Agile methods are still in vogue. We’ll tell you what makes Scrum different from Kanban. Project-related work is steadily increasing in all countries and industries – a trend that has been observed for a long time. The aim is to promote the efficiency and targeted action of employees. As a result of this change, the different approaches in project management are becoming more critical. Today, classic methods are widespread, but there are also new approaches, including agile project management. Incidentally, the latter is not only applicable in software development projects, even if it originally comes from this area. Agile project control can be transferred to any project that has a certain degree of complexity.
The speed of change and the diversity of digital commerce lead to an increasing gap between business and. Not only the software development business is exposed to an ever faster-changing market environment, but the business is also confronted with the following requirements:
• Faster changes in companies and the resulting shortened product cycles and time-to-market duration.
• Personalization of products and services such as lot size one and new consumer habits.
• Inevitable technology integration, disruptive and dynamic changes in technological capabilities (skill shift).
• Diverse digital business opportunities based on technologies such as AI and IoT, as well as improved products and services through analytics.
The more uncertain the sector in which a project is carried out, the more difficult it is to plan or stick to such a plan. However, this is one of the main strengths of agile project management. To successfully manage projects in this complex world, which is more than ever characterized by uncertainties and risks, knowledge of agile is essential for project management, and lean management is required. The challenge here is increasing complexity.
Planning does not become superfluous – on the contrary: it is essential. With complex projects, however, it is not possible to act with a big plan. Achieving the project objective requires more frequent and segmented planning, such as a three-week sprint plan. It is not enough for project managers to start the project with an extensive planning phase at the beginning of the project and stick to a program that cannot be fulfilled. It is not necessary to formulate comprehensive requirement documents, specifications as well as requirement and functional specifications.
Agile project management is the answer to complexity. To be elegant means to be able to react to changes. Agile project management increases the performance of projects. It enables fast and efficient implementation (faster delivery of a product), innovation transfer, and scalability improvement (reaction to changed requirements and project orientation).
Two of the most common agile project management methods are Scrum and Kanban. Both support the principles and values of the agile manifesto. And both methods aim to capture complex challenges with a clear view of the scope, quality, and timing of a project and address them effectively and humanely by being flexible in reacting to changes and having greater control than other methods.
However, these principles and those not reflected in use, the methods alone do not guarantee the success of an agile approach. This is the most significant misunderstanding when using tools for agile product development. Only discipline, communication, and high motivation can remove obstacles, avoid waste, and lead a project to success. It is the individual project members who fill the framework and design the processes. Agile methods are easy to understand but challenging to master because they are based on components that work together, especially the people who work together on a project.
No dedicated role is defined in Kanban, but experience shows that implementing an agile method without the use of an agile trainer often leads to a dilution and does not lead to the desired success.
The product owner is responsible for the product in Scrum. Kanban does not stipulate who takes over the definition and prioritization of the requirements.
The main difference between the two methods is that Scrum focuses on iterative product development and Kanban on continuous process improvement. With Scrum, it is, therefore, possible to develop the product desired by the customer. With Kanban, the focus in the project is on short lead times and the avoidance of waste. Kanban focuses on uncovering the weak points and bottlenecks in the process. While Scrum works towards a self-contained product increment per sprint and is expanded and improved iteration by iteration, Kanban strives to optimize the process flow.
| Framework specification | Scrum | Kanban |
| Servant leadership | Scrum Master | Required roles, initially no parts prescribed |
| Product responsibility | Product Owner | Existing roles are taken over |
| Teams | 3-9 people (“2-pizza rule”), cross-functional, collaborative | no requirements for team size, cross-functional or specialized, pull mechanism |
| Framework specification | Scrum | Kanban |
| Timebox | Daily in the “daily standup meeting.” | No specifications |
| Exchange | Team retro perspective after every sprint | No specifications (not too long intervals) |
| Steering (customer & stakeholder) | Review meeting after each sprint | No specifications |
| Team forecast | Before every sprint in the team’s sprint planning | No requirements (replenishment meetings must take place regularly) |
| Framework specification | Scrum | Kanban |
| Requirements list | Product backlog | Backlog (kept onboard) |
| Delivery cycle | sprint | Determined by the processing time of the ticket |
| Board | Sprint backlog; a scrum board is optional and is re-equipped with work packages for each sprint | Kanban board (permanent: will only be deleted when the product/project is terminated) |
| Delivery | Potentially Shippable Product Increment | Processed tickets (work packages) |
| Metrics | Velocity | Lead time, cycle time, WIP |
Due to the core principle of continuous improvement, Kanban is suitable as a method in a controllable software process. Kanban is often used in support or maintenance teams, where the tasks to be solved are complicated but usually not complex (such as software rollouts or maintenance work). Kanban focuses on process efficiency and productivity gains.
Scrum, on the other hand, focuses on complex software development. Scrum can develop its strengths to the full when used in an environment in which a new complex software product or service is to be developed. Scrum is often used in research and development, where an empirical approach is on the agenda. Using Scrum in interdisciplinary teams with short feedback cycles allows the right product to be developed with a manageable effort.