Kanban, Scrum, and Agile are all methodologies developed by the Toyota Production System. Indeed, that has influenced lean methodologies, which developed into several frameworks like Kanban, Scrum, and Agile. Thus, those are the software development version of the lean manufacturing methodology.
| Aspect | Kanban | Scrum | Agile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methodology | Kanban is a visual management method that helps teams visualize, manage, and optimize their workflow. | Scrum is an Agile framework with specific roles, events, and artifacts. | Agile is a broad philosophy or approach to software development and project management that values flexibility and customer collaboration. |
| Origin | Kanban originated in Japan at Toyota and was adapted for knowledge work, including software development. | Scrum has roots in the Agile movement and is designed for software development. | Agile principles originated from the Agile Manifesto and are applied across various industries. |
| Roles | Kanban does not prescribe specific roles and allows teams to use existing roles or adapt as needed. | Scrum defines specific roles, including Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Development Team. | Agile does not define specific roles but emphasizes collaboration and cross-functional teams. |
| Work Structure | Kanban does not use fixed iterations and allows work to flow continuously. | Scrum organizes work into fixed-length iterations called “sprints,” usually 2-4 weeks long. | Agile allows for various work structures and is not limited to fixed iterations. |
| Work in Progress (WIP) | Kanban explicitly limits WIP by setting WIP limits on each stage of the workflow. | Scrum indirectly limits WIP through sprint planning and commitments. | Agile does not prescribe specific WIP limits but encourages teams to focus on completing work efficiently. |
| Artifacts | Kanban uses a Kanban board with cards representing work items and columns representing workflow stages. | Scrum includes specific artifacts like Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment. | Agile does not prescribe specific artifacts but encourages transparency and communication. |
| Planning | Kanban focuses on visualizing and managing the flow of work and does not require formal planning meetings. | Scrum has formal sprint planning meetings to determine what work will be done in the upcoming sprint. | Agile allows for various planning approaches, including adaptive planning based on customer feedback. |
| Changes | Kanban allows for flexibility and changes to priorities and work items at any time. | Scrum discourages changes to the sprint backlog during a sprint to maintain focus. | Agile encourages responding to change over following a plan, making it adaptable to changing requirements. |
| Delivery | Kanban focuses on continuous delivery, with work items moving through the workflow as soon as they are ready. | Scrum aims to deliver a potentially shippable product increment at the end of each sprint. | Agile emphasizes delivering working software frequently, with a preference for shorter release cycles. |
| Feedback | Kanban relies on visual cues and the WIP limit mechanism for feedback on workflow efficiency. | Scrum provides regular feedback through sprint reviews and retrospectives. | Agile values customer feedback and collaboration throughout the development process. |
| Change Management | Kanban is often used as a gradual change management approach, allowing teams to evolve their processes incrementally. | Scrum introduces significant changes to existing processes and roles, which can require a more significant change management effort. | Agile is adaptable and encourages organizations to embrace change as part of their culture. |
| Use Cases | Kanban is suitable for teams and projects that require flexibility, continuous delivery, and flow optimization. | Scrum is suitable for projects with clear product development goals and where structured iterations are beneficial. | Agile principles can be applied to various industries and projects that value customer collaboration and adaptability. |
Kanban
Scrum
Agile Methodology
Key Highlights
- Toyota Production System Influence: Kanban, Scrum, and Agile methodologies all originated from the Toyota Production System, which had a significant influence on lean methodologies. These methodologies are essentially adaptations of lean manufacturing principles for software development.
- Kanban:
- Origin: Developed by Toyota in the late 1940s as a lean manufacturing framework.
- Purpose: Visualizes work flow and identifies potential bottlenecks.
- Approach: Utilizes just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing principles to optimize engineering processes, accelerate manufacturing, and enhance the go-to-market strategy.
- Scrum:
- Origin: Co-created by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland.
- Focus: Facilitates effective team collaboration on complex product development, primarily intended for software projects.
- Iterative Approach: Aims to deliver new software capabilities every 2-4 weeks through iterative cycles.
- Applicability: Also used in project management to enhance productivity for startups.
- Agile Methodology:
- Evolution: Emerged as a response to heavyweight software development approaches dominant in earlier decades.
- Agile Manifesto: In 2001, the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was established. It outlined key principles for software development as a continuous iteration process.
