Scrum and Kanban are the most frequently used terms in the project management world today. But not every person knows the basic principles, the advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Find the answers in this article.
We all recognize this: we live in an era of unlimited discovery and transformation, which is no different for the business environment. Yet trying to keep up with the most-trusted method of software development can be exhausting, right?
So, don’t worry! In this article, we’ve selected everything you need to know about Scrum and Kanban methodologies in order to make them easier for you to understand.
Agile Manifesto
Both Scrum and Kanban are the parts of Agile methodology that is an interactive development model in which all the process is divided into user stories. For example, insurance companies like American Insurance use it in intellectual works. The agile manifesto appeared in 2001 and contains some fundamental principles.
The needs of the customer and the daily interaction of the developer are in priority. What is more, product changes are welcomed at any stage of development because they add competitive advantages. Thanks to the fact that a working product must be released as often as possible, the Progress can be easily indicated. One more essential thing to know is that the team must be self-organized and ready to improve: developers’ motivation and professionalism must be at a high level. Last but not least, Agile methodology includes simplifying processes by minimizing the number of unnecessary operations.
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Here Are the Golden 4 Principles that the Agile Manifesto Consists of:
- Tools and processes are not such necessary as people and communication.
- More attention should be paid to the working product rather than the complete documentation.
- Cooperation with customers is in priority over the approval of the contract.
- Being willing to change the original plan is better than following it.
So, when the Agile basics are clear, let’s reveal the differences and advantages of using both techniques.
Scrum VS Kanban
Scrum and Kanban are the frameworks that help teams to get projects run successfully. As Scrum and Kanban have their specifications, it is essential to reveal each’s critical points to get the best results for your company. Scrum can be used if your business is stuck and a radical transformation toward the more dynamic process is required. On the other hand, Kanban is recommended if everything is working well, and you just want to improve the process without significant changes. But the thing is that both frameworks will help you to develop stabler solutions with fewer headaches.
What is Scrum?
First of all, Scrum is one of the best agile methodologies nowadays that aims to structure the process by dividing tasks into small Sprints. Generally speaking, it is an adaptive and efficient methodology invented to concentrate on achieving the most necessary business values quickly.
The process is simple: with Scrum, you plan just enough to start with your project, then you build your product with a minimal set of features. Afterward, you test a particular product and review what you’ve just created.
The principle is realized through a set of special roles, rules, processes, and tools, and the command and control of the product are played. Among the Scrum “rules” is that scrum-master and product owner have key positions.
Scrum Pros
This product development technique has a bunch of advantages. Let’s deep dive into the main ones.
- Adaptability — The Scrum principles of empirical process control and iterative delivery make projects adaptable and open to incorporating changes when it occurs. Every process in this methodology is designed to assume changes.
- Sprints deliver value — Every new Sprint leads to the latest high-quality service, product, or wanted result. Thanks to the sprint system, the delivery of value can be long-lasting.
- Flexibility — The best technique is those which lead to quick reaction and immediate corrections. With Scrum team can use new information about the market changes and easily apply it to the product.
- Clear visibility — thanks to the annual meetings, every member of a team is aware of all product development process nuances. Even the customer!
- Feedback — brief sprints permit changes from the customers’ and the stakeholders’ feedback.
Scrum Cons
Like everything in our world, Scrum has its cons. Let’s take a look at some of them.
- Scrum Master — this technique needs an exceptional professional to be involved in the team. Every company that wants to practice Scrum doesn’t necessarily have the sources to provide a dedicated Scrum Master.
- Customer freedom — While developing a Scrum controlled project, a customer can ask for unnecessary changes, which could slow down and complicate the whole process.
- Developers-admins — Because Scrum has various meetings, it can sometimes be hard for developers to discuss the admin side of work.
What is Kanban?
Kanban is a method for managing a software development process in the most productive way. While Scrum is the technique of a structure, Kanban was designed to provide balance into projects.
Significant incremental improvements can be achieved by combining Kanban with the already existing technique you use. In Kanban, the work process has criteria called WIP (Work in Progress) that consists of 3 steps: To Do, In Progress, and Done.
Kanban Pros
Kanban software pros are hard to underestimate so that a closer look will shed some light on the excellent experience you’ll receive while developing a product with this method. Now let’s discuss how Kanban’s introduced model can boost the software development process for IT companies.
- Transparency — Kanban board used to organize work, make the process more clear by letting every team member know its tasks and expectations.
- Focus — Instead of spreading energy at hundreds of tasks, a limited amount of work leads teams to excellent results.
- Cooperation — As team members help each other cope with difficulties in demanding tasks, the cooperation aspect is improved.
- Quick barrier detection — Spot impediments The WIP process allows for tracking the productivity at any work stage to reveal which actions lead to the project being slowed down.
Kanban Cons
However, this methodology boosts productivity and allows us to organize the work process, but it also has some disadvantages.
- Small projects — When looking for methods to work with large-scale situations, Kanban can be too limited.
- Appropriate use of the board — By the improper use of the Kanban Board, you risk making some crucial mistakes that will cost a lot. So, don’t over-complicate it!
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Conclusion
Both Kanban and Scrum have their strong sides and weaknesses. But the main differences of these techniques are at the surface:
- While Scrum instruments rely on a structure, Kanban software flexibly adjusts to any team.
- Scrum relies on the story points organizing to help every team member concentrate on prevailing duties. In this turn, Kanban ensures constant change and Kanban methodology serves to examine the workflow continuously.
Scrum stops the company from starting or modifying the work queue once the sprint has begun, focusing on prevailing aspects but making it difficult to adapt to any change outside of sprints.
