1 minute read

Introduction

When people talk about CI/CD, they often assume modern tooling, cloud-native platforms, and teams that are eager to evolve. But in reality, many organizations still operate with manual processes, siloed teams, and resistance to change.

I’ve had the opportunity to introduce CI/CD practices in environments where nothing was automated, deployments were manual and risky, and DevOps was more a buzzword than a practice. Here’s what I’ve learned.

💥 Challenge 1: Resistance to Change

One of the hardest parts isn’t writing a Jenkinsfile or configuring GitLab — it’s people. Teams that have operated the same way for years may view automation as a threat.

What worked:

  • Start small: automate one part of the process (e.g., testing).
  • Show value fast: reduce deployment times, catch errors earlier.
  • Communicate: explain how automation empowers, not replaces.

🔒 Challenge 2: Lack of Trust in Automation

In manual environments, people rely on visual checks, spreadsheets, and “tribal knowledge.” Handing that control over to a pipeline often feels unsafe.

What worked:

  • Implement staged pipelines: build > test > deploy-to-staging > approve > production.
  • Provide visibility: clear logs, status dashboards, and rollback plans.
  • Document everything: reduce fear by showing predictability.

🏗️ Challenge 3: Legacy Infrastructure and Tools

No Docker. No cloud. On-premise VMs with outdated software. Trying to fit modern CI/CD tooling into that world is rough.

What worked:

  • Build wrapper scripts around existing deploy methods.
  • Use tools that support legacy (e.g., Ansible, custom shell jobs).
  • Migrate piece by piece, not all at once.

🤝 Challenge 4: Siloed Teams

CI/CD requires dev, QA, and ops to collaborate. But in traditional environments, those teams often don’t talk — or worse, blame each other.

What worked:

  • Create shared pipelines and review them together.
  • Establish shared definitions of “done”.
  • Celebrate successes cross-functionally (e.g., “We shipped in 2 hours instead of 2 days!”)

🧠 Takeaways

Implementing CI/CD from zero isn’t a tooling issue — it’s organizational change. But small, consistent progress builds credibility. When people see the benefits (fewer bugs, faster releases, less stress), resistance fades.

If you’re introducing CI/CD in a resistant environment, start where you are. Automate one step, communicate often, and bring people along the journey.

Have you faced similar challenges introducing DevOps practices in traditional environments? Let’s connect and share stories.

You May Also Enjoy