Can You Have Agile Without Continuous Delivery?

The answer is a very emphatic NO. Let us see why it is so. In order to understand the concept, we need to go a bit into the background of what Agile is.

Agile Software Development

Agile software development is not a methodology in the strict sense of the term. It is more of a culture or an approach where you recognize the needs of the situation and adapt to it accordingly. This technology requires adaptive planning and evolutionary development in addition to early delivery. Hence, there is a need for continuous improvement as it encourages a flexible response to changes in the environment.

Applications of Agile

The Agile software development has a variety of applications in diverse fields. You can sense the difference in the technologies involved in activities we do almost on a daily basis. Take internet or mobile banking for example. Transferring funds from one account to another is a normal activity for any person or business. You need security layers to be in place to ensure the safety of your funds.

Now these security layers need constant updating so that hackers are not able to crack the code. Hence, based on feedback received from industry experts and consumers, mobile banking app developers keep on updating their systems. Therefore, you find something new every fifteen days or so. In the early days, there was only the password as a layer of security. Now you have additional layers like grid combinations, 2-way authentication measures like OTP, and so on. The process of improvisation is continuous.

This is Agile software for you. They cannot wait until something drastic happens. The process of delivery has to be continuous. Agile software specializes in identifying threats or problems before they actually materialize. Thus, it is ready with a solution beforehand. However, having the solution alone is not enough. The important aspect is the delivery and the utility of the solution. Thus, one can say that Agile software is of no use unless there is continuous delivery.

Hence, you can see that continuous improvement is always necessary in every industry.

Agile Software - Some Concepts

The very definition of Agile Software Development says that it is a group of software development procedures that are based on iterative and incremental development. There is a continuous evolution that requires collaboration among various factors. Therefore, Agile software cannot work without continuous delivery. There has to be a constant and continuous change in the circumstances.

You can see the application of Agile software in a project management process. Breaking down a large project into smaller, doable actions is the best way to approach any project. In this way, you will always be ready to change your plan of action should anything go wrong somewhere in between. Web designing is also a good example of the application of Agile. You keep on improvising the design to suit customer preferences. You gauge these preferences by interacting with the customers at frequent intervals. This is what user experience (UX) designing is all about. Thus, you can see that Agile is all about flexibility and adaptability.

Conclusion

This brings us back to the question, “Can you have Agile without continuous delivery?” You can see that it is just not possible to do so. The principal characteristic of Agile is adaptability. Now, adaptability means continuous change with respect to the situation. When the situation demands a particular solution, you need to adapt. This is what makes Agile an interesting piece of software development process.

Continuity in delivery is vital for an Agile software development process. Without it, the process falls short of its goal of continuously adapting to changes and providing solutions. Whether in project management, web design, or any other field, maintaining a continuous improvement cycle is an indispensable part of Agile development.