How Do Agile and DevOps Interrelate

Agile has always been the focal point of software and application development. But DevOps has already managed to claim its territory in recent times. And many misconceptions are circulating about the two in the market.

Some can’t think of putting Agile and DevOps together or hand-in-hand. But they sure do merge into one another without any major downsides. And it raises an obvious question – how do Agile and DevOps interrelate.

Their collaboration can ensure a thriving market for software-based enterprises. That too, with no surge in expense or discrepancies. Knowing the two separately before heading to the interrelation can provide more understanding.

What is Agile?

Agile is a framework for software development and project management. The team sport can be executed in many different ways like Kanban, Scrum, XP, and others.

Agile itself is an umbrella term to denote a set of frameworks and practices. The Manifesto for Agile Software Development contains 12 principles with additional values to define the frameworks/practices.

The iterative and incremental approach enables teams to provide value to their clients. This software development technique also focuses on evolutionary growth.

Agile features continual iteration of software development and its pilot testing. And all these take place during the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) process.

The approach is all about delivering the entire work into smaller pieces. An Agile team never completes the job in a single go or bulk parts. And it involves feedback with adaptability for the process.

However, the working frame is somewhat slow yet less flexible/more rigid. And it emphasizes the constant evaluation of development plans, necessities, and outcomes.

Thus, its helpful mechanism allows teams to respond to changes more efficiently.

The team breaks down all the tasks into smaller yet consumable pieces. And the small pieces don’t take much time to complete either. All the smaller components also get incorporated for the final testing.

That’s how Agile software development implements gradual deployment of each iteration. Usually, the tiny components get completed within one week or two.

The teams can handle any uncertain environment using its framework to succeed. Agile development surrounds planning sessions, pair programming, test-driven developments, sprints, and stand-ups.

What is DevOps?

The merging of development (Dev) with operations (Ops) results in DevOps. It’s another software development method with a repository of optimization techniques.

The methodology primarily focuses on collaboration, integration, and communication among IT personnel.

Also, the feedback loop between the system admins and soft developers gets shortened. Thus, DevOps can establish cooperation between the development and operations teams.

Furthermore, it emphasizes delivering the development team's features, updates, and fixes. But the operations team doesn’t have to deviate the business from its objectives.

Again, DevOps collapses the barrier between production and its process. That’s how DevOps can spotlight the right actors in the development method.

There are cross-functional units to play a significant role in supervising high-level deployments. And the constant management ultimately leads to a faster yet more efficient solving of problems.

An organization’s speed in delivering services and applications gets faster in an automated manner. It results in customer satisfaction while making the software/product successful.

Downsides of Agile and DevOps Separately

Some may still think of accomplishing the objectives by using Agile alone. But anyone going that way will have to face problems at some point.

• Agile developers work in smaller increments. But fitting those smaller pieces perfectly into the extensive framework can become problematic.
• The capability of making immediate or fast changes is limited in Agile. It’ll take everyone to speak each time a change or adjustment occurs.

Meanwhile, DevOps isn’t free from drawbacks either. Though it follows Agile in the collaboration, there’s no way to ignore the negatives.

• Automation tasks may go against the cultural norms in some IT organizations. Many IT businesses are even resistant to continuous changes.
• Developers must have the expertise to identify, know, and use the tools. Writing scripts or codes can get challenging without experience.

Limitation of Using Agile to Make Way for DevOps

Software development comes first in agile methodology. Then comes the software testing for an eventual expansion of the project.

The software developed using agile gets continuously tested through customer feedback. There’s nothing more to gain from Agile.

But the software still needs to interact with the IT operations team. But its absence in the agile development methodologies calls for DevOps.

Agile vs. DevOps – Common Misunderstandings

The two methodologies share more similarities than differences. However, the differences start from the beginning – DevOps from operations and Agile with the developers.

And some misconceptions come into the picture. These circulating myths often hold these two from getting along. They have nothing to do except put them face to face.

• DevOps has a rich history of getting stable through the process.
• Agile developers see tools as unavoidable or a distraction.
• DevOps uses automation and tools to obtain more speed.
• DevOps uses holistic approaches to solve problems.
• Agile uses people to make changes/discoveries through work.

As one should understand, neither of the facts mentioned above is true. Instead, Agile and DevOps share many features towards the same goal. The major differences lie in the starting points and their focused emphasis.

Understand the differences between DevOps and Agile more closely from Microsoft Azure.

Agile DevOps Together for Development

‘Agile and DevOps can’t go hand in hand’ is another myth surrounding the two methodologies. Too many similarities seem to contribute to this misconception.

The truth is – they do surely interrelate to continue the tasks accomplished by Agile in the first step.

The article named ‘Can Agile and DevOps Get Along’ on Scrum.org is worth checking in this context.

Either one features considerably fast delivery cycles and smaller increments. Also, both use feedback to promote the service/product. Even the removal of waste and impediments is the same.

The approaches can influence a cultural shift in any organization. The interrelated practices can push many small changes. Those easily manageable changes eventually lead to more success.

Agile focuses on interactions with cultures and values, whereas DevOps emphasizes delivery flow and pipeline.

It’s important to note that they don’t compete with one another. Instead, they fill the gaps of each other in the development process. That’s why working the two methodologies together is a smart move.

How Do Agile and DevOps Interrelate?

Agile primarily controls the fundamental processing of software development. But DevOps focuses on putting the code into production. It also incorporates the mechanism of optimizing the entire process.

Agile sets the foundation for DevOps consulting companies to allow the team to develop the software fast with max efficiency.

The methodologies are very different from each other in terms of the approaches or the procedures. That’s where the two don’t appear as identical or interchangeable elements.

