To better understand the difference between the two, let’s take a look back at the pre-Agile era.

While both are the most common terminologies used in software development, they are not all the same, but they are not foes either.

At the beginning when software development was a relatively new term and no defined approach was there to take the realm of software development. So the “Waterfall” approach took the lead which introduced a new plan-driven methodology followed by a sequential design process to software development.

However, with technology also changed customers’ needs which presented new challenges and the waterfall approach wasn’t enough to take all the heavyweight processes.

What is Agile?

This is where the much sophisticated “Agile” approach came to the picture which formed collaboration between the teams and the end users, allowing them to oversee the progress of the project throughout the development cycle.

It made tweaking software a whole lot easier with the incremental approach which was the main idea of the Agile approach in the first place. It was so designed to break down the project into small modules which allows developers to work in parallel with constant feedbacks along the process which guarantees a smooth workflow.

The flexible methodology allows developers to respond to clients’ needs throughout the development cycle. Then comes the “DevOps” model which bridges the gap between the developers and operations team.

What is DevOps?

To overcome the shortcomings in the Agile model such as missing deadlines and budget goals, DevOps brings more flexibility on top of the Agile approach.

Agile became a lifesaver for developers who wanted a more iterative approach to adapt to the rapidly changing customers’ needs, but Agile has its shortcomings too.

Common drawbacks to Agile model include incompatible software components after completion, missing deadlines, and new features breaking old functions.

Furthermore, there was lack of coordination between the development and operations team. This is where DevOps comes to the picture. It fills the gap between the developers and operations teams, allowing them to collaborate in order to improve deployment frequency for faster and better results.

The DevOps model enables continuous and faster software delivery minus the complexities.

Difference between Agile and DevOps

1. Definition of Agile and DevOps

– DevOps is the offspring of the Agile model which works beyond the software team. Both the methodologies complement each other for faster production and expedited delivery, but they do it very differently. Agile takes an incremental approach to solve complex tasks by dividing them into smaller sub-tasks called modules. DevOps, on the other hand, is an operational philosophy that combines cultural practices and tools to achieve faster delivery.

2. Approach in  Agile and DevOps

– Agile model is based on Lean thinking which emphasizes on continuous iteration for incremental delivery. It is collaboration between the development team and the end users. DevOps is a collective collaboration between the development and operations team, hence the name. Instead of simply working on software, it emphasizes on the services and software to accelerate the delivery process.

3. Culture of Agile and DevOps

– Agile is a modern approach to development that encourages change. Instead of considering development as a whole, it promotes smaller changes which may or may not lead to bigger changes over time. On the contrary, DevOps is a combination of cultural practices that increases an organization’s ability to deliver services and applications at a relatively faster pace. The development and operations teams work together as part of a DevOps team, instead of an Agile team.

4. Team Size for Agile and DevOps

– Agile believes in small and concise; the smaller the team, the faster they can deliver with fewer complexities. The idea was to stay small and work fast. DevOps, on the other hand, believes in the number which means bigger the better. Many teams work together as a single team to work on different theories.

5. Communication for Agile and DevOps

– Agile model is a methodology that revolves around a variety of meetings and informal meetings are at the core of Agile. Agile believes in constant feedbacks and daily team meetings to make development teams more productive and efficient. It allows the team to oversee their progress and familiarize with potential challenges and other issues to ensure a constant workflow with fewer complexities. DevOps, on the other hand, follows a modern documentation approach to communicate with all the relevant teams, rather than conducting daily meetings.

6. Automation in  Agile and DevOps

– Automation is synonymous with DevOps methodology as the idea was to maximize efficiency and minimize interruptions, when it comes to software deployment. Agile is also a modern approach to software development but it never anticipates automation. DevOps believes in maximum productivity and reliability to ensure appropriate deployment.

Agile vs. DevOps: Comparison Chart

Summary of  Agile Vs.  DevOps

Agile model emphasizes on development of software, whereas DevOps is focused on both development and deployment of software in the most reliable and fastest way possible. Agile is based on Lean Thinking that encourages eliminating non-value added activities to deliver software projects. However, Agile has its shortcomings too, which eventually gave rise to DevOps, which is the offspring of Agile software development. Advancements in technology and constantly changing customers’ needs exposed the need for a more appropriate approach that would expedite the software delivery process. They both are software development methodologies with a common vision; that is to encourage teams to collaborate and make decisions together in a way to benefit from their combined skills.

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