow of value → Validated through actual delivery outcomes.

• The Second Way: Create and shorten feedback loops → Reflected in how quickly teams surface and respond to issues.

• The Third Way: Build a culture of continuous experimentation and shared learning → Seen when teams are open about failure and improvement.

Assessing delivery addresses the First Way. How teams handle problems reflects the Second and Third Ways, and shows whether the DevOps culture is real or just for show.

Real DevOps Requires Real Culture

As Nikolay Gekht points out in his article, DevOps isn’t defined by tools or rituals. It is defined by outcomes and behavior. The strongest teams treat failure not as a setback, but as a fuel for improvement.

If you’re a leader evaluating your DevOps practice, start with two simple questions:

• Are we delivering value—fast and consistently?

• When we fail, do we learn and do better?

The answers will tell you everything.

You can find the original article, “Tell-Tale Signs of Fake DevOps” by Nikolay Gekht, in the Agile Bulletin 2023.