Last week, we celebrated our September All Hands at WATA Factory. For us, these gatherings are much more than just another calendar entry: they are two days where we step away from the routine to learn together as a team. This time, we dove into a topic that was as challenging as it was motivating: DevOps and Kubernetes.
On Thursday, we kicked things off with a buffet breakfast at the office. The table was full of croissants, pastries, and strong coffee. We sat together, laughed, talked – and slowly got into the right mindset.
Then Eliezer L. welcomed everyone, walked us through the agenda, and explained how the talks, workshops, and breaks would be structured. From the very start, it felt like an important day was ahead of us.
DevOps and Kubernetes with Laura
Next, the stage belonged to Laura Morillo-Velarde, Platform Engineer at Seedtag, Google Developer Expert in Cloud, and Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Architect. With over twelve years of experience in cloud environments, Laura joined our All Hands bringing the clarity and accessibility she is known for. From the very first minutes, we knew we were going to learn a lot from her.
Spread across several blocks, Laura turned every moment into an opportunity to learn. We started with the basics of DevOps, understanding how these principles foster collaboration, reduce errors, and give us more confidence in our daily work.
We then explored the so-called “7 Cs”: continuous integration, continuous delivery, continuous deployment, continuous testing, continuous monitoring, continuous feedback, andcontinuous improvement. These weren’t just buzzwords on a slide – with simple examples, Laura showed how each “C” connects to the next, creating a never-ending cycle that drives constant progress.
Laura explained everything in a clear, relatable way, avoiding unnecessary jargon and using examples that felt close to home. Even colleagues not working directly with these tools were able to follow along and see their value.
The morning flew by. After a quick coffee break, we jumped into Kubernetes.
We discovered how it helps us deploy applications in the cloud, scale them, and ensure they run reliably. We realized it’s much more than just a tool: it’s a way of working that makes us more efficient, optimizes resources, and guarantees stability.
For the lunch buffet, we enjoyed tortillas, empanadas, fuet, and other treats that vanished quickly. Between bites, conversations carried on in a more relaxed tone.
In the afternoon, Laura took us into the practical side. We looked at real-world examples of deployments, monitoring, and automation, and learned how crucial it is to keep configurations tidy and balance loads across applications.
We wrapped up the day with an open Q&A session. Even after hours of intense learning, curiosity and motivation filled the room. We asked questions, debated, and shared our own experiences – leaving with heads full of ideas and the sense of having made the most of the day.
Putting Concepts into Practice
Friday began with a relaxed Andalusian breakfast at a local mesón: fresh toast with Serrano ham, sliced tomatoes, olive oil, and coffee. A perfect start to recharge our energy.
Back at the office, it was time for the hands-on sessions with Pedro G.. If Thursday was about learning the concepts, Friday was about putting them into practice. In the first session, we deployed applications, checked configurations, worked with monitoring, and reviewed automation processes. Pedro guided us step by step, answered questions as they came, and adapted the flow to our needs.
After a short coffee break, we returned for the second and final practical session. This was the moment to consolidate everything we’d learned: we tested real cases, made mistakes, fixed them, and learned together. The best part was seeing how yesterday’s theory had become practice – with our own hands.
The farewell came almost unnoticed, leaving us with the feeling of having made the most of these two days. We took home not only valuable technical knowledge from Laura but also something just as important: the experience of learning together as a team.
In the end, this September 2025 All Hands was the perfect blend of learning and team spirit. Two days that not only boosted our confidence with Kubernetes but also gave us the joy of discovering new things side by side.
And yes – we’re already counting the days until the next All Hands.
