Managing projects using the obsolete pen-and-paper methodology would be like driving a carriage instead of a car. Project management software is the only way to go in the 21st century because it simplifies collaboration, enables continuous monitoring, and solidifies budget tracking.
According to the report, more than 70% of companies are using agile approaches sometimes, often, or always. The two most commonly used agile methodologies are Scrum and Kanban, but lots of business professionals are still finding it hard to distinguish between the two approaches.
Scrum is a framework for project management that emphasizes teamwork, accountability, and iterative progress toward a well-defined goal. On the other hand, Kanban is a visual system for managing work as it moves through a process.
Although the two technologies can go side by side, most companies tend to use only one of them. This is why we decided to discuss the differences between Scrum and Kanban and weigh their pros and cons. Let’s take a look!
Scrum VS Kanban: basic features and differences
We will begin by stating that Scrum and Kanban share a few common characteristics. After all, they are both agile methodologies and you can expect them to have certain similarities.
First of all, both platforms tend to limit the Work in Progress (WIP) to promote agility. They are based on so-called pull scheduling and cut the job into a series of smaller units.
Jake Gardner, a dissertation help and assignment help expert, explains that Scrum and Kanban encourage self-independent work: “This means that each member of the team is responsible for his/her part of the project.”
These are the main similarities, but what about the distinctions between Scrum and Kanban? We will divide this segment into several categories: Scrum vs Kanban
- Scheduling – Scrum approach is all about setting sprints and determining clear deadlines for each part of the work. On the other side, Kanban promotes continuity while leaving it up to the team leader to set due dates if needed.
- Duties – In Scrum, each member of the team faces a specific task. Kanban is different because it does not determine unique roles within a team, which leads to a higher level of cooperation.
- Improvisations – Most managers love Scrum because it discourages improvisations and changes in the middle of a sprint. In the meantime, Kanban encourages modifications and promotes continuous adjustments.
- KPIs – Scrum measures productivity simply by tracking the velocity of a given sprint. Since sprints represent the smallest pieces of work, they are expected to be executed very quickly. On the other hand, Kanban sets “cycle times” as key performance indicators. In other words, it calculates the time taken to complete a larger portion of the project.
- Application – Scrum is ideal for goal-driven projects with fixed deliverables, while Kanban suits the needs of flexible teams with frequent in-between changes.
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Advantages and disadvantages of Scrum
You have seen the most important features of Scrum and Kanban agile approaches, but it is time to focus on the specifics. In this chapter, we will explain the pros and cons of Scrum. Here are the platform’s biggest advantages:
- Short sprints – Scrum divides projects into the smallest pieces, so it is easy to get the job done faster and more efficiently. Scrum-powered teams achieve several small victories daily.
- Improved quality – Smaller units of work often lead to better results as it is much simpler to complete minor tasks flawlessly.
- Enhanced accountability – Since each member of the team oversees a highly specific goal, it is easier to strengthen accountability on an individual level.
- Unparalleled transparency – Every member of the team gets to see how the project unfolds and who is doing what, why, and how.
- Goal-oriented work – This is probably the most important benefit of Scrum as it perfectly suits teams with a goal-oriented professional philosophy.
Now let us look at details that make Scrum less desirable for some teams.
- Scrum demands full focus – Most people consider this to be the advantage, but it can become a downside if you are not running a team of experienced and highly skilled professionals. Scrum is not easy to get used to for beginner-level users.
- Pacing issues – Weaker players in your team could slow down more agile members.
- Inaccuracies – A Scrum-powered project must be defined perfectly if you do not want to end up with lots of important inaccuracies.
Advantages and disadvantages of Kanban
Just like Scrum, Kanban also comes with a whole range of benefits and downsides. Here are the pros of using this agile methodology.
- Ease of use – You do not have to be a master of agile project management to figure out Kanban. It is an eye-pleasing platform that even first-time users can understand quickly.
- Flexibility – Kanban enables maximal flexibility, which is great for broader projects that require real-time changes.
- Collaboration – Unlike Scrum, Kanban promotes collaboration and makes the entire team work together to deliver the desired result.
- It is a process – This solution focuses on continuous delivery and increases productivity in larger project cycles.
Of course, Kanban cannot fulfill the demands of every team. It has a few downsides as well, so let us check them out here:
- Lack of focus – It is much easier to get distracted in Kanban because it doesn’t set so strict responsibilities.
- Complexity – Kanban boards can quickly become extremely complex, which sometimes creates clarity issues and confuses employees.
- Lack of timing – Finally, some project managers do not like Kanban because it lacks timing parameters.
The bottom line
Scrum and Kanban come with a broad scope of unique features, so it is up to you to choose the most suitable option. If your team requires operational flexibility, we recommend you to use Kanban. But if you demand a firmer solution with strictly determined tasks and schedules, then Scrum is probably the best way to maximize efficiency. You could also test both methodologies for a week or two and then make the final decision.