When following the agile approach in software development, you’ll find that your projects are more adaptable and collaborative. Projects are broken down into smaller, manageable items, with a focus on continuous feedback and improvement.
Agile development encompasses different frameworks, with the most popular being Scrum and Kanban. Understanding the differences between these frameworks will set you up for project delivery success!
What is Scrum?
Scrum is a framework known for its structured approach, relying on sprints, specific roles, and well-defined meetings. Using Scrum in agile development will increase focus, predictability, transparency and communication.
What is Kanban?
Unlike Scrum, Kanban is a more flexible framework, emphasising continuous workflow and allowing you to visualise work stages. Using Kanban in agile development will improve adaptability, visibility, transparency and efficiency.
Key differences between Scrum vs. Kanban
Whilst both Scrum and Kanban share core agile values like continuous improvement and iterative delivery, they have distinct approaches to project management, and you’ll need to understand the differences before choosing the right approach for your project.
Structure
Scrum
- Highly structured framework with defined roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team)
- Sprints (typically around 1-4 weeks)
- Scrum Events (Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective)
Kanban
- More flexible framework
- Visual Kanban board with work stages (To do, Refined, Doing, Done, Deployed)
- Focuses on continuous flow of work
Planning
Scrum
- Sprint planning defines the work for each sprint. The workload is fixed and changes are discouraged mid-sprint
- During the sprint planning meeting, you’ll discuss tasks, goals and timelines
- As part of your meeting, you’ll define your sprint goal, review the product backlog, plan tasks and capacity, estimate effort, plan contingencies and create the sprint backlog
- To understand how to make your scrum sprint planning more effective, read our blog “Effective Scrum Sprint Planning in Agile Development”
Kanban
- Kanban boards prioritise tasks but allow for ongoing adjustments and scheduling based on capacity and workload.
- Before you start planning your project, you’ll need to define clear objectives to help you track progress
- During your project planning meeting, you should identify and prioritise tasks, visualise your workflow, limit Work in Progress (WIP), pulling items into the next column when there is capacity.
- To understand more about using Kanban, read our blog “Using Kanban for Agile Development Success”.
Work in Progress (WIP)
Scrum
- Scrum limits WIP to maintain focus within a sprint. Those with defined roles have set responsibilities and workload.
Kanban
- Kanban focuses on optimising WIP limits for each stage of the workflow.
Release cycle
Scrum
- Developments are normally released at the end of each sprint, although they can also be released as soon as they’re ready
Kanban
- Developments are released as soon as they are ready to promote continuous delivery.
When should you use Scrum?
If you’re looking for a framework that provides you with well-defined requirements and a clear vision, then Scrum is the one for you. It’ll provide you with structure and a set release schedule.
At Koderly, we used Scrum to build a new integration between a customer’s internal system and our travel reservation platform, Extrali.
When should you use Kanban?
If you’re looking for a framework that allows you to be more flexible and adaptable, then you may be more inclined to use Kanban. It’s better suited to projects with evolving requirements or ongoing maintenance needs.
At Koderly, we used Kanban to work with a client and a third-party to develop database functionality which would allow the client to retrieve data for documentation.
Conclusion
Scrum and Kanban are both valuable approaches to agile development and offer various benefits. Ultimately, choosing between Scrum and Kanban depends on your project and team’s specific needs. Adapt your approach to find out what works best for your team and will deliver the most value for your project.
If you’re looking for a third-party to help you with your software project, read more about our software services, case studies, or contact us today.
