DevOps: A Missing Piece of Agile Methodology

The early 2000s saw the widespread adoption of the agile methodology which changed how we create software and Software Products. But after a few years of being the norm, a crucial overlook emerged for the operations team's methods and needs (who delivered and managed software products) which were not included in the revolution. DevOps, a strategy that coordinated the development and operations team resulted from this.

DevOps can be viewed as an advancement of agile methodology or as a necessary component of agile. It’s an effort to take the innovations of the agile approach and apply them to operations processes. At the same time, it's a crucial component of agile, as several agile principles can only be fully implemented when DevOps techniques are used. For instance, continuous delivery of software is mentioned frequently in agile official publications/principles, but as delivery pipelines also address operations-related issues, continuous delivery is typically seen as a DevOps strategy.

Some of the key Differences/Similarities between Agile and DevOps:

• Agile stresses product management and developers cooperation, whereas DevOps includes the operations team.
• Agile prioritizes the software development process from conception to code completion — DevOps broadens the focus to include delivery and upkeep.
• Agile stresses small batches and iterative development, while DevOps is primarily concerned with test and delivery automation.
• Agile adds structure to planned work for developers — DevOps incorporates unplanned work common to operations teams

The Agile Manifesto expressly prioritizes working software, collaborating with customers, and adjusting to change. These are undoubtedly the same principles as DevOps, but they have been expanded to include system management and executing apps in addition to the development process. DevOps and agile both aim to increase the efficiency and quality of software development, therefore discussing one without the other is largely pointless. Organizations that struggle with agile will be able to fill in the gaps and achieve the results they were aiming for with the aid of the DevOps strategy.