Azure DevOps Lifecycle: 7 Stages from Planning to Deployment

Modern software is no longer built once and forgotten. The applications today are constantly upgraded, under constant monitoring and constantly enhanced as per the user opinions and business requirements. Traditional ways of software development usually lag behind in such a highly dynamic environment.

This is where the lifecycle of the Azure DevOps is very important.

Rather than viewing development, testing and deployment as separate processes, Azure DevOps links them in a single automated and repeatable process. For beginners this can be confusing however in its more simplistic form, Azure Devops merely assists teams to plan more effectively, create faster, test smarter, and release more reliably.

This blog will take the Devops lifecycle in Azure step by step, describe the Azure Devops workflow, discuss the stages in Azure Devops pipeline, and learn the entire Azure Devops CI/CD lifecycle in a simple but practical and beginner-friendly manner.

Quick Answer:

Azure DevOps Lifecycle is a continuous process that helps teams plan, develop, build, test, release, deploy, and monitor applications using a unified set of tools. It integrates CI/CD pipelines, automation, and collaboration to deliver high-quality software faster and more reliably.

What Is Azure DevOps?

Azure DevOps is a Microsoft-created cloud-based platform which assists the teams to coordinate the entire lifecycle of DevOps, beginning to end. It unites individuals, procedures, and resources in a manner that software undergoes the planning, construction, verification, delivery, and checking process in an organized and flow-like manner.

Instead of using separate tools for planning, coding, testing, and deployment, Azure DevOps provides everything in one unified ecosystem. This makes collaboration easier, reduces delays, and ensures faster and more reliable software delivery.

Azure DevOps is not just a single tool because it is a complex of integrated services that cooperate with each other:

• Azure Boards – Helps teams design work, track work, bug fixes, and progress.
• Azure Repos – offers secure source code management in Git.
• Azure Pipelines – Provides CI/CD that automates build, test and deployment.
• Azure Test Plans – Provides manual and exploratory testing.
• Azure Artifacts – Share and manage packages and dependencies.

Combining these services creates an organized and effective Azure DevOps process to allow teams to create high-quality software in a continuous stream.

Understanding the DevOps Lifecycle in Azure

The Azure DevOps lifecycle is a constant cycle and not a linear cycle. All phases are related to each other and teams are able to continually advance the application according to feedback, performance reports, and evolving needs.

The lifecycle of the Azure DevOps consists of the following main steps:

• Plan
• Develop
• Build
• Test
• Release
• Deploy
• Monitor & Feedback

This cycle ensures that software development is not only about delivery but also about continuous improvement.

1. Planning Phase: Planning the Foundation

One of the most significant stages is planning, the starting point of the lifecycle as well. A well-planned project helps teams avoid confusion, missed deadlines, and unnecessary rework later.

How Azure DevOps Helps in Planning

Using Azure Boards, teams can:

• Design and build user stories, tasks, and features.
• Monitor bugs and problems in real time.
• Work out the plan based on sprints and backlogs.
• See Keyboard improvements with Kanban boards and dashboards.

This stage puts it clear on what should be constructed, why and when it should be provided, and is thus a very important step in the Azure DevOps process.

2. Development Stage: The Code Writing

Once planning has been finished, the developers start writing and updating the application code.

Azure Repos in Development

Azure Repos is a git based source control mechanism which enables the developers to:

• Safely store code in repositories.
• Branch new fixes or features.
• Work together through pull requests.
• Pass, authorize and consolidate code safely.

This is an approach where several developers can work on the same project and their work will not be overwritten.

The importance of this in the Azure DevOps Lifecycle

The version control is part of the Azure DevOps CI/CD lifecycle as it assists teams to:

• Track every code change
• Revert to earlier versions in case anything goes wrong
• Keep clean and quality code

Well-managed code is essential for smooth automation in later stages.

Also read: What is DevOps? A Comprehensive Guide

3. Build Phase: Converting Code to an Application

The build phase translates the source code into a usable and deployable program.

Azure DevOps Pipeline Stages – Build

With Azure Pipelines, the build stage will automatically:

• Compiles the source code
• Dependencies were required by installs.
• Generates build artifacts
• Makes low level checks and verifications.

This step is automatic each time new code is pushed to the repository and this gives rapid feedback to the developers.

Key Advantage

Automation saves human error and ensures that all builds are done in the same way- another vital principle of best practices in Azure DevOps.

4. Testing Phase: Quality Ensuring

The point of testing is to make sure that the application is functional before it is handed out to users.

Types of Testing in Azure Devops

• Unit testing – Tests discrete items or functions.
• Integration testing – Assures that various components interact with each other.
• Manual testing – Exploratory and scenario-based testing with Azure Test Plans.

Role in the Azure DevOps CI/CD Lifecycle

Automated tests are often integrated directly into the Azure DevOps pipeline and can be used to identify problems in their early stages and keep invalid code out of production.

Also read: Top 15 DevOps Companies in Bangalore

5. Release Phase: Get Ready to Deploy

The release phase prepares tested and approved builds for deployment into different environments.

What Happens in This Stage?