- Paradigm Shift: Introduced a lighter, more flexible development method that prioritizes adaptability, collaboration, and responsiveness.
| Context | Kanban | Scrum | Agile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Development | Kanban is used to manage the development pipeline in a software development team. It focuses on visualizing the flow of tasks, such as bug fixes and feature requests, and optimizing their progress. | Scrum is applied to software development to organize the work into timeboxed sprints (e.g., 2-week sprints) with a clear backlog of prioritized user stories. The team conducts daily stand-up meetings and sprint reviews. | Agile principles guide the entire software development process. Teams frequently collaborate with stakeholders to adapt to changing requirements, and they use iterative cycles to deliver valuable software increments. |
| Manufacturing | Kanban is widely used in manufacturing processes to manage inventory levels and production flow. For example, a car assembly line can use Kanban cards to signal when more components are needed. | Scrum can be adapted for manufacturing to organize production tasks into sprint cycles. A factory may use Scrum to plan and execute specific production goals in fixed timeframes. | Agile principles can be applied in manufacturing by fostering cross-functional teams that work collaboratively to meet customer demand, respond to changes, and deliver high-quality products. |
| Marketing | Marketing teams can use Kanban boards to track and optimize their campaigns, content creation, and advertising efforts. Tasks move from “Ideation” to “Execution” columns as they progress. | Scrum can be employed in marketing for timeboxed campaign planning. A marketing team might have a “Sprint Backlog” with tasks like content creation and advertising initiatives for a two-week sprint. | Agile marketing emphasizes flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs. Marketers collaborate closely with customers to adjust strategies and campaigns based on real-time feedback and market dynamics. |
| Project Management | Kanban boards are useful for project management to visualize and manage tasks, deadlines, and project progress. For example, a project manager might use a Kanban board to track project milestones. | Scrum is often used in project management for software development projects. The project manager serves as the Scrum Master, and the team follows Scrum ceremonies like sprint planning and retrospectives. | Agile project management extends beyond software development. It focuses on adaptive planning, customer collaboration, and delivering incremental value to stakeholders, making it applicable to various project types. |
| Product Development | Product development teams can apply Kanban to manage the product development pipeline. They visualize user stories, features, and tasks and prioritize them based on customer needs. | Scrum is commonly used in product development to create and enhance products. Teams plan and execute sprints to add new features or improve existing ones, following the product backlog. | Agile principles in product development involve close collaboration with customers, early and frequent releases, and the ability to pivot based on market feedback and changing priorities. The entire organization embraces agility. |
| Customer Service | Customer service departments can use Kanban to manage customer inquiries and support requests. Each request is tracked on a Kanban board, moving from “Open” to “In Progress” to “Resolved” stages. | Scrum can be employed in customer service to manage service level agreements (SLAs) and support requests. Teams set sprint goals to resolve a specific number of customer inquiries within the sprint timeframe. | Agile customer service aims to provide excellent customer experiences through responsive and adaptive service. It involves cross-functional teams that collaborate to address customer needs, resolve issues, and continuously improve service quality. |
| Related Frameworks, Models, or Concepts | Description | When to Apply |
|---|---|---|
| Kanban | – Kanban is a visual management method used to optimize workflow processes. Originating from Toyota’s manufacturing system, Kanban involves visualizing work items on a board, limiting work in progress (WIP), and continuously improving flow efficiency. Kanban promotes incremental, evolutionary change by focusing on transparency, flexibility, and customer satisfaction. | – When managing workflow processes in manufacturing, software development, project management, or service delivery. – Applicable in industries seeking to improve efficiency, productivity, and responsiveness to customer needs through visual management and continuous improvement practices. |
| Scrum | – Scrum is an agile framework for iterative development, primarily used in software development projects. Scrum emphasizes self-organizing, cross-functional teams that work in short, time-boxed iterations called sprints. Scrum ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, facilitate collaboration, transparency, and adaptability throughout the development process. Scrum promotes iterative delivery, feedback-driven improvements, and continuous adaptation to changing requirements. | – When managing complex projects with rapidly changing requirements, uncertain or evolving deliverables, and cross-functional teams. – Applicable in software development, product management, and innovation projects requiring agility, collaboration, and responsiveness to customer feedback. |
| Agile Manifesto | – The Agile Manifesto is a set of guiding principles for agile software development, emphasizing customer collaboration, iterative development, and responding to change. The Agile Manifesto values individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and responding to change over following a plan. Agile methodologies, including Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming (XP), align with the principles outlined in the Agile Manifesto. | – When developing software products or managing projects in dynamic, fast-paced environments where customer needs are evolving and uncertainty is high. – Applicable in industries seeking to foster innovation, improve time-to-market, and enhance customer satisfaction through iterative, collaborative approaches to product development and project management. |
