Most software development professionals have heard of methodologies such as DevOps and Agile. However, it is natural to face some doubts when choosing between them. This is because the differences between one and the other are not always clear.

To understand exactly the advantages of opting for DevOps or Agile, it’s important to have some understanding of where these methods come from.

There is a lot of effort for the creation of applications to have a reliable result and to be delivered quickly and agilely.

Although the union of Agile and DevOps is already considered a basic precept in almost any area of IT, there is a lot of discussion on the subject.

In this article, you will learn the difference between DevOps and Agile and which one best fits your company. Can they both work together? Let’s find out!

What is Agile?

Agile is an iterative approach that encourages collaboration, organization, and feedback as a means of completing projects faster and more efficiently.

You can use it on the project management side of software development to ensure that all team members accomplish tasks quickly without sacrificing quality.

Agile methodology’s accomplishment is using smaller teams and segments, with ongoing testing and changes made as needed based on immediate customer feedback.

What is DevOps?

At a higher level, DevOps is a collaborative process between development and IT operations teams used throughout the entire software development lifecycle. Thus, the goal is to improve the speed of product development and deployment.

It’s an agile approach that breaks down traditional silos between teams that makes the process flexible enough to be able to respond to the need for changes and fixes at any stage.

However, the needs of customers changed over time and so a huge rework you need to reach the desired new standards. Despite this being a big problem for the development of projects as a whole, you can lengthen the work time, which is the same as wasting time and money.

It didn’t take long for a new work methodology to emerge and the name of Agile because its objective was to streamline and facilitate software development.

It provides greater integration between project professionals, focuses on software rather than documentation, and it means to change during code evolution.

Agile and DevOps principles working together

First of all, it is necessary to understand that this is a cultural transformation of the company, therefore, the collaboration of all involved is necessary to build an efficient team in the delivery of projects.

Target the right problems

Focusing only on the technicality of the problems can result in losing sight of why this is a problem and what the expected outcome is. It is necessary to think about really effective strategies that can be implemented.

Look for what the customer expects and technical needs

When developing, it is very important to solve the problems brought by customers in a sagas way, however, the so-called technical debt should never be forgotten. In theory, it is simple, however, in practice, it deals with countless variables that call for quick solutions – and this is not always the reality of development.

Everything is a priority: time, customer experience, technical issues with the software, and the problems solved by the software. Furthermore, the improvement is constantly keeping in mind what is being built and what is already written.

Development of indicators

When working with large teams it is important to create key development indicators, such as KPIs.

This is done by measuring the results of different areas, looking for possible bottlenecks that affect productivity or even the quality of the product delivered. These indicators can be revised and it is of utmost importance to ensure that all code is constantly updated to meet the new standards.

Conflict resolutions

Teams concerned with the development of a robust project that delivers value to the client can assume the probability of error. In other words, when proposing a solution, you can assume that it may not be the best and that it works with countless possibilities.

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DevOps vs. Agile

In the last decade, development teams are no longer part of IT. As much as the sectors share resources or have common issues, software development has taken on a more specific role.

The availability of using DevOps or Agile then began to become a question among professionals in the field. There are some differences between DevOps and Agile:

Process

A difference in DevOps vs. Agile is how you perform specific tasks. With Agile, communication between teams and customers is constant. The necessary changes are frequently throughout the production process to ensure quality.

With DevOps, the focus is on frequent testing and delivery, but communication is primarily between developers and IT operations. The Agile process is also better for complex projects, while the DevOps method is better for end-to-end processes.

Teams

Another difference between DevOps and Agile is the team structure. Larger teams tend to use DevOps, with the skill set split between team members within operations and development. This means that each team member has a specific task or set of tasks. The goal is to complete at each stage of the process.

Agile, on the other hand, is better for smaller teams to get the job faster. The agile approach typically does not assign a specific set of roles to team members. However, it encourages all team members to share responsibilities equally. Because of this, all Agile team members must be able to handle or assign any part of a project at any time.

Focus and feedback

Agile and DevOps also differ when it comes to focus and feedback. While DevOps projects tend to focus on operational and business readiness, an Agile approach typically means that feedback comes from consumers.

In terms of focus, Agile teams typically use sprints, with each sprint lasting less than a month. The idea of ​​sprints is that achievable tasks in increments, with a sprint starting immediately after the end of the previous sprint.

With DevOps, there are specific deadlines and benchmarks achievements, some of which may occur daily.

After all, DevOps or Agile?

Many experts understand that DevOps and Agile are two sides of the same coin. While Agile brought out a model of quick deliveries in line with customer expectations, DevOps optimized that system. Therefore, an alternative that usually gives great results is the adoption of both methodologies.

The good news is that you don’t need to commit to one approach over another. A combination of both methodologies is to ensure greater efficiency.  They both have important roles to play when it comes to software development and deployment.

They not only complement each other but help companies to face changes in a team. Changing a team’s strategy and methodology can often be a delicate process, fraught with obstacles. What is at stake could be the success of the company as a whole.

GitScrum supports your team to better results and effective deliveries!

Set your workflow and board to guide your Agile team, assign Tasks, Subtasks and keep in charge of the whole process evolvements. Allow your Agile team to collaborate.