business-synergies

Business Synergies

Business synergies are important drivers of value in mergers and acquisitions. They are based on the notion that the two companies when combined are worth more than they are when valued separately.

AspectExplanation
Concept OverviewBusiness Synergies refer to the additional value or benefits that are achieved when two or more businesses or components of a business combine their efforts, resources, or operations. These synergies often result in outcomes that are greater than the sum of their individual parts, leading to increased efficiency, competitiveness, and profitability. Business synergies can occur in various forms and are a common objective in mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, and strategic partnerships.
Types of Business Synergies– There are several types of business synergies: 1. Cost Synergy: Achieved by reducing redundant costs or streamlining operations when businesses merge. It often involves eliminating duplicate functions, facilities, or staff. 2. Revenue Synergy: Generated by cross-selling or upselling products or services from one business to the customer base of another. It can lead to increased sales and revenue. 3. Financial Synergy: Occurs when the combined financial strength of two businesses allows for better borrowing terms, lower interest rates, or improved credit ratings. 4. Strategic Synergy: Arises from combining complementary strengths, capabilities, or market positions to achieve strategic objectives that neither business could achieve alone. 5. Operational Synergy: Involves optimizing processes and operations to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance productivity.
Examples– Business synergies can be found in various industries and scenarios: 1. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A): When two companies merge, they may achieve cost synergies by consolidating administrative functions. 2. Cross-Marketing: In joint marketing campaigns, two companies may achieve revenue synergies by tapping into each other’s customer base. 3. Supply Chain Collaboration: Companies collaborating in the supply chain can achieve operational synergies by optimizing inventory management and transportation logistics. 4. Strategic Alliances: Businesses forming strategic alliances can leverage each other’s expertise to enter new markets or develop innovative products. 5. Technology Partnerships: Collaborations between tech companies can result in operational and strategic synergies, such as faster product development or expanded market reach.
Benefits of Business Synergies– Business synergies offer several advantages: 1. Cost Savings: Cost synergies can lead to reduced expenses, improved profitability, and increased competitiveness. 2. Revenue Growth: Revenue synergies can drive increased sales and market share. 3. Enhanced Competitive Position: Combining strengths can lead to a stronger competitive position in the industry. 4. Innovation: Synergies can stimulate innovation through the exchange of ideas and capabilities. 5. Risk Mitigation: Diversification achieved through synergies can reduce business risks.
Challenges and Risks– Achieving business synergies can be challenging and comes with potential risks: 1. Integration Challenges: Merging different organizational cultures, processes, and systems can be complex. 2. Overestimation: Synergies may be overestimated during the planning phase, leading to disappointment. 3. Resistance to Change: Employees may resist changes associated with achieving synergies. 4. Legal and Regulatory Issues: Compliance with antitrust laws and other regulations can be a hurdle. 5. Execution Risk: Successfully realizing synergies requires effective execution and management.
Measurement and Evaluation– Measuring the success of business synergies often involves comparing key performance indicators (KPIs) before and after the synergy implementation. It may also require ongoing monitoring to ensure that the benefits are sustained over time.

Understanding business synergies

The term “synergy” has become somewhat of a buzzword in business in recent years, but it can also be used very specifically to describe any factor that increases the value of the resultant company in a merger or acquisition.

Consider this basic example. Two companies, Company A and Company B, have decided to merge.

Before the merger, Company A was worth $250 million and Company B was worth $75 million. Once the merge has been completed, the new company was valued at $400 million and as a result, a synergy of $75 million was created.

Exactly how and where this extra value is created is explained later in this article.

For the buyer in a merger or acquisition, the presence of synergies determines how much they can afford to pay for the other company.

In the above example, it is incumbent on Company A to determine how much extra value can be attributed to Company B when deciding on a purchase price and whether it makes economic sense to move ahead.

Conversely, for the seller, it is important to understand the synergies the buyer is looking to extract and profit from.