| Lean Software Development | – Lean Software Development is a set of principles and practices derived from lean manufacturing principles, adapted for software development projects. Lean emphasizes maximizing customer value, minimizing waste, and continuous improvement. Lean practices, such as value stream mapping, eliminating bottlenecks, and optimizing flow, complement agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban by focusing on efficiency, quality, and delivering value to customers. | – When managing software development projects or business processes with a focus on reducing waste, improving flow, and delivering value to customers. – Applicable in industries seeking to streamline operations, eliminate inefficiencies, and enhance customer satisfaction through lean principles and agile practices. |
| Agile Transformation | – Agile Transformation involves adopting agile principles and practices across an organization to improve agility, collaboration, and responsiveness to customer needs. Agile transformations typically involve cultural, structural, and process changes aimed at fostering an agile mindset, empowering teams, and delivering value iteratively. Agile transformations may encompass training, coaching, organizational redesign, and process reengineering to support agile adoption and sustainment. | – When transitioning from traditional, waterfall-based approaches to agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban in software development or project management. – Applicable in organizations seeking to adapt to changing market conditions, enhance innovation, and improve business agility through agile transformation initiatives. |
| Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) | – The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a framework for scaling agile practices across large enterprises. SAFe provides guidance on coordinating multiple agile teams, aligning strategy with execution, and delivering value at scale. SAFe incorporates principles from lean, agile, and DevOps to support portfolio management, program execution, and team collaboration within complex, multi-team environments. | – When implementing agile practices in large organizations with multiple teams, complex dependencies, and diverse stakeholders. – Applicable in industries such as finance, healthcare, and telecommunications seeking to scale agile practices while ensuring alignment, transparency, and delivery excellence across the organization. |
| Agile Coaching | – Agile Coaching involves supporting individuals, teams, and organizations in adopting and improving agile practices. Agile coaches provide guidance, training, and facilitation to help teams embrace agile principles, overcome challenges, and achieve their goals. Agile coaching encompasses various roles, including Scrum Master, Kanban Coach, Agile Coach, and Transformation Coach, depending on the context and needs of the organization. | – When transitioning to agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban, building high-performing agile teams, or driving organizational change towards agility. – Applicable in organizations seeking to build internal capability, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and sustain agile transformation efforts through coaching and mentorship. |
| Agile Project Management Tools | – Agile Project Management Tools are software platforms designed to support agile practices and methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban. These tools facilitate project planning, task tracking, collaboration, and visualization of work items and progress. Common features of agile project management tools include backlog management, sprint planning, burndown charts, and collaboration boards. Examples of agile project management tools include Jira, Trello, Asana, and Monday.com. | – When managing agile projects or teams, tracking progress, and coordinating tasks and deliverables across distributed or remote teams. – Applicable in software development, product management, and project-based industries seeking to leverage digital tools for agile project management and collaboration. |
| Agile Product Management | – Agile Product Management involves applying agile principles and practices to product development and lifecycle management. Agile product management focuses on delivering customer value iteratively, gathering feedback, and adapting product features and priorities based on market demand and user needs. Agile product managers collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and customers to drive product vision, strategy, and roadmap execution. | – When developing and managing software products, digital solutions, or customer-centric initiatives with a focus on agility, responsiveness, and continuous improvement. – Applicable in industries such as technology, e-commerce, and digital marketing seeking to deliver innovative products and services that meet evolving customer expectations and market demands. |
| Agile Leadership | – Agile Leadership involves adopting agile principles and values to guide decision-making, empower teams, and foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. Agile leaders embrace servant leadership principles, support self-organizing teams, and remove impediments to enable agility and adaptability. Agile leadership emphasizes collaboration, transparency, and trust-building to drive organizational change and achieve business goals. | – When leading agile transformation initiatives, empowering teams, or driving organizational change towards agility and responsiveness. – Applicable in leadership roles across industries seeking to cultivate a culture of agility, resilience, and customer-centricity to thrive in a rapidly changing business environment. |
| Agile Metrics and KPIs | – Agile Metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are measures used to assess and track the performance and progress of agile teams and projects. These metrics provide insights into team productivity, quality, delivery predictability, and customer satisfaction. Common agile metrics and KPIs include velocity, lead time, cycle time, burndown charts, customer satisfaction scores, and defect rates. Agile organizations use these metrics to monitor performance, identify improvement opportunities, and make data-driven decisions. | – When managing agile projects, evaluating team performance, or assessing the effectiveness of agile practices and processes. – Applicable in industries adopting agile methodologies seeking to measure and optimize team performance, delivery efficiency, and customer value delivery through agile metrics and KPIs. |
Read Also: Scrum, Kanban, Scrumban, Agile.
Connected Agile & Lean Frameworks
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