The "Three Ways" are foundational principles in DevOps:
* The First Wayfocuses on increasing the flow of work from left (development) to right (operations). It is about optimizing the entire system for fast delivery, limiting bottlenecks, and enabling a rapid flow of features and fixes to customers.
* The Second Wayis about amplifying feedback loops so corrections can be made early.
* The Third Wayemphasizes continual learning and experimentation.
Extract-style reference:
"The First Way emphasizes the performance of the entire system, as opposed to the performance of a specific silo of work or department. The goal is to maximize the flow of work (value) from Development to Operations to the customer."
-Gene Kim, The Phoenix Project / DevOps Handbook
PeopleCert DevOps Foundation v3.6highlights this in the section on "Principles and Practices," emphasizing The First Way as critical to accelerating flow.