Company B could negotiate a higher purchase price than $75 million if it was able to successfully prove the extra value it would bring to Company A.

Three types of business synergies

Let’s now take a look at the three broad types of business synergies.

Revenue synergies

Revenue synergies occur when the two companies in question can sell more products or services than they otherwise could separately. 

When Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012, it did so with the belief that combining the two platforms would create significant revenue synergies.

For example, the integration of Instagram’s photo-sharing features into Facebook would boost user engagement there and increase advertising revenue.

Cost synergies

Cost synergies present a way for the merged company to reduce costs. This can occur in several different ways:

  • Reducing employee headcount because of duplication of roles and responsibilities.
  • Reducing rent via the consolidation of offices.
  • Any cost that is reduced by the exchange of industry best practices.
  • Consolidation of suppliers and/or the ability to negotiate more attractive contracts due to economies of scale or increased purchasing power.
  • Capital cost reduction via more efficient use of transportation or manufacturing facilities.

When Australian broadcaster Nine Entertainment Co. merged with Fairfax in 2018, the former identified $65 million in cost savings that would be realized from synergies in IT, media sales, and corporate overhead.

Financial synergies

Financial synergies relate to the cost of capital. In other words, the costs the company needs to meet to finance its operations.

Smaller companies that borrow money to fund their business activities usually attract a higher interest rate to compensate for the extra risk to the lender.

When the smaller company merges with a larger company, however, the interest rate should reduce to reflect the larger company’s stronger balance sheet or cash flow.

Synergies are thus created when the merged company can make lower repayments on the loan.

Not all synergies benefit from mergers and acquisitions

There are two types of synergies that do not benefit from mergers and acquisitions. 

The two synergy types whose benefits are better realized from a strategic alliance are:

Sequential synergies

Where one company completes some of the task and passes it along to another company.

For example, a big pharma company may purchase the marketing and distribution rights from a smaller drug manufacturer in return for a share of the profits.

Modular synergies

Where two companies pool their resources, manage their resources separately, and pool the results.

Commercial airlines and hotel chains often enter into this form of strategic alliance where frequent flyer and other loyalty points are shared.

Key takeaways

  • Business synergies are important drivers of value in mergers and acquisitions. They are based on the notion that the two companies when combined are worth more than they are when valued separately.
  • The three broad types of business synergies are revenue synergies, cost synergies, and financial synergies. They may appear to be similar at first glance but each has different and specific applications.
  • Not all business synergies will benefit from mergers and acquisitions. The benefits of modular and sequential synergies are better realized with a strategic alliance.

Key Highlights:

  • Business Synergies in Mergers and Acquisitions:
    • Business synergies refer to factors that increase the value of a merged or acquired company compared to their separate values.
    • The presence of synergies determines how much a buyer can pay for the other company, while sellers must understand the synergies the buyer aims to extract.
  • Types of Business Synergies:
    • Revenue Synergies: Occur when merged companies can sell more products or services together. For example, Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram aimed to boost user engagement and advertising revenue.
    • Cost Synergies: Involve cost reduction through factors like employee headcount reduction, office consolidation, and industry best practices sharing. Nine Entertainment and Fairfax merger resulted in $65 million cost savings from IT, media sales, and corporate overhead.
    • Financial Synergies: Relate to reducing the cost of capital after merging, leading to lower interest rates and repayment costs. This is particularly relevant when a larger company with a stronger balance sheet merges with a smaller one.
  • Synergies Not Benefitting from M&A:
    • Sequential Synergies: Involve one company completing tasks and passing them along to another company, benefiting more from a strategic alliance.
    • Modular Synergies: Occur when two companies pool resources, manage them separately, and share results, which is better realized through strategic alliances.

