By Jacob Beningo

DevOps has revolutionized the way developers build and deliver software. At its core, DevOps is about breaking down silos, enabling continuous delivery, and accelerating the release of high-quality features. It empowers teams to ship code faster, more reliably, and more confidently. Yet, despite its transformative potential, many teams inadvertently limit their success by focusing solely on the delivery pipeline—the CI/CD piece.

Sure, the delivery pipeline is critical. It’s where you build, test, and deploy. But DevOps doesn’t stop at deployment. Delivering a feature is one thing; ensuring it delivers value to the customer is another. And that’s where many teams miss the mark. They neglect the second half of the equation: the feedback pipeline.

The feedback pipeline is how you close the loop between the software you deliver and the value it creates. This is where observability comes in. Observability is the practice of monitoring and reporting from your systems to gain actionable insights. It’s about knowing what’s happening inside your software—even in complex, distributed environments. When you deploy a new feature, how do you know it’s working as intended? How do you know it’s meeting customer needs? Without observability, you’re flying blind.

By integrating observability into your DevOps process, you unlock the full potential of the value feedback loop. This loop begins with the delivery pipeline—building, testing, and deploying features. But it doesn’t end there. The feedback pipeline picks up the baton, monitoring the system and reporting on performance, errors, and user behavior. It’s through this real-time data that teams can iterate intelligently, delivering not just software, but true customer value. The feedback loop is provided through onboard software like Percepio’s Detect.

The synergy between delivery and feedback creates a virtuous cycle. You’re no longer guessing what your customers need or reacting to issues after they escalate. You’re continuously refining and improving, guided by data. This is how DevOps transcends its buzzword status and becomes a true business enabler.

So, take a step back and ask yourself: Is your DevOps process delivering more than code? If the feedback loop isn’t part of your pipeline, you’re leaving value—and customer satisfaction—on the table.

Observability isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the bridge between deployment and delight, and it’s time to make it central to your strategy.