Agile and DevOps both software development methodologies have similar goals: getting the end product out as fast and efficiently as possible. Many organizations want to use these practices but there is often confusion. What do these methodologies cover? overlaps between them? Are they compatible? Agile and DevOps Or should you choose one or the other?
We’ve used the industry expertise to help us distinguish the two practices and identify their advantages and disadvantages. Then we highlighted the best uses for each.
What is DevOps?
DevOps, a software development method that brings together information technology operatives and software developers, is called software development. This concept fosters collaboration between the two teams, who had previously worked in separate silos from the beginning of design to product release.
“DevOps” is a combination of software development (Dev), and operations (Ops). The intent is to enable communication between the teams so that they will they’re going to build, test, and release software more quickly and with greater efficiency and speed,” said Tyler Duzan, Product Manager, Raleigh, NC.-based Percona. Combining these two different employee groups and processes together promoted ongoing integration, continuous deployment, and transparency in code repositories.
Prasanna Singaraju, CTO and co-Founder of Dallas-based Qentelli, explained that when “Dev” and “Ops” work are together they “effectively deliver high-quality products and good services on an unbroken basis.
What is Agile?
The agile methodology is additionally a software development methodology that came circa 2001 when the agile manifesto was introduced.
It consists of four values and twelve principles that are designed to help create an agile software development culture. Agile encourages collaboration and a leadership mindset that fosters self-organization, accountability, teamwork, and teamwork. Importantly, agile focuses on aligning development with customer trends and needs throughout the development process.
CMSWire spoke with Mike Hendrickson, Vice President of Technology & Developer Products at Nashua NH.-based Skillsoft, who shared that agile embodies a set of principles that help individuals, teams, and larger units to work together. “Hendrickson said that the “agile mindset”, which focuses more on people than tools and processes, is also important.
An agile organization is able to adapt and learn from constant change, enabling it to identify new opportunities for customers and provide more value. Hendrickson explained that agility is crucial to success in an industry with constant disruption. All parts of the company work together to provide more value for customers.
Also read: 7 Ways Transformation Blueprint for SecDevOps
Agile vs DevOps: The Benefits, Similarities, and Differences
DevOps brings together two large, siloed teams in order to release software faster. Agile focuses on getting smaller teams to work together so that it can respond quickly to changing consumer demands.
Davy Hua, Head of DevOps at Santa Clara CA.-based Shiftleft, explained in detail how both Agile and DevOps are managed. Hua explained that Agile uses sprints (which can last from a week up to [months] to manage the development schedule, while DevOps is focused on hyper-releases beginning with several per day.
Agile and DevOps can be used together as they complement each other. DevOps encourages continuous integration and deployment via an automated process to allow frequent releases. Agile allows for rapid adaptation to changing requirements and greater collaboration among smaller teams.
Michael Mazyar, CTO at Cary NC.-based Samanage, further elaborated on the mutual benefits of both DevOps and Agile. Agile and DevOps are able to help organizations develop and implement technology at a significantly faster pace when used together. The emphasis is on customer needs being at the forefront of any technology you develop, along with an understanding of the software’s usage and how it should be improved.
However, both DevOps, as well as Agile, have potential drawbacks due to the “significant cultural change” required. DevOps involves two teams working in silos to foster a partnership. Agile demands that organizations move beyond a static work environment.
Mayzar pointed out that these challenges could be a problem in larger organizations. “In larger organizations, in particular, there is a greater likelihood that different teams will have intertwined ways of thinking, which will specialize in their departmental goals. Both approaches require the support of stakeholder buy-in and resources.
Singaraju shared the advantages of Agile over the traditional waterfall model but also highlighted some challenges that Agile presents for larger teams. Agile offers many advantages, including user-focused development and increased team collaboration. It also delivers faster products and allows for flexibility. It does have its challenges, such as the uncertainty surrounding the end goal and how to make it work for large teams.
Singaraju spoke out about DevOps and how it can help accelerate product innovation. However, if it is not done correctly it can be a burden. DevOps allows for better quality, performance, also as accelerated product innovation.
If not done correctly, DevOps could become a burden on teams and result in a lot of wasted infrastructure and tools investments.
Also read: The Low-Code Development: Where are Organizations Low-Code Platforms
Agile and DevOps Can Work Together
Although Agile and DevOps are different, that doesn’t mean they should be used in isolation. The Agile methodology and DevOps can be used together. Will Kinard, CTO of Bethesda, MD-based BoxBoat, noted that BoxBoat, “uses agile methodology as a motivator to develop a DevOps culture.” as far as it is concerned, when it involves developing software faster and maintaining software more efficiently, both have an enormous role to play.
The terms “The two terms” are clearly different. While the former is focused on iterative development, the latter brings together two traditional practices, Development, and Operations. Kinard said that each of them has the ultimate goal to foster collaboration. He concluded that Agile and DevOps are two distinct terms, but they can be used to facilitate each other.
Singaraju also shared that the greatest benefit of Agile is the ability to create applications that are driven primarily by user needs. Singaraju stated that any company, large or small, that wants to develop applications that are driven primarily by user needs and create products for the marketplace at a faster rate should adopt Agile development practices.
Singaraju said that DevOps is a great way to innovate faster and continually improve applications. Companies that want to be market leaders and innovate faster should be able to produce quality products at a rapid pace. Singaraju stated that most of the top technology companies and market leaders use a DevOps approach to product delivery.
Final Thoughts
These insights make it clear that Agile and DevOps both seek to deliver the end-user value in a more efficient manner, but from different angles. Agile is focused on making developers and their development cycles more efficient. DevOps brings in the operations team to facilitate continuous integration and delivery.
Leave a comment