Case Studies

Company ACompany BBusiness Synergies IdentifiedDescriptionAnalysisImplications
Tech StartupSoftware CompanyProduct IntegrationBoth companies develop software products. Integrating their products could offer a more comprehensive solution.Identify common customer needs and product compatibility. Collaborate on integration projects.Enhance product offerings. Reach a wider customer base.
RetailerE-commerce SiteOnline Sales ChannelThe retailer can expand its reach by selling products through the e-commerce site.Assess the e-commerce site’s user base and product alignment. Develop a sales strategy.Increase sales revenue through the online channel.
Manufacturing Co.Logistics ProviderCost ReductionPartnering with a logistics provider can lead to cost savings in transportation and distribution.Analyze current logistics costs and identify areas for improvement. Negotiate favorable terms.Reduce operational expenses. Improve supply chain efficiency.
Healthcare SystemHealth Tech StartupPatient Data SharingSharing patient data securely can improve healthcare outcomes and enable data-driven solutions.Ensure data privacy and security compliance. Develop data sharing protocols.Enhance patient care and explore new healthcare technologies.
Restaurant ChainFood Delivery AppDelivery ServicesPartnering with the food delivery app can expand the restaurant chain’s delivery options.Evaluate delivery demand and assess app delivery capabilities. Sign a partnership agreement.Attract more customers through convenient delivery options.
Energy CompanyRenewable StartupRenewable Energy IntegrationThe energy company can invest in and integrate renewable energy solutions into its infrastructure.Assess renewable technology viability and long-term cost benefits. Develop a renewable energy plan.Transition to cleaner energy sources and reduce carbon footprint.

