Salesforce DevOps has traditionally been seen as a developer-centric practice, often leaving admins on the sidelines. However, the 2024 State of Salesforce DevOps Report reveals a shift in this dynamic. More teams are now involving admins in the DevOps process, bridging the gap between these two roles and transforming the way Salesforce is managed.
In this post, we’ll explore the origins of the admin-developer divide, the growing inclusion of admins in DevOps, and how democratizing DevOps impacts Salesforce ROI.
Why DevOps for Salesforce Is Unique
In traditional DevOps, the goal is to unite developers and operations teams to streamline the software development lifecycle. In Salesforce, however, the roles aren’t as clearly defined. Salesforce teams often consist of developers, who focus on building and customizing applications, and admins, who manage configurations, user access, and operational tasks.
Unlike standard DevOps environments, where developers and operations teams collaborate closely, Salesforce admins typically take on additional roles like release management and monitoring. For DevOps in Salesforce, success hinges on bringing developers and admins together to ensure a seamless transition from development to production.
Unifying Salesforce DevOps Teams
When DevOps tools first entered the Salesforce ecosystem, they were largely code-centric, making them more accessible to developers than admins. As a result, many teams split their release processes—developers adopted DevOps tools, while admins continued using Salesforce’s native declarative tools.
However, teams soon realized that a split release process creates silos and limits the efficiency of a unified DevOps pipeline. The rise of declarative DevOps tools has changed this, allowing both developers and admins to work with the same tools and processes. According to the State of Salesforce DevOps Report 2024, 73% of teams now build and deploy all metadata types in the same way. Meanwhile, only 21% still have a split release process, and 6% have no agreed process at all.
The Impact of Democratizing DevOps
By unifying the workflow for both developers and admins, DevOps becomes democratized, making it accessible to all team members. This democratization brings several advantages:
- Enhanced collaboration: With a shared workflow and toolset, teams can work more closely, improving communication and reducing the likelihood of errors.
- Smoother releases: Unified DevOps leads to more efficient releases with fewer disruptions.
- Faster feedback loops: Teams can identify and resolve issues more quickly, enabling continuous improvement.
However, moving the entire team to a declarative DevOps solution can take time, and low-code DevOps tools often come at a cost. To justify the investment, this transition must deliver tangible value to the business.
Does Democratizing DevOps Improve ROI?
The data clearly shows that democratizing DevOps has a significant impact on the bottom line. Teams that have adopted a unified release process report impressive results—60% of these teams see monthly Salesforce ROI exceeding $20,000. This is twice as much as teams with a split release process and nearly ten times more than teams with no agreed release process.
Key Takeaways
Empowering admins to take part in DevOps is essential for solving collaboration challenges and achieving higher levels of Salesforce ROI. The benefits of democratized DevOps are clear—better collaboration, smoother releases, and a measurable return on investment.
To explore how leading teams are performing with democratized DevOps and discover actionable strategies to bridge the admin-developer divide, read the full report. For more insights, join Rob Cowell’s live webinar on April 25th.