However, the corresponding processes are interrelated. They balance each other in the process. Either one works to achieve one goal – a bug-free functional software to obtain customer satisfaction.

Agile includes people connected to different processes and resources. Its architecture stands on the ideas defined in the Agile Manifesto. And the involvement is implemented while holding the views.

DevOps conveys the innovations and technology to the business as soon as possible. Also, it keeps an eye on the mechanism to ensure no hindrance/disturbance occurs in the process.

A working software gets priority from insightful details in documented reports. Meanwhile, customer cooperation establishes control over the negotiation. It directly falls under the arrangement cycle.

Thus, a collaboration between the two models can stabilize the entire infrastructure.

DevOps has well-specified prerequisites and practices to accomplish its objectives. And the cycles of new product expansions are bound to utilize the ideas. That’s how DevOps introduces a perfect product before the clients. A flawless deployment is sure to meet customer satisfaction one way or the other.

Furthermore, DevOps tracks down the outline on which Agile teams work to develop the software. The DevOps team outlines the overall requirements to build the software in simpler terms. Only then the Agile team starts working to develop, test, and deploy the software.

However, the mechanism explained right above depicts the standard collaboration. But there are different ways to ensure Agile and DevOps interrelate perfectly. Other businesses feature different strategies, approaches, and products/services for the customers.

There are 4 foremost ways to make the two models work together perfectly:

• Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): The CI/CD principle applies to the Agile model. Its application enables rigorous testing of changes before deployment. And developers can point out potential bugs/issues. 
• Automated Testing in a Continuous Manner: Testing in an automated manner can ensure continual processing. It helps to picture the possible side effects after deployment. However, this arrangement mustn’t hamper the quality of software codes.
• Refactoring Design Principles from Agile Development: Restructuring of the Agile principles can also be applied to deployments. It enables the code to be flexible, modular, and reusable. Thus, the team can even deploy different software versions at a time.
• Constant Feedback Cycle within Developers and Admins: It’s important to introduce changes on time. And the continual exchange of feedback between the sides can make it happen. That’s how the product should meet customer expectations.

The two development models together result in a shorter cycle with excellent transparency. Also, involvements of external and internal feedback offer resource flexibility. Further testing frequency means more secure, flawless, and stable software.

Why Use Agile and DevOps Together

And what would be the expected benefits of interrelating Agile and DevOps? Of course, companies do require more than just interactions between teams. There are significant advantages of combining the two methodologies.

• An increase in product/service quality is assured from every possible aspect. Also, continuous deployment ensures max customer satisfaction.
• The cooperation between the two teams can help increase the overall efficiency of any company.
• Agile is an excellent methodology for introducing a team of different specialties. Sales, development, marketing – all can work together.
• DevOps can instantly send new codes resulting from bugs/issues to the development team.
• Continuous integration means the further scope of changes and fixes before completing the project. Early testing in devops can reveal the drawbacks.

Learn more about the benefits of combining DevOps and Agile from the DevOps.com article.

Lack of proper knowledge makes many businesses wonder how do Agile and DevOps interrelate. Anyone up for the collaboration will be amazed more by all the benefits. No wonder why the interrelation is a key to upskilling and IT modernization.

How to Ensure Perfect Collaboration?

It may seem that interrelating the two models is almost ready to go. But the reality is something else.

Combining two complex methodologies is never easy, regardless of the field/organization/context. And it’s no different from integrating DevOps to Agile for software development.

Getting the best out of the functioning merged approach is the trickiest part. There are different strategies an organization can adopt to make the combo perfect and effective.

Constant communication among the teams is crucial in keeping the complementary approach active. The dedication and flexibility required for merging are also higher than implementing either one alone.

It’s recommended to consult or appoint a business transformation agency for the implementation. Therefore, getting them together for an application requires additional investments, time, and effort.

Technology Involving Agile + DevOps

Many professionals are still confused about whether the approaches coexist in any technology. For those not sure or don’t know – an interrelated process of the methodologies is already in practice.

Nonetheless, there are several parts of technology where the two synchronize together. Organizations are moving toward collaboration to maximize their software development strategy.

Agile development is getting used to harness DevOps advantages like speed and creativity. Moreover, the faster operability of Agile development enables cycle response with superior consistency.

For anyone wondering about the technical part, it’s virtualization technology. Virtualization is a simple yet understandable example. The technology effectively incorporates the two approaches.

The collaborative methodology powers all features and aspects of IT business environments. The organization or business gets sufficient flexibility. It even enables the using organization to scale leverage and resources. And the scaling is applicable for Agile growth as well as DevOps projects.

The adoption of the Agile methodology encourages the software development process. In contrast, a continual integration of DevOps following the development incorporates further deployment speed.

Independent Software Life Cycles Involving Agile + DevOps

As mentioned, there are many ways to put Agile and DevOps interrelated into use. However, the most recognized application of the merged approach involves software development life cycle (SDLC) processes.

Enterprises dedicated to IT modernization can barely operate without applying collaboration. The resulting synergy can explain why they are becoming more dependent on the merged approach.

The oversimplified table reveals the supremacy of Agile + DevOps over the two methodologies individually. It’s clear why interrelated Agile and DevOps are preferred in modern IT-based technology.

Final Words

Now anyone reading the article should understand how do Agile and DevOps interrelate. However, there’s more than a straightforward answer to the question.

Agile primarily starts and ends with software development, nothing more. Meanwhile, DevOps happens to be the technical continuation of Agile’s implementation.

Any team aiming at success makes sure to combine Agile development with DevOps deployment.

Neither one is free from downsides against many great advantages. However, collaborating the two can definitely reduce or even terminate the limits' extent.

Integrating the principles within one another pushes the workflow efficiency. And it makes sense for every struggling business/setup from different perspectives.

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