Scrum vs Kanban | Difference Between Scrum And Kanban | Agile Methodology | Simplilearn

Summary

This live session delves into the comparison between Scrum and Kanban, two popular Agile project management frameworks. It explains the fundamentals of Scrum, including sprints, product backlogs, and roles, and highlights its adaptability for complex projects. Kanban, on the other hand, is presented as a visual system that focuses on transparency and continuous delivery. The session outlines their similarities, differences in cadence, release methods, team structure, and metrics. Viewers are guided on how to choose the right framework based on project needs, with examples of companies using each. The video encourages interaction and offers practical insights.

Takeaways

• 👋 Scrum and Kanban are both agile project management frameworks used to manage work and handle complex projects.
• 📊 Scrum focuses on helping teams collaborate, handle unpredictability, and manage tasks using a structured framework, including the product backlog, sprints, and meetings.
• 🔄 Scrum teams work in time-boxed iterations called sprints, typically lasting 2-4 weeks, and include roles like product owner, scrum master, and the development team.
• 📅 Kanban is a visual system that uses a board to track tasks in various stages (to-do, in-progress, done), emphasizing continuous delivery and transparency.
• 📜 In Kanban, tasks are represented by cards on a board, and teams focus on reducing the amount of work in progress, limiting bottlenecks and blockers.
• 💡 Both Scrum and Kanban aim to reduce waste, enhance transparency, and focus on incremental product delivery, with shared principles of lean and agile methodologies.
• 📈 Scrum uses velocity as a key metric for planning and process improvement, while Kanban uses lead time to measure task completion efficiency.
• ⏳ Scrum teams work with cross-functional teams, while Kanban teams can be specialized but cross-functional teams are optional.
• 🔄 Changes can only be made in Scrum after a sprint is complete, whereas Kanban allows for changes to be made at any time during the workflow.
• 🏢 Popular companies using Scrum include Facebook, General Electric, and Adobe, while Siemens, BBC, and SAP have implemented Kanban.

Q & A

What is Scrum and what does it aim to achieve?

Scrum is an agile project management framework that helps teams collaborate and handle complex projects while delivering high-value products. It aims to improve team collaboration, manage unpredictability, and ensure continuous learning from experiences.

How does the Scrum framework work in practice?

Scrum operates through a series of components including a product backlog, sprint planning, sprint backlog, daily scrum meetings, sprint review, sprint retrospective, and increment. Teams work in short, time-boxed iterations called sprints (2-4 weeks) to complete tasks from the product backlog and continuously review and improve.

What are the main roles in a Scrum team?

Scrum has three major roles: the product owner (who manages the product backlog and prioritizes tasks), the Scrum master (who ensures the Scrum process is followed), and the Scrum team (a cross-functional group responsible for executing tasks).

What is Kanban and how is it used in project management?

Kanban is an agile framework that uses a visual system (Kanban board) to manage work as it progresses. It allows teams to visualize tasks, limit work-in-progress, and focus on continuous improvement, making it easier to spot bottlenecks and optimize workflow.

What are the key components of a Kanban board?

A Kanban board consists of three main columns: 'To-do' (tasks that need to be completed), 'In progress' (tasks currently being worked on), and 'Completed' (finished tasks). It can be a physical board with sticky notes or a digital board, such as in tools like Trello.

How are Scrum and Kanban similar?

Both Scrum and Kanban share agile principles, such as reducing waste, transparency, incremental delivery, and pull scheduling. They both aim to reduce work-in-progress and promote process improvement through smaller, manageable units of work.

What is the main difference between Scrum and Kanban regarding cadence?

In Scrum, work is divided into time-constrained iterations called sprints, while Kanban is event-driven with a continuous flow. Scrum follows fixed sprints (2-4 weeks), whereas Kanban allows for continuous delivery as tasks are completed.

How do Scrum and Kanban handle changes during a project?

In Scrum, no changes can be made during an active sprint; changes are addressed after the sprint in the next planning phase. In contrast, Kanban allows changes to be made at any time as long as there is capacity in the workflow.

What are the key metrics for measuring progress in Scrum and Kanban?

In Scrum, velocity (the amount of work completed in a sprint) is the key metric for planning and improvement. In Kanban, lead time (the time between a task entering the workflow and its completion) is the primary metric.

Which types of projects are best suited for Scrum and Kanban?

Scrum is better suited for longer projects requiring cross-functional teams and structured roles, while Kanban works well for shorter projects where flexibility and continuous delivery are more important. Teams can choose based on project length, team structure, and need for adaptability.