• Build Artifacts are chosen.
• Environments like Dev, QA and Production have been configured.
• Control is added with the addition of approval gates.
• Pipelines Release pipelines are activated.

This is a structured process that guarantees controlled releases, which are safe and predictable, which is one of the key elements of the lifecycle of DevOps in Azure.

6. Deployment Phase: User Delivery

Deployment is the last stage where the application is eventually released to the end users.

Azure Deployment Options

Azure DevOps can be deployed to:

• Azure App Services
• Virtual Machines
• Kubernetes clusters
• On-premise servers

Releases can be performed more quickly, can be replicated, and can be rolled back with the assistance of automated deployment pipelines in case of any problems.

Also read: 35 Important DevOps Interview Questions and Answers

7. Monitoring and Feedback: Continuous Improvement

The lifecycle is not completed upon deployment. Monitoring guarantees health and performance of application in the long term.

Monitoring Tools

• Azure Monitor
• Application Insights
• Log Analytics

These tools help teams:

• Detect errors and failures
• Patrol performance and availability.
• Learn actual user behaviour.

Why Feedback Is Critical

The information obtained during the monitoring feeds directly into the planning process, which completes the lifecycle of the Azure DevOps and allows continuous improvement.

Also read: DevOps and Infrastructure Fundamentals for Full-Stack Engineers

Azure DevOps CI/CD Lifecycle

Azure Devops CI/CD lifecycle is considered to be the strongest feature of the platform since it automates through which the code changes will flow through development and production. CI/CD helps in saving labor, errors are minimized and software is able to be delivered fast and reliably.

Continuous Integration (CI)

Continuous Integration is concerned with the frequent integration of the code changes and automatic validation of them. CI in Azure DevOps assists the teams in identifying problems at the earlier stages of the development process.

With CI:

• On a regular basis, code is combined into a common repository.
• Whenever the changes are pushed, automated build pipelines are run.
• The tests will be automatically executed to verify all the changes.

This will make the identification of problems early and thus easy and less costly to correct.

Also read: 10 Best DevOps Project Ideas for 2026

Continuous Delivery (CD)

Continuous Delivery is used to ensures that validated builds are always available to deploy. When the code successfully passes all tests it can be released safely to a variety of environments.

With CD:

• Staging or production environments Approved builds are transferred to staging or production environments.
• The deployments are repeatable and automated.
• Releases are quicker, safer and predictable.

CI and CD together allow the team to be innovative and still deliver high quality software and stability of the system.

Azure DevOps Best Practices for Beginners

To work efficiently and confidently with Azure DevOps, beginners should follow these Azure DevOps best practices:

• Automate manual processes to minimise manual errors.
• Make pipelines straight, compact, and low maintenance.
• Always use a version control on any code changes.
• Early and regular testing will uncover problems earlier.
• Continuous monitoring of applications after deployment.
• Deploying productions using approval gates.
• Origins of documents, workflows, configurations.

These practices are useful in ensuring long-term stability, scalability and reliability of teams as projects expand.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Learners may have difficulties with an initial experience of the use of Azure DevOps. The following are some of the frequent errors:

5. In article Image 4 : An infographic of “TCommon Mistakes to Avoid” and all the bullet points given below

• Omitting or not taking automated tests
• Coding credentials rather than employing safe variables.
• Bureaucratizing pipelines by putting too many steps.
• Disregarding monitoring, logs and user feedback.

The prevention of the mistakes will result in a more easy, safe, and trustworthy workflow of Azure DevOps.

Why Learn the Azure DevOps Lifecycle?

The importance of knowing the Azure DevOps lifecycle can be explained by a number of reasons:

1. DevOps are sought after within the tech industry.
2. Azure is popular among both large and small organizations.
3. Automation saves a lot of time and cost of operation.
4. It enhances development and operations cooperation.

Azure DevOps serves as a great base to a career in DevOps or cloud-centric work due to its hands-on experience of the modern software development practice in the real-world environment.

Kickstart your career by enrolling in HCL GUVI’s DevOps Course, where you will master technologies including Linux, Git, AWS, etc, and build interesting real-life DevOps projects.

Wrapping it up:

Azure DevOps lifecycle is not a technical process itself but a state of mind where it comes down to continuous improvement, cooperation, and automation. With the knowledge of the Azure DevOps workflow, command of the Azure DevOps pipeline phases and a robust Azure Devops CI/CD lifecycle, teams are able to develop high quality software at a quicker and more dependable rate.

As a student, a beginner, or a person who enters the field of DevOps, studying Azure DevOps is a strong move towards developing modern, scalable, and resilient applications.

FAQs

1. What is Azure DevOps used for?

Azure DevOps is used to plan, develop, test, deploy, and monitor applications using a structured DevOps workflow.

2. Is Azure DevOps suitable for beginners?

Yes, Azure DevOps is beginner-friendly and provides easy-to-use tools for learning DevOps concepts and CI/CD.

3. What is the Azure DevOps CI/CD lifecycle?

The Azure DevOps CI/CD lifecycle automates code integration, testing, and deployment to ensure faster and safer software releases.

4. What are Azure DevOps pipeline stages?

Azure DevOps pipeline stages typically include build, test, release, and deployment stages.