Agile Vs. DevOps: What’s the difference?

Agile and DevOps are modern software development processes. Both of these processes facilitate better performance and faster t delivery. Hence many people think that they can be used interchangeably. But there are many differences between the above-mentioned two processes, and here you’ll know about them all.

 Let’s start by exploring both individually.

 What is DevOps?

In simple terms, DevOps is the union of Development teams and Operations teams. It is a unique software-building approach that focuses on bringing together developers and IT operations members to ensure that products are delivered seamlessly.

In the past, the waterfall model was widely used. In that model, there was almost zero collaboration between Development and IT Operations teams which in turn hindered the success of projects and they could not be delivered on time.

Late deliveries often incurred losses for companies; hence, new software development processes were needed. DevOpsbecame life-changing and took the market by storm.

In DevOps, the development and operations teams work with each other closely and supply software products instantly and efficiently. Here are some significant benefits of bringing these two teams together:

Continuous Integration

Continuous integration is a process in which every developer checks the code frequently into the codebase. This is essential especially for big projects, and the code base is changed frequently. . These alterations can then be included in a CI pipeline that can test, build, and run code frequently.

Continuous integration helps  IT operations teams by automating many tasks like testing, fetching code,  building the new changes, and delivering large projects efficiently.

Continuous Deployment

When a CI pipeline finishes, continuous deployment comes into the picture. With continuous deployment, everything that passes through the CI pipeline gets validated and sent to the deployment server. Continuous deployment ensures that every new commit is updated on the server and deployed consistently. This way, the latest changes are always available for use.

Test Automation

Testing any software takes considerable time. This acts as a hurdle in the timely delivery of projects. Moreover, in traditional software methodologies, testing can begin after all development work is completed. Therefore, automation of this process was much needed.

In DevOps, testing can be done on every new integration and deployment. Also, this testing can be automated with the use of many different automation tools like selenium and Jmeter.

Having known about DevOps, you should now know about Agile. This will help you to draw differences between the two.

What is Agile?

Agile is a software development approach that is new on the market. The previous software development lifecycles seemed to have many flaws, and as the tech space evolved, it was necessary to adopt a new approach. Using the agile software development approach, working software can be delivered quickly.

Agile follows an iterative software development approach, wherein no predefined plan is followed. With agile, there is almost no requirement analysis phase. Every new feature is added on an incremental basis as the project advances.

In agile, the project’s deadline is always pre-decided. Whether the new feature count increases or not, the deadline stays fixed. The whole project timeline is divided into smaller parts called sprints. Every sprint is set up with a new objective, and by the end of the sprint, the teams need to achieve those objectives successfully.

Sprints in the agile software development approach are usually one month long. These sprints contain tasks, epics, and user stories for each team member.

Let’s get to know everything about the above-stated terms.

Epics

Epics are large tasks in agile software development that can be further split down into sub-tasks. In Agile, an objective to be achieved is presented to the development team by the project manager. This objective is then broken down into epics, user stories, and tasks.

Epics are mainly created based on inputs received from the stakeholders as well as other users. In the agile software development approach, epics are highly beneficial in managing tasks when working in a team.

User Stories

User stories are non-technical explanations of new features that need to be added during a sprint. In traditional software development approaches, the requirement analysis phase covers the features and changes a project needs. Many documents are developed during that phase and are entirely technical. So, it is sometimes hard to read and understand the specifications mentioned in the requirement analysis documents.

To overcome this, a straightforward document was needed. That’s where user stories come into the picture. User stories are made from simple sentences to deliver the requirements and meaning correctly and efficiently to everyone. Moreover, user stories are broken down into straightforward and smallest workpieces so that it is easy to document and explain them.

Tasks

When user stories are broken down furthermore, tasks are introduced. In Agile, tasks can be anything that a single team member can accomplish. A user story or epic may not be suitable for working on a product feature; hence tasks are used. Tasks include the minutest details needed to accomplish some work.

Most tasks in Agile are elementary and can be easily performed by a single member. If the team allows, it can be done by pairing up team members, too.

As you now know the basics of Agile and DevOps, it is time that you understand the difference between these two.

Agile VS DevOps

Here are some significant points of difference between Agile and DevOps.

Task Process

How tasks are processed and performed emerges as the most significant difference between the two. When the Agile approach is followed, every task is iterative, and there is continuous communication between the teams, customers, and business stakeholders.

On the other hand, with DevOps, the primary focus is enabling continuous and frequent delivery of usable products. In DevOps, communication happens only between the development team and operations teams. DevOps is devoted to testing the recent developments and applying the latest changes on the deployment servers every time. As a result, errors and bugs can be caught in the early phase.

Teams

Agile teams are small, whereas DevOps teams are enormous. It is tough to use Agile methodologies efficiently in large teams. Hence companies with a large number of team members rely on DevOps.

Using Agile, work can be completed faster as the number of people in the team is low whereas DevOps is the better choice when there are ample team members and extended deadlines.

Roles

In the Agile model, there are no fixed roles allotted to team members. Every person in the team is equally responsible for the achievement of sprint objectives. Moreover, in an agile environment, people tend to wear many hats at once, as they are responsible for many things at the same time. Anyone can be allotted any responsibility in Agile.

In contrast, roles and responsibilities are clear in DevOps. Every person on the team has a fixed role to play in the achievement of objectives. The development team members need to focus only on software development, and the operations department  monitor  the operational part of the software.

Tools Used

As Agile is different from DevOps, the tools used in it are also different. Tools like kanboard, asana, and Jira Project management software are used to achieve objectives in Agile methodology.

Conversely, when working with DevOps, you may require tools like AWS, G cloud Suite, Puppet, Ansible, Jenkins, etc. All these tools enable the achievement of DevOps’ benefits in an effortless manner.

Feedback

DevOps is internal, whereas Agile includes different stakeholders like clients, direct and indirect users, etc., into the process. Needless to say, the feedback methods in both of these are different.

The feedback for different DevOps tasks is received from managers and other internal stakeholders. This includes other teams and their members, as well as project leaders and business leaders.

In Agile, feedback is received continuously from different sources like clients, users, stakeholders, and product owners. Feedback is received instantly in Agile as it is an iterative model, whereas DevOps takes some time to get the proper feedback.

Final Thoughts

Congratulations on this. Now you are part of the very few people who know the difference between agile and DevOps. Both these software development approaches have their benefits and should be used according to the business needs and situations. Using this knowledge, you can improve your product lifecycle and development plans.