We are in the midst of a digital transformation era, where businesses can revolutionize their operations with the latest technological advancements. The shift has been outstanding from the robotic frenzy of Artificial Intelligence to the data-driven landscape of Big Data. Similar to those mentioned, two technological advancements can be the core catalysts that drive businesses forward into the new future, i.e., Agile methodology and DevOps.
But a million-dollar question that technologists often ask is “how do Agile and DevOps interrelate?” There’s a misconception that Agile and DevOps are two different phenomena and can’t work together, but that’s not true. These elements have worked together to improve software development prospects in the global market.
The two perspectives are indeed different, but their vision remains the same. For instance, if they work together, there will be no conflict or downtime in the software development process. But there are several other ways in which Agile and DevOps interrelate. This article will shed some light on how Agile and DevOps interrelate. Let’s elaborate.
Understanding Agile And DevOps Methodology
Before we proceed further into the discussion, let’s discuss the concepts behind Agile and DevOps development models. Agile is a framework for project management and software development processes. It is an umbrella term that denotes a set of practices and frameworks. On the other hand, DevOps is merging development and operations processes within a software development project. It focuses on the integration, collaboration, and communication among IT personnel. In short, these terminologies have helped business owners and project managers enhance business outcomes through effective technological innovation.
5 Ways Explaining How Agile And DevOps Interrelate
1. Automated Testing
Automation itself is one of the most powerful tools in today’s technological era. It is also a valuable element for the Agile methodology and DevOps model. Their automated testing runs continuously without compromising the code’s quality. This improves the app’s overall process and functionalities and helps identify the side effects.
2. Better Communication
Although execution-wise, DevOps and Agile have a stark difference between them. However, they complement each other perfectly. The Agile manifesto involves people, resources, and processes that are conveyed to the business units and the development team for optimal results. DevOps also ensures that the processes are conveyed to the business units without disturbance. Further, customer cooperation is also crucial to control the negotiation process, thus making both models interrelate to improve and stabilize the infrastructure.
3. Coding And Software Quality Assurance
Perhaps the most important benefit of both these models working in tandem is that the software development lifecycle becomes more efficient, shorter, transparent, and flexible towards resources. Furthermore, both these elements can further amplify quality assurance practices and security measures. It improves the overall result and necessitates the ownership to be shared naturally.
4. Quicker Project Timelines
Business owners, developers, and IT operations work differently throughout a project’s life cycle. Most agile project managers and teams are focused on meeting deadlines and releasing features. Further, the entire developmental landscape is interesting: continuous delivery, automated deployment, test-driven development TDD, and continuous integration with DevOps, which can work well with DevOps operations.
5. Development Flow
Agile methodology controls the software development process completely, while DevOps specializes in bringing the code into production and improving the overall process. These two concepts correlate because they are different, and their end goal remains the same. If we give them a unique responsibility, Agile is the foundation of DevOps and encourages teams to produce faster results. This helps business owners to launch new products quickly.
Ensuring That Agile And DevOps Work Together
We have already established the fact that Agile and DevOps can work well together. But how can we achieve benefits by interrelating Agile and DevOps together? Here, we have listed a few of those benefits for you.
- The cooperation between the Agile and DevOps teams can maximize overall efficiency.
- Agile and DevOps can pave the way for leaders to include different specialties in a bland software development process. For instance, you can incorporate sales, development, and marketing altogether.
- With the help of continuous integration, the scope of changes and fixes before project completion improves exponentially, thus, reducing the overall bottlenecks. Further, with early automated testing, you can minimize drawbacks.
- With the help of DevOps. Project leaders can instantly send new codes to the development teams.
How To Do Agile And DevOps Interrelate with Perfect Collaboration
Although it may seem like these two models are the perfect two pieces of a puzzle, the reality is far different. Experts suggest that combining two complex strategies is always going to be difficult, irrespective of the context or industry. The same can be said about the collaboration of DevOps and Agile for software development processes. But one way to bring out the best in them is to create a communication platform to keep the complementary approach alive. Remember, the dedication and flexibility required for using a combinative technique are higher than using one alone.
Technology Used by DevOps and Agile in Tandem
Perhaps, it can be confusing for most technologists whether both these methodologies may also interrelate in terms of technology or not. A simple answer is yes! To leverage the true essence of DevOps, the Agile development methodology is preferred. One such example is visualization technology which powers all facets of an IT business environment. With the integration of DevOps and Agile development, companies can potentially revolutionize how they deliver software development products.
Summing Up
Now that we have discussed how Agile and DevOps interrelate, it should be clear that both are like two sides of the same coin. DevOps is just the continuation of what Agile methodology views. They both work iteratively and rely on quick responses to proceed further. The most successful teams out there perfectly blend the Agile development practices and DevOps deployment practices for optimal results. So, it’s time that we step into the future and use these diverse but effective models in tandem.
Are you in need of a DevOps Consultancy to improve your Software Development Lifecycle? Get in touch with us today!