Due to the high demand for software improvements, creators cannot afford delays in their development processes. Any type of holdups may end up costing their clients their ability to compete with others and may even result in the loss of clientele. Today, new software processes and systems have been created with the sole objective of solving all inconveniences that may arise during the development process – providing and focusing on safety, reliability, and promptness. Consequently, protocols like Agile, CI/CD, and DevOps have been created to solve pipeline issues and streamline software development – from inception all the way to retirement.

What is Agile development?

Agile development refers to a series of software creation strategies that are based on continuous development – always maintaining communication between teams and requirements, in order to meet goals. It consists of a series of phases with a very short time limit known as a sprint instead of one large step. The process takes a holistic view of the product, or in most cases software. It requires, dividing the whole into small parts, and subsequently partitioning those out into teams that collaborate not only amongst themselves but between departments. 

Agile development is a more modern approach rather than the traditional one that developers are used to. The agile method is hard to describe since it is customizable to each company’s needs. But it is, in a nutshell, a cross-interdisciplinary practice that joins up all teams, and in a dynamic, flexible, fast manner. Some companies even include the end-user or stand-ins of them, as key players in the development of this protocol. 

The agile methodology was created by 17 people, including Kent Beck, who was an author and consultant for many years before he became a software developer. 

Reasons for using Agile 

• Helps reduce and keep technical debt as minimal as possible. Technical debt is the act of launching the software, under the knowledge that it has issues. Companies are incurring a “debt” with their client. They know that they have to fix the problem ASAP. With Agile methodology, you minimize this debt. You also keep a maintenance log on the upkeep of existing products. Issues like bugs or other areas that need maintenance are added to the logbook, so teams at each meeting can see what’s pending. Each sprint is an opportunity to fix or solve these issues. 
• The Agile methodology allows the team to learn more about their product as they go along and make changes in response to feedback from customers or stakeholders.
• One of the advantages of Agile is that it recognizes what the customer needs – even if they are constantly changing with time. Teams adapt to those requirements based on predictive algorithms. Due to the Agile methodology, teams do not have to wait for the review, and approval process. Factors that are pending are added to the backlog and then assigned to the next sprint depending on their importance. Thanks to this, teams will be able to take care of more than one objective at a time. They will focus their goals on the need and importance. While also keeping an eye on what’s to come tomorrow – future-proofing their work. 
• While working, the product owner also collaborates with the team in analyzing what can be added in each sprint. Consequently, the teams involved are always in sync and know what to do at all times. Thanks to this, the chances of unexpected complications are minimal as the team will guarantee an effective result as well as fulfilling their duties on time – and keeping the boss happy. 
• The agile methodology also allows the software development processes to be very transparent for the client. Customers can see how the team works and what updates they are implementing. This represents a plus for the company since it will enhance its brand image by emphasizing its trustworthy status.

Continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD DevOps) software engineering practice

CI/CD is a software development process that automates the build, test, and deployment of software. It is the most common methodology for software development. It is an iterative process where developers continuously integrate changes to the code base with feedback from automated tests. The goal of CI/CD is to produce high-quality builds in shorter timeframes and with less manual effort.

The CI/CD pipeline can be broken down into three main stages:

• Build: This stage involves compiling your codebase into a deployable artifact
• Test: This stage involves running automated tests on your build to ensure it meets certain criteria -Deployment: This stage involves deploying your build to production

Benefits of the system/model

•  Code changes are less disruptive due to how small and simple they are.
•  Bugs can be isolated rapidly.
• Testing capacity improves drastically due to the fact that updates or changes are smaller and simpler.
• The updates are more specific and produced in a much shorter time.
• Bugs get fixed faster by closely monitoring them, making frequent changes, and promoting a philosophy of continuous update releases. Each release will be composed of several small code modifications, making it easier to detect and fix vulnerabilities.

DevOps practice

DevOps is a combination of practices and tools which automate and integrate key stages of the software development processes. Its methodology highlights the union between departments, driving and promoting communication and collaboration between different teams. At the same time, it also promotes the automation of technology. Teams involved in the development of software integrate tools and automate processes, which translates to an increased production rate and fewer software issues.

Benefits of DevOps 

• Updates become faster and more frequent, satisfying customers, hence helping the company to position itself above the competition in the market.
• The objective of this system is to inculcate a culture of collaboration between the developers and the teams that are in charge of the operations. It combines the responsibilities and the work of both parts in general. Thanks to this, teams become more efficient when creating code.
• DevOps guarantees a quick and immediate solution against problems and vulnerabilities found in the software. Through it, developers become more efficient while doing their work, taking care of problems, and solving them on the spot rather than after the testing phase. Teams become more aware when undesirable issues arise – they can work on issues in real-time, without having to wait for testing. 
• DevOps decreases the costs of operations and production in the assigned departments.

Differences between Agile vs CI/CD vs DevOps 

The differences between Agile vs CI/CD vs DevOps are almost minimal. What really differentiates them the most is how each developer works with each one. What do they prioritize? These three development tools have the same goal, to design the best software in the shortest possible time. Their processes sometimes overlap since developers need to understand how to use the other regardless of what system they are employing.

For example:

• Agile encompasses CI/CD DevOps processes in its software philosophy even when different processes and methodologies are implemented.
• DevOps uses Agile principles in its MO to encourage collaboration and communication — driving the team’s speed, and making the product outcome efficient and release more streamlined.
• CI/CD vs DevOps uses automation tools to promote Agile software development, thus saving development time and money.