Related Frameworks, Models, or ConceptsDescriptionWhen to Apply
Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)– M&A involves the consolidation of companies through various transactions, such as mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances. – Business synergies are often a key driver behind M&A activities, as companies seek to leverage complementary resources, capabilities, and market positions to create value greater than the sum of the individual parts. – Synergies can arise from cost savings, revenue enhancements, economies of scale, market expansion, and cross-selling opportunities, among others.Strategic Planning: Evaluate potential synergies when considering M&A opportunities to assess the strategic fit and potential value creation. – Due Diligence: Conduct thorough due diligence to identify and quantify synergies, risks, and integration challenges before completing M&A transactions. – Integration Planning: Develop integration plans and synergy capture strategies to realize anticipated synergies post-transaction and maximize shareholder value.
Strategic Partnerships and Alliances– Strategic partnerships and alliances involve collaborations between companies to achieve mutual strategic objectives, such as market expansion, innovation, or risk sharing. – Business synergies can result from combining complementary resources, expertise, or networks to create value and competitive advantage for both parties. – Partnerships may involve joint ventures, licensing agreements, co-marketing efforts, or technology sharing arrangements, depending on the nature of the collaboration and the desired outcomes.Strategic Alignment: Identify potential partners whose strengths and capabilities complement your own strategic objectives and areas of focus. – Negotiation: Negotiate partnership agreements that outline clear objectives, roles, responsibilities, and governance structures to ensure alignment and maximize synergies. – Collaborative Innovation: Foster a culture of collaboration and innovation within partnerships to leverage collective expertise and resources for mutual benefit and value creation.
Supply Chain Integration– Supply chain integration involves aligning and coordinating activities across the entire supply chain, from raw material suppliers to end customers, to optimize efficiency, responsiveness, and value delivery. – Business synergies can arise from integrating supply chain operations, such as inventory management, production planning, distribution, and logistics, to reduce costs, lead times, and supply chain risks while enhancing customer satisfaction and competitiveness. – Integration efforts may involve technology adoption, process standardization, supplier collaboration, and performance measurement to enable seamless coordination and visibility across the supply chain network.Supply Chain Optimization: Identify opportunities for supply chain integration to streamline operations, reduce redundancies, and improve overall supply chain performance and responsiveness. – Supplier Collaboration: Collaborate with key suppliers and partners to align processes, share information, and coordinate activities for mutual benefit and value creation. – Technology Investment: Invest in supply chain technologies and systems to enable real-time visibility, data sharing, and process automation across the supply chain ecosystem, facilitating integration and synergy realization.
Product and Service Bundling– Product and service bundling involves combining multiple offerings into a single package or solution to create value for customers and increase sales and profitability. – Business synergies can result from bundling complementary products or services to enhance customer convenience, satisfaction, and perceived value, while also increasing cross-selling and upselling opportunities. – Bundling strategies may involve pricing incentives, packaging configurations, and promotional campaigns to encourage adoption and maximize synergies across bundled offerings.Market Analysis: Analyze customer needs, preferences, and buying behaviors to identify opportunities for product and service bundling that align with market demand and competitive dynamics. – Offer Design: Design bundled offerings that provide clear value propositions, address customer pain points, and encourage uptake through compelling pricing and packaging strategies. – Sales and Marketing: Implement sales and marketing strategies to promote bundled offerings, communicate value propositions, and capitalize on cross-selling and upselling opportunities to drive revenue and profit growth.
Cross-Functional Collaboration– Cross-functional collaboration involves breaking down silos and fostering collaboration and communication across different functions, departments, or business units within an organization. – Business synergies can arise from integrating diverse perspectives, expertise, and resources to solve complex problems, drive innovation, and achieve common goals more effectively and efficiently. – Collaboration efforts may involve cross-functional teams, task forces, or project groups working together to address strategic initiatives, process improvements, or customer-centric projects that require interdisciplinary expertise and collaboration.Team Building: Foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork within the organization to encourage cross-functional collaboration and synergy realization. – Communication: Establish clear channels of communication and information sharing across functions to facilitate collaboration and alignment on shared objectives and priorities. – Project Management: Implement cross-functional project teams or task forces to tackle strategic initiatives or process improvements that require interdisciplinary collaboration and expertise to drive successful outcomes and synergy realization.
Knowledge Sharing and Learning– Knowledge sharing and learning involve sharing expertise, insights, and best practices across individuals, teams, and organizational units to facilitate learning, innovation, and continuous improvement. – Business synergies can emerge from leveraging collective knowledge and experiences to solve problems, make informed decisions, and drive organizational growth and competitiveness. – Knowledge-sharing initiatives may include training programs, communities of practice, mentoring relationships, and knowledge management systems to facilitate information exchange and collaboration among employees.Learning Culture: Promote a culture of learning and knowledge sharing within the organization to encourage collaboration and synergy realization across teams and departments. – Training and Development: Invest in training and development programs that equip employees with the skills and knowledge needed to contribute to cross-functional collaboration and synergy creation. – Knowledge Management: Implement knowledge management systems and platforms to capture, share, and leverage organizational knowledge and best practices to facilitate collaboration, innovation, and synergy realization across the organization.
Strategic Resource Allocation– Strategic resource allocation involves allocating resources, such as capital, human capital, technology, and infrastructure, in alignment with organizational priorities and strategic objectives. – Business synergies can result from optimizing resource allocation decisions to maximize value creation, minimize risks, and leverage economies of scale and scope across different business units, projects, or initiatives. – Resource allocation efforts may include portfolio management, investment prioritization, and performance measurement to ensure effective utilization and alignment of resources with strategic goals and market opportunities.Resource Planning: Align resource allocation decisions with organizational priorities, strategic objectives, and market opportunities to maximize synergies and value creation across the business portfolio. – Portfolio Management: Implement portfolio management processes to prioritize investments, allocate resources, and optimize value delivery across different business units, projects, or initiatives to realize synergies and strategic objectives. – Performance Monitoring: Monitor and evaluate resource allocation decisions and outcomes to assess their impact on synergy realization, business performance, and value creation, and adjust strategies and priorities as needed to optimize results.
Strategic Planning and Execution– Strategic planning and execution involve defining organizational vision, mission, goals, and strategies, and executing initiatives to achieve desired outcomes and competitive advantage. – Business synergies can arise from aligning strategic objectives, initiatives, and resources across the organization to focus efforts on value creation, innovation, and sustainable growth. – Strategic planning efforts may include environmental scanning, scenario analysis, goal setting, and performance measurement to inform decision-making and drive strategic execution and synergy realization.Strategic Alignment: Ensure alignment of strategic plans, goals, and initiatives with organizational priorities, market dynamics, and customer needs to maximize synergy realization and value creation. – Execution Excellence: Implement effective execution mechanisms and performance management systems to translate strategic plans into actionable initiatives and drive results and synergy realization across the organization. – Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of continuous improvement and adaptation to refine strategic plans, execution approaches, and resource allocation decisions in response to changing market conditions and business priorities to sustain synergy creation and organizational success.

