First Reviews of DevOps Mindset and the People Behind

The book “DevOps Mindset in Software Development, From Apprentice to Journeyman” is now available for a bit more than a month and there are already a few favorable reviews of the book. I want to present those first reviews together with a few words on the reviewers and my relationship to them. Let’s start.

I know Daniel from a web shop project for a very large manufacturer. We collaborate with his company on the implementation and operation of this project. He is a project manager and I learned from him that is is possible to have fruitful discussions with his kind. In the end, we managed to grow the project beyond just rigid implementation of some agile methodology towards a high-performance DevOps culture. Here is what he has to say:

I have been working in software development for around 20 years – initially in development itself and, for the last few years, in project management.

In his book “DevOps Mindset in Software Development, From Apprentice to Journeyman,” Bernhard Scheffold describes everyday situations in software development in his charming way. In addition to many excellent practical examples, you also get lots of very good approaches such as “feature toggles” or why you need a “power user” in every project.

However, the book is by no means a manual on how certain processes should/must be mapped. Rather, it is a very successful attempt to sharpen the participants’ focus on the topic of “DevOps” so that we can all work better together and not past each other or even against each other.

I often found myself nodding in agreement when a particular situation was described. I had already experienced this in a very similar form myself, and the conclusions drawn are very helpful and understandable. This book is therefore the perfect travel companion on the journey “From Apprentice to Journeyman.”

And as always, “a statement ‘it does not work’ does not count!”

Clemens once worked in the same company as me with the job title DevOps Engineer. I learned from him to not look down on bearers of such a title because he was very much aware that DevOps is much less about a function but rather about a cultural change. This are his words:

This subject matter book fully deserves the 5 stars, and it will be my pleasure to explain my opinion on this.

Dr Scheffold did not just create a braindump but provided a clear and easy-to-follow structure. Still, you can literally feel the raw, pure experience contained in every sentence. This book is not fiction; this book takes an unapologetic look at the development process, dissects it piece by piece and then draws a graphic picture, which should be understandable even at the apprentice level.

After explaining the nature of the beast, the many ways in which the DevOps methodologies can be used to tame it are very well explained.

It should be noted that the clear focus of the book is on personal development, and this leads my review to one of the parts which I love most about DevOps: you can do it just by yourself!

Yes, of course, the outcomes to gain if a company-wide culture change takes place and the benefits you get when combining Agile with DevOps are undeniable.

But while you cannot really work Agile just on your own, with DevOps you have tools that you can easily start implementing even in isolation.

It goes without saying that any and all mentions of books, tools and methodologies are referenced and can be looked up to deepen the knowledge in any of the mentioned topics.

Even if non-developers might not be the main target group, this book should be able to provide everyone who is interested in DevOps with precious gems of insight.

After that much well-deserved praise, let me finish this review with a battle cry stolen out of the book: “Resist Muda!”

More than a decade ago, I worked together with Gregor in a project creating a platform for selling tickets for long distance buses. The project was very fast paced (four months from inception until go-live) and implemented a lot of DevOps principles which we didn’t fully fathom back then. His review of the book:

As a senior software developer, I am increasingly recognizing how crucial it is to understand all phases in their interplay—from development to deployment to operation. I already had some initial exposure to DevOps, but wanted to deepen my knowledge.

The book clearly describes the path from an attitude of “software operation is not my problem” to a mindset of “I am prepared for anything.” On a technical, personal, and organizational level, the book offers an impressive collection of starting points – practical, compact, and with many well-placed cross-references. The chapters are mostly quick to read, as they are not too deep without appearing superficial. Those who want to delve deeper will find numerous excellent sources for further reading via the references.

I particularly liked the strong practical relevance and numerous examples – offering insights and advice that usually only emerge after many years of real-world practice.

The book is written from the perspective of a developer in the e-commerce project business with external customers. This certainly makes it particularly instructive for this target group – but I also learned a lot from other perspectives.

Conclusion: A well-thought-out reference book that shows in a practical and structured way how the DevOps evolution can take place on a technical, organizational, cultural, and personal level. Through many small impulses, it invites reflection on one’s own way of working. A clear recommendation for everyone – not just developers – who wants to understand why software development is more successful when it is thought of holistically and implemented with more responsibility.

Gabriel is a developer from the same company as Daniel Liebig and we work together in the same project. He is very eager to improve as a Software Developer and I owe a few sentences about code reviews in the book to him when we learned that performing code review in a distrustful way is not disrespectful towards the author of the change in review but rather good team work. His words about the book:

This book will not teach you how to implement DevOps in your company, nor will it provide you with a step-by-step guide. Instead, it focuses on something more fundamental: understanding how to create real value for your customers using software.

As someone at the beginning of my journey to becoming a better software developer, I learnt a lot from this book. The author shares many personal experiences and shows how a change in mindset can positively influence a project.

