Welcome to EZtek’s Blog. Do you know the difference between DevOps and Agile? They were formed as standalone concepts, but now, the two terms are getting fused.
In this article, we will examine the crucial differences between Agile and DevOps and try to find out why the two are connected so tightly.
Definitions
Agile
Agile is an approach that focuses on delivering small results faster, rather than releasing one big interaction of the product. Software is developed in iterations, the team releases a new version every week or month with non incremental updates. The final goal of Agile is to deliver an optimal experience to the end users.
DevOps
The term DevOps usually describes software development and delivery practices based on cooperation between software developers and operations specialists. The main DevOps benefits are delivering a simplified development process and minimizing miscommunication.
What is the Difference between Agile and DevOps?
#1 Participants
- Agile focuses on optimizing communication between end users and developers.
- DevOps targets developers and operation team members.
We can say that Agile is outward oriented towards customers whereas DevOps is a set of internal practices.
#2 Team
- Agile usually applies to software developers and project managers.
- The competences of DevOps engineers lie in the intersection of development, QA and operations. They are involved in all stages of the product cycle.
#2 Team
- Agile usually applies to software developers and project managers.
The competences of - DevOps engineers lie in the intersection of development, QA and operations. They are invol
#3 Applied Frameworks
- Agile has a lot of management frameworks to achieve its flexibility and transparency: Scrum, Crystal, Dynamic systems development method, Feature driven development.
- DevOps focuses on the development approach in collaboration but doesn’t offer specific methodologies.
#4 Feedback
- In Agile, the main source of feedback is the end customer.
- In DevOps, the feedback from stakeholders and the team itself has a higher priority.
#5 Target Areas
- Agile focuses on software development more than on deployment and maintenance.
- DevOps focuses on software development as well, but its values and tools also cover deployment and post release stages.
#6 Documentation
- Agile prioritizes flexibility and tasks at hand over documentation and monitor.
- DevOps on the other hand, regards project documentation as one of the essential project components.
#7 Risks
- Agile risks derived from the flexibility of the methodology. Agile projects are difficult to predict or evaluate as priorities and requirements are continually changing.
- DevOps risks derive from a misunderstanding of the term and the lack of suitable tools. Some people see DevOps as a collection of software for deployment and continuous integration, failing to change the underlying structure of the development process.
#8 The Tools Used
- Agile tools are focused on management, communication, collaboration, metrics and feedback processing.
The most popular Agile tools include: Jira, Trello, Slack, Zoom, SurveyMonkey and others. - DevOps uses tools for team communication, software development, deployment and integration like Jenkins, Buddy, Bitbucket.
#8 The Tools Used
- Agile tools are focused on management, communication, collaboration, metrics and feedback processing.
The most popular Agile tools include: Jira, Trello, Slack, Zoom, SurveyMonkey and others. - DevOps uses tools for team communication, software development, deployment and integration like Jenkins, Buddy, Bitbucket.
Even though Agile and DevOps have slightly different focuses and scopes, the key values are almost identical. Therefore, you can combine the two.
Do you think it makes any sense to combine Agile and DevOps?
Benefits of combining Agile and DevOps?
- You get flexible management and powerful technology
- Agile practices help DevOps teams to communicate their priorities more efficiently
- It leads to strengthening the team, adopting Agile practices will improve collaboration, increase the team’s motivation and decrease employee turnover rates.
- As a result, you get better product quality. Agile allows coming back to previous product development stages to fix errors and prevent the accumulation of technical debt.
How to adopt Agile and DevOps simultaneously?
#1 Unite the development and operation teams.
#2 Create, build and run teams. All development and operational concerns are discussed by the entire DevOps team.
#3 Change your approach to sprints. Assign priority ratings to offer tasks by the same scale that you use to great development projects. Encourage development and operations teams to exchange their opinion on other teams’ workflow and possible issues.
#4 Include QA in all development stages
#5 Choose the right tools
#6 Automate everything you can
#7 Measure and control by using tangible numeric deliverables.
This article was prepared by the EZtek team. EZtek is a software development company providing UI/UX design, engineering, testing and tech consulting services to top brands worldwide.
