Dive Brief:
- Target Corp. has established building an internal tech incubator, Dojo, that uses the DevOps software development method to speed deployment.
- Leading tech companies such as Amazon and Netflix have used the DevOps method to adapt to the rapidly shifting digital business environment.
- More than 200 Target employees have participated in DevOps collaborative challenges so far.
Dive Insight:
Target is pursing a new organizational approach to bring more of its tech development in-house. Called DevOps, the system emphasizes coordination between software engineers and other staffers to develop, test, and deploy software faster. The chain will spend $1 billion on tech initiatives this year, funding inventory and supply chain management tools as well as an incubator that teaches staffers to work collaboratively under DevOps.
Previously, the company had outsourced much of its tech work, making its culture a challenge for software engineers. Target officials say that the DevOps effort is helping build more custom software solutions more effectively, emphasizing full ownership. Inside Target’s “Dojo,” engineers, coaches and subject matter experts take on 30-day collaborative IT challenges such as producing usable software code.
In the fast-moving digital marketplace, more retailers are developing their own, internal labs to fuel innovation. British department store chain John Lewis recently recruited five tech startups to sponsor at its new JLAB incubator, while Amazon has long used DevOps to keep its strategies and software fresh.