The book is written in a very accessible way, making it easy to read and follow. I believe it is valuable not only for beginners like me, but also for experienced developers who want to reflect on how they approach building software. Beyond that, I think project managers can also benefit from the ideas presented here, since it provides a broader perspective on what really drives successful projects.

In short: an inspiring and insightful read that I can wholeheartedly recommend to developers and project managers alike.

It is more than a decade ago that I had the pleasure to work with Arvydas on implementing a multi tenant white label mall for a whole sale clothes dealership. We explored terrain where no-one had ever gone before by creating a mall with way over 1000 tenants. I learned from him that nobody knows every detail of a well established shop platform which has grown over the years and accumulated a vast amount of features. His review of the book:

I am in software development for 25 years, and I really enjoyed this read. “DevOps Mindset” is one of the few books that gets it right and, undistracted by industry trends, focuses on what actually works.

The book correctly frames the entire challenge of DevOps delivery as a shift in an individual’s mindset and the broader culture, not just a change of your toolbelt. It’s built on a clear foundation: improving your personal workflow, shortening feedback loops, and committing to constant refinement.

I best like the metaphor of the “journeyman” as a practical model for a person’s professional growth: from a junior developer reacting to problems to a senior leader who “architects” and values preparedness.

There is nothing hyped or fluffy here. It’s a pragmatic guide for any serious engineer looking to advance their thinking. I highly recommend.

Adnan is a SysAdmin working at a hosting partner we collaborate with to ensure that our solutions run on a stable and secure platform. We had a lot of discussion of how to achieve the best results for our common customers. I learned from him that every direct communication with the operations people is time well spent since it improves the common understanding of the business needs which is essential to achieve real value for the customer. It was also a pleasure to see that an operations guy can read a book from a developer written for development people with joy and increased insight. In his words:

This book clearly deserves five stars. While reading, you very quickly realize that Dr. Scheffold is not a theorist, but a man of practice with vast experience. The examples given don’t get lost in technical details; instead, they show that DevOps is far more than just developing, delivering, and running software. Reading it feels like having a conversation with a good friend over a coffee or a glass of wine, philosophizing about DevOps. Absolutely worth reading!

I can only recommend it!

This is a sales guy who can have deep and fruitful discussions with development people and customers alike. He says:

Scheffold doesn’t beat around the bush, and for once it was necessary for someone to hit the table. Much of what is popular with inexperienced coders is, on closer inspection, rubbish. Software must run reliably as a top priority. If it also runs in a resource-saving way, that’s the icing on the cake. Does it also have to be sexy? No! At least not if it costs even one mu in security.

I had to read through a few bookshops just to come to this conclusion - so thank you!

Daniil works in the same company like me, but mainly on other topics. Nevertheless, he shared his experience with other shop system platforms with me and I learned that it can be very hard or next to impossible to implement push-button continuous delivery pipelines on other platforms which made him very happy to work on a platform where this is possible. His very thoughtful review:

DevOps Mindset in Software Development by Dr. Bernhard Scheffold is one of those rare books that blends deep professional experience with clear, relatable storytelling. The book doesn’t just lecture you about the DevOps principles — it is a journey from “apprentice” to “journeyman,” illustrating each concept with real-world examples from decades in the field.

The book stands out because it treats DevOps not as a job title or a toolset, but as an organizational culture and personal mindset shift. Scheffold emphasizes that successful software delivery is as much about communication, responsibility, and customer value as it is about automation pipelines and infrastructure as code.

What I especially appreciated was:

• The Three Pillars of DevOps (Flow, Feedback, Continuous Improvement) explained with practical steps and pitfalls to avoid.

• The “journey” structure—from ignorance, to awareness, to reactivity, to preparedness—makes the lessons easy to absorb and apply.

• Numerous case studies and anecdotes that show how DevOps plays out in real organizations, including the social and business challenges.

• A balanced view on AI in development—neither overly hyped nor dismissive, but realistic about its strengths and limitations.

• Concrete techniques for testing, monitoring, and improving both systems and team collaboration.

Unlike many technical books, this one speaks to developers, managers, and operations professionals alike. Its tone is pragmatic, engaging, and refreshingly free of jargon for jargon’s sake. By the end, you feel motivated to not just adopt DevOps tools, but to live the DevOps mindset—building bridges across teams, focusing on delivering real value, and continually learning.

I personally like this quote “don’t try to make it cool” - because usually a developer who tries to make it cool, makes it worse and less stable.

So, if you’re serious about improving how software gets delivered in your organization—or in your own career—this book is a must-read. It’s the perfect mix of practical guidance, cultural insight, and long-term vision.

I am very thankful for all those kind reviews. It gives me the feeling that the book follows a useful idea to relay the idea of what DevOps really is about. You can find more info on the book and where to buy it on the book page.