Often people confuse between Agile and DevOps. Yes, both are software development methodologies and have both the final objectives of having the product developed with maximum efficiency and speed. However, there exists a difference between the practices. Let us begin by understanding the difference between the two.
What is DevOps?
It is a software development process where the software development team and the Information Technology team collaborate and work together. Conventionally, both these teams work in silos. However, DevOps combines software development and operations so that the software can be built, tested, and released faster with added value compared to conventional methods. So, continuous integration, deployment, testing, and code repositories transparency are important features of DevOps.
What is Agile?
Agile is a methodology that involves a continuous iterative process. The method of software development is incremental and aligns the development process with changing customer needs and trends. Agile encourages collaboration, accountability, leadership, and self-organization. The end goal of the Agile methodology is to deliver enhanced value to the end-user. What makes Agile relatable and extremely popular is that, instead of providing these values as a whole after a certain period, Agile believes in dividing the work into small increments. There is a continuous process of evaluations and prioritizing, making the team extremely adaptable and flexible to changes.
Statistics related to DevOps and Agile
DevOps
- In the State of DevOps Report of 2015, DevOps teams can accelerate deployment by 200 times and recovery 24 times.
- The report also stated that DevOps enables 30 times more frequent deployment and likely to have 60 times fewer failures.
- DevOps also allows 22% less wastage of experience on unplanned work.
- It also enables 50% less time spent in the remediation of safety concerns.
Agile
- As many as 71% of companies have adopted Agile methodology today.
- Of these, 98% of companies have benefited from such Agile applicability.
- Almost 60% of companies have experienced profit growth after going Agile.
- At least 80% of federal projects in the US work with Agile frameworks.
Difference Between Agile And DevOps
Features | Agile | DevOps |
Definition | It is an iterative process with a focus on customer feedback, teamwork, and small releases | It is a process where the development team and operations come together. |
Communication chain | In Agile, the communication channel focuses on gaps in the customer and developer relationship. So, customer feedback and iterative work are the keys here. | DevOps, on the other hand, focuses on the gaps in Developers and IT Operations. |
Key objective | Like other methods, Agile is about constant changes and managing complicated projects. Agile focuses on minimizing the gap between customer wants and development teams. | DevOps is about continuous testing and delivery and end-to-end engineering. Its goal is to reduce the gap between Development and Ops. |
Team size | Works well in a small team. | Works in a big team. |
Target area | Agile is used in both non-software and software developments | For DevOps, it is about all-inclusive business solutions |
Implementation framework | Agile works on different frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, XP, etc. | No accepted framework. DevOps is entrusted with the ready-to-be-released software and has it implemented securely and reliably. |
Skills of team members | Agile works on cross-functional teams where team members are trained to develop similar kinds of skills. | DevOps develops separate skill sets that are divided into two disparate entities – development and operation. |
Feedback system | In Agile, feedback comes from end-users or customers | Feedback is shared internally. |
Communication | Communication between team members is kept simple and seamless. | Communication in DevOps is complicated. It is also because there are two separate teams –development and operations. |
Documentation | Agile prioritizes work more than documentation. | In DevOps, documentation is a top priority – everything needs to be mentioned. With the help of automated tools, proper documentation is ensured because the software will be implemented by the operations team. |
Automation | It is not as important as other elements in Agile. Though, now teams use automated tools to work better. | The core concept of DevOps is automation where the focus is to optimize efficiency by using automated tools. |
Inherent importance | The development of the software is critically important. | All three processes – development, testing, and implementation – are of equal importance. |
Quality | Quality is of utmost importance in Agile. Relevance is also important as it is ensured that the changes are made as per customer needs. | Quality is ensured through and through. DevOps teams need to follow best practices while coding and implementing. |
Challenges | Maintaining higher standards of productivity at every stage | Streamlining work across the three different units – development, testing, and production needs to be ensured. |
Tools that are used | JIRA, burndown charts, Scrum boards, Kanban boards, etc | Puppet, AWS, Chef are common tools |
Now that the comparison of Agile and DevOps is clear let us see the advantages of each method.
Advantages of Agile
- Enterprises develop apps and software that are driven by customer needs.
- The entire process is based on faster delivery.
- Agile helps track planned work.
- Agile has a lightweight management practice
- Enhanced product quality
- Enhanced team productivity
- Enhanced user satisfaction.
- Agile projects are cost-effective.
- Highly adaptable- inherently addresses changes as and when they occur.
- Good for complex projects
- Improved collaboration and communication with the Agile teams.
- Teams work with the proper mindset
- Task prioritization is essential where such tasks are prioritized which ensures higher ROI.
- Higher employee morale because everyone is accountable – there is no boss.
Advantages of DevOps
- DevOps enables faster innovation
- It also ensures delivery on accelerated frequency.
- DevOps helps unplanned track work.
- DevOps helps to prioritize and plan non-functional characteristics as features.
- Works on the principle of continuous delivery.
- Drives enhanced collaborative efforts between the development and the operations.
- Reliable and stable application release.
- There is a collaborative environment between teams.
- With continuous monitoring, early defect detection can take place.
- DevOps works on an innovative mindset.
- Marked by relaxed deployment phases.
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Conclusion
Agile and DevOps are not adversaries. Even though they are different, they can work together – rather than being enemies; the methodologies can be made allies. From Agile as a motivation to DevOps as a culture, a lot can be done to ensure the highest productivity and efficiency. As per experts, one can be used to enable the other.
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