Software Maturity Assessment: Level 1

Level 1: Building the Foundation

Your score indicates that you're building the foundational elements of modern software development. While there's room for growth, you're already taking the first steps toward improving your development practices.

Key Strengths

Based on your responses, you've already established:

• Initial development processes
• Basic team collaboration
• Core technical infrastructure

Priority Focus Areas

1. Version Control & Code Management

Why it matters: Structured version control is the foundation of reliable software delivery and team collaboration.‍

Quick win: Implement Git with a basic branching strategy for all new code.

‍Key implementation steps:

• Set up a centralized Git repository (GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket)
• Define a simple branching strategy (main + feature branches)
• Create repository templates with standard .gitignore and README
• Establish basic PR review guidelines
• Set up branch protection rules for main branch

2. Automated Testing

Why it matters: Testing automation reduces risks and speeds up development.

‍Quick win: Start with unit tests for new features in your most critical service.

‍Key implementation steps:

• Choose a testing framework (Jest/PyTest/JUnit)
• Set up test environment configuration
• Create test templates for common scenarios
• Establish code coverage goals (start with 30%)
• Define critical paths requiring test coverage

3. Basic Monitoring

Why it matters: Understanding system health prevents outages and improves reliability.

‍Quick win: Set up basic uptime monitoring and error logging.

‍Key implementation steps:

• Implement health check endpoints
• Set up uptime monitoring (Pingdom/UptimeRobot)
• Configure basic error logging
• Create severity levels for different types of errors
• Establish on-call rotation for critical alerts

90-Day Action Plan

Month 1: Version Control Foundation

Week 1: Setup & Planning

• Select and set up Git hosting platform
• Document branching strategy
• Create repository templates
• Set up access controls and teams

Week 2: Team Training

• Conduct Git basics workshop
• Practice branching and merging
• Review PR process
• Document common Git commands

Week 3: Initial Migration

• Select pilot project for migration
• Create new repository structure
• Migrate existing codebase
• Set up branch protection rules

Week 4: Process Refinement

• Collect team feedback
• Refine PR templates
• Document best practices
• Create troubleshooting guide

Month 2: Basic Automation

Week 1: CI Pipeline Setup

• Select CI tool (Jenkins/GitHub Actions/GitLab CI)
• Set up basic pipeline configuration
• Configure build automation
• Document pipeline structure

Week 2: Build Process

• Implement automated builds
• Set up dependency management
• Configure build artifacts storage
• Create build notifications

Week 3: Code Quality

• Implement linting tools
• Set up code formatting
• Configure basic static analysis
• Create quality gates

Week 4: Integration

• Connect CI pipeline with version control
• Set up automated PR checks
• Create pipeline documentation
• Train team on CI processes

Month 3: Monitoring Foundation

Week 1: Basic Monitoring

• Select monitoring tools
• Set up server monitoring
• Configure basic metrics collection
• Create automated health checks and scorecards in OpsLevel

Week 2: Error Tracking

• Implement error logging
• Set up error aggregation
• Configure error notifications
• Create error severity levels

Week 3: Dashboards

• Create basic dashboards
• Set up uptime monitoring
• Configure performance metrics
• Document monitoring setup

Week 4: Alert Management

• Define alert thresholds
• Set up notification channels
• Create on-call schedule
• Document incident response process

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Ready to level up your software maturity game? Book a call with us to learn how OpsLevel can help you improve quality without slowing down your team.

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