Connected Agile Frameworks

AIOps

aiops
AIOps is the application of artificial intelligence to IT operations. It has become particularly useful for modern IT management in hybridized, distributed, and dynamic environments. AIOps has become a key operational component of modern digital-based organizations, built around software and algorithms.

AgileSHIFT

AgileSHIFT
AgileSHIFT is a framework that prepares individuals for transformational change by creating a culture of agility.

Agile Methodology

agile-methodology
Agile started as a lightweight development method compared to heavyweight software development, which is the core paradigm of the previous decades of software development. By 2001 the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was born as a set of principles that defined the new paradigm for software development as a continuous iteration. This would also influence the way of doing business.

Agile Program Management

agile-program-management
Agile Program Management is a means of managing, planning, and coordinating interrelated work in such a way that value delivery is emphasized for all key stakeholders. Agile Program Management (AgilePgM) is a disciplined yet flexible agile approach to managing transformational change within an organization.

Agile Project Management

agile-project-management
Agile project management (APM) is a strategy that breaks large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. In the APM methodology, each project is completed in small sections – often referred to as iterations. Each iteration is completed according to its project life cycle, beginning with the initial design and progressing to testing and then quality assurance.

Agile Modeling

agile-modeling
Agile Modeling (AM) is a methodology for modeling and documenting software-based systems. Agile Modeling is critical to the rapid and continuous delivery of software. It is a collection of values, principles, and practices that guide effective, lightweight software modeling.

Agile Business Analysis

agile-business-analysis
Agile Business Analysis (AgileBA) is certification in the form of guidance and training for business analysts seeking to work in agile environments. To support this shift, AgileBA also helps the business analyst relate Agile projects to a wider organizational mission or strategy. To ensure that analysts have the necessary skills and expertise, AgileBA certification was developed.

Agile Leadership

agile-leadership
Agile leadership is the embodiment of agile manifesto principles by a manager or management team. Agile leadership impacts two important levels of a business. The structural level defines the roles, responsibilities, and key performance indicators. The behavioral level describes the actions leaders exhibit to others based on agile principles. 

Bimodal Portfolio Management

bimodal-portfolio-management
Bimodal Portfolio Management (BimodalPfM) helps an organization manage both agile and traditional portfolios concurrently. Bimodal Portfolio Management – sometimes referred to as bimodal development – was coined by research and advisory company Gartner. The firm argued that many agile organizations still needed to run some aspects of their operations using traditional delivery models.

Business Innovation Matrix

business-innovation
Business innovation is about creating new opportunities for an organization to reinvent its core offerings, revenue streams, and enhance the value proposition for existing or new customers, thus renewing its whole business model. Business innovation springs by understanding the structure of the market, thus adapting or anticipating those changes.

Business Model Innovation

business-model-innovation
Business model innovation is about increasing the success of an organization with existing products and technologies by crafting a compelling value proposition able to propel a new business model to scale up customers and create a lasting competitive advantage. And it all starts by mastering the key customers.

Constructive Disruption

constructive-disruption
A consumer brand company like Procter & Gamble (P&G) defines “Constructive Disruption” as: a willingness to change, adapt, and create new trends and technologies that will shape our industry for the future. According to P&G, it moves around four pillars: lean innovation, brand building, supply chain, and digitalization & data analytics.

