DevOps Technology Consultancy

Operating Model Design, Pipeline Architecture, and DevSecOps Systems

DevOps is an ethos, not a tool deployment.

We design coherent delivery systems that enable safe, fast change. Operating model design, CI/CD architecture, security integration, and flow visibility for organisations that need engineering economics to work.

Stop managing tool sprawl. Start delivering with confidence. Let’s Talk

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Capabilities Provided

DevOps consulting focused on delivery system architecture and operating model design.

Capabilities include operating model design, pipeline architecture, security integration, flow metrics systems, and team enablement. Delivered through timeboxed retainers with full risk reversal.

Operating model design – Strategy, discovery, delivery, and operations as one coherent system

Pipeline architecture – CI/CD design, infrastructure as code, deployment automation

DevSecOps integration – Security embedded throughout the delivery pipeline

Flow metrics design – Visibility connecting technical work to strategic outcomes

Suitable for Any Scale

DORA research shows elite engineering organisations deploy 208× more frequently than low performers. These capabilities address the technical and organisational systems that enable that performance, without enterprise overhead for small teams or bureaucracy for large organisations.

Small Teams (10-50)

DevOps architecture without enterprise overhead
Pipeline design tailored to team maturity
Toolchain rationalisation
Foundation for growth without premature complexity

Mid-Size (50-200)

Multi-team coordination and platform design
Standardisation balanced with autonomy
Flow metrics and visibility systems
DevSecOps integration at scale

Large Organisations (200+)

Enterprise architecture and governance
Platform engineering and developer experience
Cross-portfolio visibility and strategic metrics
Transformation maintaining delivery continuity

Proven at Scale

These capabilities have been validated in complex, multi-national environments. A global energy technology company consolidated 27 fragmented DevOps systems across 800+ teams , standardising processes and improving visibility without disrupting delivery. The transformation enabled coherent reporting, reduced costs, and created the foundation for engineering excellence at enterprise scale.

“Thanks to Martin’s guidance and support we successfully upgraded Azure DevOps from and unstable database, moved our dev teams to the latest Visual Studio, and implemented the finest build process ever known!
I would recommend Martin to anyone, in fact I would insist they use him as he is the best DevOps consultant i’ve worked with.”
Paul Martin | IT Director

Capabilities Address These Problems

Common Conditions

Inconsistent or unreliable pipelines
Cloud complexity and tool sprawl
Lack of engineering standards
Manual, error-prone deployments
Unclear delivery visibility

What We Provide

CI/CD architecture for confident delivery
Toolchain rationalisation and environment simplification
Shared DevOps principles across teams
Infrastructure, testing, and deployment automation
Flow metrics and visibility dashboards

Delivery Systems and DevOps Architecture

Operating model design and delivery system architecture delivered as working systems, not strategy documents.

Pipeline Architecture and CI/CD Design

Git workflow, artifact flow, environment promotion designed for flow and safety.

Toolchain Integration and Rationalisation

Azure DevOps, GitHub, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes—integrated, automated, streamlined.

Infrastructure as Code Enablement

Pipelines and infrastructure systems your teams can own and evolve.

Security and Governance Embedded

Security and compliance embedded throughout delivery, not bolted on afterwards.

Flow Metrics and Engineering Dashboards

Visibility into value delivery, deployment frequency, lead time, and bottlenecks.

Suitable For

DevOps consulting for technically oriented leadership and engineering teams.

CTOs and VPs of Engineering modernising legacy delivery systems

DevOps leads creating scalable, secure pipelines

Product organisations reducing cycle time and increasing confidence

Engineering managers needing delivery visibility and flow metrics

Platform teams building internal developer platforms

From Complexity to Clarity

Clear difference between fragmented delivery systems and coherent engineering operations.

What This Provides

Before	After
Flaky pipelines and unowned technical debt	Scalable, secure, team-owned delivery pipelines
Dreading release windows	Automation, rollback strategies, and monitoring in place
Tool chaos and configuration sprawl	Consolidated, observable environments
Delivery speed disconnected from strategic visibility	Flow metrics connecting engineering work to strategic outcomes

What Good Looks Like

Pipelines that ship fast and safely
Engineers who understand and own delivery systems
Metrics that inform decisions
Cloud infrastructure that scales and secures
DevOps practices improving flow, quality, and resilience

Real-world example: A global engineering organisation streamlined build and release across 90 teams in 13 countries , consolidating fragmented source control and branching strategies. The result: reduced central build team overhead, improved team ownership, and more predictable releases.

Typical Deliverables

Current-state assessment and DevOps roadmap
CI/CD pipeline architecture
Infrastructure as Code templates and automation
Azure DevOps, GitHub, and cloud platform integration
Security and compliance automation
Flow metrics dashboard
Team coaching and enablement

How We Work

Timeboxed retainer engagement. You retain capacity, not hours. No fixed deliverables, no change orders, no hourly billing.

Week 1 – Discovery and Assessment

Assessment of current DevOps maturity, toolchain architecture, delivery flow, and strategic objectives.

Weeks 2–4 – Evidence-Based Direction

Baseline metrics established (cycle time, deployment frequency, change failure rate). Highest-value improvements identified. Pragmatic roadmap aligned to strategic outcomes.

Ongoing – Working With Your Teams

Designing pipelines, automating infrastructure, coaching engineers. Improvement embedded in delivery work, not workshops disconnected from real problems.

Timeboxed Retainer Model

Retain a percentage of our capacity. No fixed scope. No change orders. Satisfaction guaranteed with full refund if we fail to deliver value.

Scales to Your Size

10-person startup or 500-engineer organisation. Lightweight for small teams, enterprise-ready for large teams, no unnecessary overhead.

Why NKD Agility

Microsoft MVP-Level Expertise

Led by Martin Hinshelwood, globally recognised Azure DevOps and engineering leadership expert since 2007.

Engineers, Not Just Advisors

We design it, build it, test it, and enable your team to own it.

Flow-Centric Approach

Everything maps to delivery acceleration and engineering economics.

Security and Scale by Design

Systems ready for growth and compliance from the start.

Ready for coherent DevOps systems? Let’s Talk

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Our Happy Clients

We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.