From the first planning to the final deliverables, the project management procedure goes through multiple stages. Project management methodology is used to determine the type of project. A project management methodology represents the coalition of principles, tools, and tactics for planning, setting up, and managing projects. There are many project management methodologies used in various types of projects, namely,
i) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)
ii) Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
iii) Critical Chain Project Management
iv) Agile Project Management
v) Waterfall Project Management
vi) Others
We have already discussed Agile and Waterfall in our previous blog. Click here to read the blog. Scrum and Kanban both fall under the category of Agile Project Management Methodology. Agile can be regarded as the umbrella term of sub-project management frameworks that break down complex projects into easy and simple tasks. Flexibility, ability to change, quick decision-making, and effective communication with areas of improvement are some of the features of Agile project management. Under Agile project management, various subcategories of project management prevail such as:
1. Extreme Programming (XP)
2. Lean
3. Iterative Development
4. Kanban
5. Scrum
6. Others
We will shed light on two of the most popular Agile project management methodologies: Scrum and Kanban. Both methodologies disintegrate complicated projects into unvarnished or simple ones. When there is demand for the customers only, the deliverables are reached. So both of the methodologies avoid forecasting and adopt the Pull System eliminating wastage. Work-in-Progress (WIP) is limited and allows the project team member to understand the logjams and areas of improvement. Both of the project management methodologies break up the giant tasks into small increments. Scrum provides a structural and scheduling framework whereas Kanban helps to visualize the project tasks. Scrum is more about associating timelines with delivery cycles or sprints whereas Kanban is more related to visualization of tasks with the continuous flow. Let’s dive more deeply into these topics.
The word “Scrum” was first introduced by professors Hirotaka Tokeuchi and Iicujro Nonaka in their article “The New Product Development Game” at Harvard Business Review and the word was taken from the Rugby game that focuses on teamwork to tackle any kind of complexities in work. They concluded that the cross-functional teams yield the best outcomes. At the Easel Corporation, Jeff Sutherland also carried out the first scrum project.
In Scrum project management methodology, the project phases are disintegrated into smaller tasks that are to be implemented or completed by a cross-functional team within a fixed delivery cycle known as sprints. The delivery cycle may last from 2 to 4 weeks or also a month too. Once the sprint or the prescribed time frame is initiated, no further requirements or changes can be added. If so, there will exist the issues of Scope Creep. Instead of delivering a whole project at once, the project team members deliver the tasks in stages or sprints. It is a sprint approach that is ideal for typically a group of people limited to 10 people. The short daily meetings are conducted known as daily scrum meetings by the Scrum master. The procedures of Scrum goes like this:
Initial Product Backlog→Sprint Planning meeting by Scrum Master→Sprint Backlog→Daily Scrum (Scrumboard)→Scrum Review
Planning sprints, reviews, and retrospectives are the basic components of Scrum. After the completion of each sprint, the errors and the areas of improvement are identified for the next sprint. The wins and losses are continuously reflected here.
Scrum is built on the pillars of Adaptation, Transparency, and Inspection with the core values of Courage, Focus, Commitment, Respect, and Openness that focus on improved and effective communication. Scrum includes one Scrum Master and one product owner whereas the remaining team members are called the development team. Scrum has been used in software development, retail logistics, event planning, construction, and advertising agencies that included goal-driven tasks with fixed deliverables.
During the 1940s, Taiichi Ohno, a Toyota engineer created a system that used paper cards for tracking the demand in the factory which was named as Kanban. He was amazed by the way the things were restocked. More inventory was ordered for meeting the demand if the shop had empty shelves and Taiichi initiated JIT (Just-in-time) principle to Toyota to enhance the car development processes. In 2004, David Anderson was the first person to implement Kanban in the IT sector.
Kanban means signboard or billboard in Japanese. Kanban is a visualizing method of project management where project phases are divided into columns. Tasks are written on the cars that grow up from one column to another until the completion of the task. The visual clarification of pending tasks to be completed, where the tasks are piled up, and where the tasks need to be represented helps for easy delegation of resources, improved predictability, and visibility of task flows.
Kanban is focused on maintaining a continuous workflow and delivery. The team members are never assigned more work or tasks than they can handle or implement.
The two primary principles of Kaban include:
i) Visualizing the work (Project requirements, categorization in Kanban board)
ii) Limiting Work-in-progress- WIP (not assigning tasks more than team members can handle)
Kanban developers check the product backlog, choose the feature to work on that chosen one, and shift from the backlogs to to list into the list of WIP. When the feature task is accomplished, it’s moved to the Done list and the developers again pick another feature to work on and the cycle continues. Feature development is continuous and ongoing in Kanban project management methodology. Kanban due to this method is often regarded as the flow-based just-in-time development methodology.
Difference No. 1
Scrum methodology involves sprints and timeboxes with a delivery system and another sprint gets initiated immediately after the completion of one.
Kanban maintains a continuous workflow and delivery and the lists are undergone as To Do, In Progress, and Done.
Difference No. 2
Even the Scrum constitutes a Scrum master, product owner, and development team, everyone has a mandatory set of roles and responsibilities, Scrum is a self-organizing team.
No specific roles are assigned in the Kanban project management methodology. There may be an Agile coach or a single Kanban master in the Kanban method.
But if any of the team members’ caliber does not meet the project expectations, there will be a Domino effect and the project outcomes may be affected.
Difference No. 3
Team commitment is required for the specific amount of tasks for a sprint.
As multiple tasks are avoided due to WIP limits, commitment depends on capacity.
Difference No. 4
Pre-planning/Scrum planning is done at the beginning of each sprint or phase of Scrum.
When actual planning is needed, a Just-in-time planning approach is used in Kanban.
Difference No. 5
When the sprint phase begins, no new changes or modifications are allowed in the Scrum methodology.
New tasks can be added to the backlog and based on priority, the existing cards can get blocked or removed. Modification along with transparency is encouraged in Kanban.
Difference No. 6
Burndown charts and velocity charts are used as KPIs in Scrum.
Lead time or cycle times are the important KPIs that use CFD (Cumulative Flow Diagram) to measure the stability of the flow of work in the Kanban method.
Difference No. 7
In the Scrum Board, all the sprint stories are added to the board within a stipulated time frame.
In the Kanban board, the columns are labeled visualizing WIP limits on the board.
Difference No. 8
Scrum is ideal for projects which require a strict degree of planning and effective coordination.
Kanban is ideal for those projects that have a lot of incoming tasks with changing deliverables.
Difference No. 9
Scrum delivers a chunk of tasks in one sprint and again another sprint gets started.
Kanban continuously delivers the task until the project completion.
Difference No. 10
The process in Scrum goes like this:
Sprint Planning→Sprint→Daily Scrum→Sprint Review→Sprint Retrospective
The process in Kanban goes like this:
Visualizing the task flow→WIP limit→Flow management→Incorporating feedback loops
Both Scrum and Kanban evolve from Agile and Lean approaches. When both of the project management methodologies are used together, the benefits are enhanced. Kanban and Scrum can be used in a hybrid practice named Scrumban that involves both flexibility and visualization. With the needs and requirements of the project, the right one should be chosen after proper analysis for healthy project outcomes.