Continuous Innovation

continuous-innovation
That is a process that requires a continuous feedback loop to develop a valuable product and build a viable business model. Continuous innovation is a mindset where products and services are designed and delivered to tune them around the customers’ problem and not the technical solution of its founders.

Design Sprint

design-sprint
A design sprint is a proven five-day process where critical business questions are answered through speedy design and prototyping, focusing on the end-user. A design sprint starts with a weekly challenge that should finish with a prototype, test at the end, and therefore a lesson learned to be iterated.

Design Thinking

design-thinking
Tim Brown, Executive Chair of IDEO, defined design thinking as “a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.” Therefore, desirability, feasibility, and viability are balanced to solve critical problems.

DevOps

devops-engineering
DevOps refers to a series of practices performed to perform automated software development processes. It is a conjugation of the term “development” and “operations” to emphasize how functions integrate across IT teams. DevOps strategies promote seamless building, testing, and deployment of products. It aims to bridge a gap between development and operations teams to streamline the development altogether.

Dual Track Agile

dual-track-agile
Product discovery is a critical part of agile methodologies, as its aim is to ensure that products customers love are built. Product discovery involves learning through a raft of methods, including design thinking, lean start-up, and A/B testing to name a few. Dual Track Agile is an agile methodology containing two separate tracks: the “discovery” track and the “delivery” track.

Feature-Driven Development

feature-driven-development
Feature-Driven Development is a pragmatic software process that is client and architecture-centric. Feature-Driven Development (FDD) is an agile software development model that organizes workflow according to which features need to be developed next.

eXtreme Programming

extreme-programming
eXtreme Programming was developed in the late 1990s by Ken Beck, Ron Jeffries, and Ward Cunningham. During this time, the trio was working on the Chrysler Comprehensive Compensation System (C3) to help manage the company payroll system. eXtreme Programming (XP) is a software development methodology. It is designed to improve software quality and the ability of software to adapt to changing customer needs.

ICE Scoring

ice-scoring-model
The ICE Scoring Model is an agile methodology that prioritizes features using data according to three components: impact, confidence, and ease of implementation. The ICE Scoring Model was initially created by author and growth expert Sean Ellis to help companies expand. Today, the model is broadly used to prioritize projects, features, initiatives, and rollouts. It is ideally suited for early-stage product development where there is a continuous flow of ideas and momentum must be maintained.

Innovation Funnel

innovation-funnel
An innovation funnel is a tool or process ensuring only the best ideas are executed. In a metaphorical sense, the funnel screens innovative ideas for viability so that only the best products, processes, or business models are launched to the market. An innovation funnel provides a framework for the screening and testing of innovative ideas for viability.

Innovation Matrix

types-of-innovation
According to how well defined is the problem and how well defined the domain, we have four main types of innovations: basic research (problem and domain or not well defined); breakthrough innovation (domain is not well defined, the problem is well defined); sustaining innovation (both problem and domain are well defined); and disruptive innovation (domain is well defined, the problem is not well defined).

Innovation Theory

innovation-theory
The innovation loop is a methodology/framework derived from the Bell Labs, which produced innovation at scale throughout the 20th century. They learned how to leverage a hybrid innovation management model based on science, invention, engineering, and manufacturing at scale. By leveraging individual genius, creativity, and small/large groups.

Lean vs. Agile

lean-methodology-vs-agile
The Agile methodology has been primarily thought of for software development (and other business disciplines have also adopted it). Lean thinking is a process improvement technique where teams prioritize the value streams to improve it continuously. Both methodologies look at the customer as the key driver to improvement and waste reduction. Both methodologies look at improvement as something continuous.

Lean Startup

startup-company
A startup company is a high-tech business that tries to build a scalable business model in tech-driven industries. A startup company usually follows a lean methodology, where continuous innovation, driven by built-in viral loops is the rule. Thus, driving growth and building network effects as a consequence of this strategy.

