How DevOps Is like Making Paper Airplanes

A presentation at DevOpsDays Chicago 2023 in in Chicago, IL, USA by Laura Santamaria

The delight of flying an airplane made from paper that you had on hand is known to nearly everyone. However, there are so many designs and so many processes for making one; the rabbit hole of paper airplane design and science is very deep. From environment to material to techniques, there are so many things to think about. How do you choose which plane to make?

Believe it or not, DevOps (as a culture and as a paradigm) has a lot of the same properties. What works in one environment won’t work in another, and there is constant iteration to stay successful. Maybe we can learn something about DevOps while we make some paper airplanes.

Let’s explore how the art and science of designing and making paper airplanes is like DevOps in 5 minutes or less.