Agile vs. Scrum vs. Kanban - A Simple Breakdown

Had I a dollar to every occasion I heard someone refer to Agile and Scrum as though they were identical, I would probably have sufficient funds to start my own company.

Buzz words are used everywhere in the technology industry. However, there is more than semantics to the distinction between Agile, Scrum, and Kanban, as it actually is essential to the way your team gets work done. Are they synonyms? Rivals? Let us take the mere air out of that.

1. Agile - The Philosophy (The "Umbrella")

To start with, it is important to cease conceptualizing Agile as a method. It isn't. Agile is a mindset. It is an Agile Manifesto philosophy that was developed in 2001. It has more flexibility, customer feedback, and iterative delivery as priorities, than strict planning.

Consider Agile as the type of Sports. You can't "play Sports." You must play a certain game under that category such as Football or tennis. Similarly, you don't "do Agile." Being Agile involves a certain framework.

2. Scrum - The Optimally Structured Framework.

In case Agile is the philosophy, Scrum is a set of rules to follow in order to implement it. It is the most popular software team framework. Scrum is hierarchical and inflexible. It divides work into block time (Sprints) which is normally 2 weeks.

• Roles are established - There is a Product Owner, a Scrum Master and the Team.
• Rituals are compulsory - You have Daily Standups, Sprint Planning and Retrospectives.
• The Objective - At the end of each single sprint deliver a working piece of software.
• Best When - Teams are entailed with structure, deadlines and require regular feedback loops.

3. Kanban - The Visual Flow

Kanban (Japanese - signboard) is not about time-boxes, but continuous flow. There are no sprints or predetermined 2-week timeframes, as it is unlike Scrum. The essence of Kanban is a visual board which has columns To Do, Doing and Done.

• Fix on Flow - This is to move the cards left to right in the most efficient way possible.
• WIP Limits - You strictly restrict Work In Progress. You can never begin another task without completing the one at hand.
• Best use - Support, maintenance, or projects whose priorities vary on a daily basis and sprints are too constraining.

The Verdict - Which is Better?

Posing scrum vs. Kanban is like posing fork vs. spoon. It is related to what one is consuming. Apply Scrum when developing a new product and having a dedicated team and in need of regular shipping schedules. Kanban should be used in cases where what counts is flexibility such as when dealing with incoming requests (such as IT support or bug fixes). Both are "Agile." The trick is to select the one that is applicable to your rhythm in the team.