The 'State of GitOps report' reveals six crucial practices statistically linked to improved software delivery, reliability, and compliance. These practices are Declarative Desired State, Human Readable Format, Responsive Code Review, Version Control, Automatic Pull, and Continuous Reconciliation. Implementing these moves organizations beyond superficial adoption to achieve meaningful business outcomes.

The report shows that teams missing even one practice are less likely to gain GitOps benefits. This data-driven approach proves that success comes from continuous improvement guided by these research-backed methods, rather than perfecting a single aspect of the implementation.