Kanban

kanban
Kanban is a lean manufacturing framework first developed by Toyota in the late 1940s. The Kanban framework is a means of visualizing work as it moves through identifying potential bottlenecks. It does that through a process called just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing to optimize engineering processes, speed up manufacturing products, and improve the go-to-market strategy.

Rapid Application Development

rapid-application-development
RAD was first introduced by author and consultant James Martin in 1991. Martin recognized and then took advantage of the endless malleability of software in designing development models. Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a methodology focusing on delivering rapidly through continuous feedback and frequent iterations.

Scaled Agile

scaled-agile-lean-development
Scaled Agile Lean Development (ScALeD) helps businesses discover a balanced approach to agile transition and scaling questions. The ScALed approach helps businesses successfully respond to change. Inspired by a combination of lean and agile values, ScALed is practitioner-based and can be completed through various agile frameworks and practices.

Spotify Model

spotify-model
The Spotify Model is an autonomous approach to scaling agile, focusing on culture communication, accountability, and quality. The Spotify model was first recognized in 2012 after Henrik Kniberg, and Anders Ivarsson released a white paper detailing how streaming company Spotify approached agility. Therefore, the Spotify model represents an evolution of agile.

Test-Driven Development

test-driven-development
As the name suggests, TDD is a test-driven technique for delivering high-quality software rapidly and sustainably. It is an iterative approach based on the idea that a failing test should be written before any code for a feature or function is written. Test-Driven Development (TDD) is an approach to software development that relies on very short development cycles.

Timeboxing

timeboxing
Timeboxing is a simple yet powerful time-management technique for improving productivity. Timeboxing describes the process of proactively scheduling a block of time to spend on a task in the future. It was first described by author James Martin in a book about agile software development.

Scrum

what-is-scrum
Scrum is a methodology co-created by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland for effective team collaboration on complex products. Scrum was primarily thought for software development projects to deliver new software capability every 2-4 weeks. It is a sub-group of agile also used in project management to improve startups’ productivity.

Scrumban

scrumban
Scrumban is a project management framework that is a hybrid of two popular agile methodologies: Scrum and Kanban. Scrumban is a popular approach to helping businesses focus on the right strategic tasks while simultaneously strengthening their processes.

Scrum Anti-Patterns

scrum-anti-patterns
Scrum anti-patterns describe any attractive, easy-to-implement solution that ultimately makes a problem worse. Therefore, these are the practice not to follow to prevent issues from emerging. Some classic examples of scrum anti-patterns comprise absent product owners, pre-assigned tickets (making individuals work in isolation), and discounting retrospectives (where review meetings are not useful to really make improvements).

Scrum At Scale

scrum-at-scale
Scrum at Scale (Scrum@Scale) is a framework that Scrum teams use to address complex problems and deliver high-value products. Scrum at Scale was created through a joint venture between the Scrum Alliance and Scrum Inc. The joint venture was overseen by Jeff Sutherland, a co-creator of Scrum and one of the principal authors of the Agile Manifesto.

Stretch Objectives

stretch-objectives
Stretch objectives describe any task an agile team plans to complete without expressly committing to do so. Teams incorporate stretch objectives during a Sprint or Program Increment (PI) as part of Scaled Agile. They are used when the agile team is unsure of its capacity to attain an objective. Therefore, stretch objectives are instead outcomes that, while extremely desirable, are not the difference between the success or failure of each sprint.

Waterfall

waterfall-model
The waterfall model was first described by Herbert D. Benington in 1956 during a presentation about the software used in radar imaging during the Cold War. Since there were no knowledge-based, creative software development strategies at the time, the waterfall method became standard practice. The waterfall model is a linear and sequential project management framework. 

Read Also: Continuous InnovationAgile MethodologyLean StartupBusiness Model InnovationProject Management.

Read Next: Agile Methodology, Lean Methodology, Agile Project Management, Scrum, Kanban, Six Sigma.

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