How to Write a DevOps Handover Document

A DevOps Handover document template to help a person leaving a project pass on the work done to another engineer, so it is continued, the work is around the Ansible playbook, for ci/cd automation, Jenkins pipeline and GitLab repository..

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DevOps Handover Document

Project Overview

Provide a brief overview of the project, its objectives, and its key components.

• Project Name:
• Project Description:
• Key Stakeholders:
• Project Timeline:
• Current Status:

Ansible Playbook

Overview

Provide an overview of the Ansible playbook used in the project.

• Purpose: Describe the purpose of the playbook.
• Main Playbooks and Roles: List the primary playbooks and roles, their locations, and their functions.
• Dependencies: Outline any dependencies or prerequisites for running the playbooks.

Directory Structure

├── ansible/
│   ├── playbooks/
│   │   ├── main_playbook.yml
│   │   └── other_playbooks.yml
│   ├── roles/
│   │   ├── role1/
│   │   └── role2/
│   ├── inventory/
│   │   ├── production
│   │   └── staging
│   └── ansible.cfg

• Playbooks: Detailed description of key playbooks and their functions.
• Roles: Detailed description of key roles and their tasks.
• Inventory: Description of the inventory files and their purpose.
• Configuration: Any special configurations in ansible.cfg.

Running Playbooks

Provide step-by-step instructions for running the playbooks.

1. Setup Environment:

   bash
   ansible-playbook -i inventory/production main_playbook.yml
   

2. Common Commands:
   • Command for running a specific playbook.
   • Command for running playbooks in staging/production environments.
   • Command for checking the playbook syntax.
   • Any other relevant commands.

CI/CD Automation

Jenkins Pipeline

Overview

Provide an overview of the Jenkins pipeline configuration.

• Purpose: Describe the pipeline’s role in the project.
• Pipeline Stages: List and describe each stage of the pipeline.

Configuration

• Jenkinsfile Location:
• Pipeline Script: Provide a snippet or full script of the Jenkinsfile if possible.
• Plugins: List the Jenkins plugins used and their purposes.

Common Tasks

• Triggering Builds: How to manually trigger builds.
• Monitoring Builds: How to monitor build status and logs.
• Debugging Issues: Steps to debug common issues.

GitLab Repository

Overview

Provide an overview of the GitLab repository setup.

• Repository URL:
• Branches: List and describe the purpose of key branches (e.g., main, develop, feature/*, hotfix/*).
• Branching Strategy: Explain the branching strategy used in the project.
• Merge Requests: Outline the process for creating and reviewing merge requests.

Repository Structure

bash
├── .gitlab/
│   ├── ci/
│   │   ├── stages/
│   │   ├── jobs/
│   │   └── scripts/
├── src/
│   ├── main/
│   └── test/
├── docs/
└── README.md

• Key Directories: Description of key directories and their contents.
• CI Configuration: Details of GitLab CI configuration (.gitlab-ci.yml).

Common Tasks

• Cloning the Repository:

  bash
  git clone <repository_url>
  

• Working with Branches:
  • Creating a new branch.
  • Merging branches.
• CI/CD Pipelines:
  • How to trigger pipelines.
  • Monitoring pipeline status.
  • Debugging failed pipelines.

Contacts and Resources

Provide a list of key contacts and resources for further assistance.

• Project Manager: Name, email, phone number.
• Technical Lead: Name, email, phone number.
• Relevant Documentation: Links to any additional documentation or resources.
• Access Credentials: Securely provide any necessary credentials or access details.

Additional Notes

Any additional notes, tips, or important information to be aware of.

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Prepared by: [Your Name]
Date: [Date]

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