How Should DevOps Be Structured? It Depends on Your Organization

The structure of DevOps within an organization is a topic of ongoing debate. Some argue that a dedicated DevOps team contradicts the very principles of DevOps, while others believe that a structured team is essential for maintaining best practices and ensuring operational stability. The truth is, there is no single correct way to implement DevOps. The ideal approach depends on various factors, including company size, team expertise, and business requirements.

Many discussions around DevOps structure lead to strong opinions such as:

• If you have a DevOps team, it is not DevOps.
• DevOps is not a role, it is a process.
• DevOps fails when a single person is responsible for it.

Each of these statements holds some truth, but the reality is far more nuanced. Organizations have different needs, challenges, and levels of DevOps maturity, which means different structures may be required.

There are three common models of DevOps implementation, each with its own advantages and challenges:

Centralized DevOps team – full ownership model

In this model, a dedicated DevOps team is responsible for managing CI/CD pipelines, cloud infrastructure, automation, observability, and security. This approach ensures consistency, expertise, and a structured implementation of best practices across the organization.

Advantages:

• Specialized knowledge – a dedicated team provides deep expertise in automation, infrastructure, cloud and security.
• Consistency – standardized processes ensure reliable deployments and adherence to best practices.
• Operational efficiency – the team focuses solely on improving infrastructure, reducing the burden on developers.

Challenges:

• Potential bottlenecks – if developers depend entirely on the DevOps team for deployments and infrastructure management, this can slow down release cycles.
• Lack of developer involvement – developers may become disengaged from infrastructure concerns, leading to inefficiencies and knowledge gaps.

This model works well for large enterprises or organizations where DevOps expertise is scarce within development teams. However, it requires careful structuring to avoid creating an isolated team that becomes a bottleneck rather than an enabler.

Fully developer-owned DevOps – no dedicated team

In contrast, some organizations eliminate the need for a dedicated DevOps team by making developers responsible for managing infrastructure, CI/CD, cloud resources, and monitoring. This model promotes full ownership and accelerates deployment cycles. I rarely saw organizations that have implemented this type of ideology successfully, without a single DevOps person. However, for some organizations – it did work. 

Advantages:

• Faster iteration – developers can deploy and manage infrastructure without waiting for an external team.
• Increased autonomy – teams take full ownership of their applications and infrastructure.
• Adaptability – developers can tailor DevOps practices to their specific needs without external dependencies.

Challenges:

• Inconsistency across teams – without a centralized approach, different teams may implement DevOps practices in varying ways, leading to fragmentation.
• Lack of specialized DevOps knowledge – developers may not have expertise in infrastructure security, automation, and reliability, increasing the risk of misconfigurations.
• Operational overhead – developers may spend too much time managing infrastructure instead of focusing on application development.

To address these challenges, some organizations appoint DevOps Champions -senior developers who specialize in DevOps and provide guidance within their teams. However, ensuring that all developers have the necessary skills remains a challenge.

Hybrid model: DevOps as an enabler

The hybrid approach seeks to balance autonomy and expertise. In this model, a DevOps team functions as an enabler rather than a gatekeeper. Instead of handling all infrastructure tasks, they build platforms, guardrails, and automation frameworks that empower developers to manage their own deployments while maintaining best practices.

Advantages:

• Balanced approach – developers retain control over their applications, while the DevOps team provides support and automation.
• Improved collaboration – encourages close cooperation between DevOps engineers and development teams.
• Scalability – a central team ensures consistency and best practices without restricting developer autonomy.

Challenges:

• Requires strong collaboration – developers and the DevOps team must work together effectively.
• Training and enablement – developers need training to handle infrastructure responsibilities correctly.

This model is particularly effective for mid-sized to large organizations where both speed and reliability are essential. It allows teams to scale without overwhelming developers with operational concerns.

Choosing the right DevOps model

From my experience as VP Professional Services at develeap, the most suitable DevOps structure depends on several factors:

• Company size – startups may benefit from full developer ownership of DevOps, while enterprises require structured governance.
• Culture and expertise – if developers have strong infrastructure and security skills, a decentralized model may work. Otherwise, an enabling DevOps team may be necessary.
• Business needs – fast-moving companies prioritize agility, whereas regulated industries require structured compliance and governance.

Evaluating your DevOps approach

After working with numerous companies across various DevOps approaches, cultures, and implementations, I’ve gained valuable insights into what truly makes DevOps successful. Whatever model your organization follows, it is important to regularly assess its effectiveness.

Ask these key questions:

• Are teams deploying software efficiently and reliably?
• Are developers empowered to manage their own infrastructure without creating security risks?
• If our infrastructure and software deployment stands in the best practices of scalability, availability and redundancy?
• Is there a clear balance between speed, autonomy, and governance?

If the answer to any of these questions is unclear, it may be time to reassess your DevOps approach. Structuring DevOps effectively is not about following a single rule – it is about finding the right balance for your organization’s needs.