DevOpsChat Special Guest: Chris Matts
We are thrilled that Chris Matts will be joining us for this DevOpsChat to discuss Real Options and how this can influence your approach to software development. you can see the questions for this DevOpsChat at the bottom of this page.
Chris Matts is a consultant who specializes in developing risk management and trading system for investment banks. He has studied for a masters degree in financial mathematics (Mathematical Trading and Finance).
Chris used his extensive knowledge of financial derivatives to develop an approach on how to deal with decision making and named it real options. After Chris and Olav Maassen ran into each other in 2005 they have subsequently extended their model to incorporate applied psychology and various other disciplines. Unlike the “traditional” Real Options approach that is based on Black-Scholes, the approach that Olav and Chris developed avoids the complex mathematics and focuses on the practical implications of options.
Their real options model (also known as the real options meme) provides a way to understand the timing of decision making and help discover new options not appreciated before.
Olav and Chris teamed up with Chris Geary to create the first business graphic novel about managing risk on projects. In the novel the main character (Rose Randall) learns how to apply the real options approach to the way she manages her new project. For more information visit the book’s website, where you can also download the first two chapters for free.
Questions for this DevOpsChat
- Do you think it can be useful to keep options open and, if so, in what kinds of situation?
- In which scenarios is it important to make a decision and commit to a specific course of action?
- Do you have any approaches or techniques you use to help you make decisions?
- In what ways can we keep our options open when developing and operating software?
- How predictable is software development, deployment and operation, and what influences this?
- How can using DevOps influence the risks associated with software development and deployment?