Differentiating between Kanban and Scrum is easy, but only at the surface level. Both approaches follow the same principles. The idea is to build better products with fewer hurdles. Even Kanban and Scrum boards look the same with the To Do, In Progress, and Done categories.
So, how do you tell a Kanban board from a scrum board? This blog highlights the difference between both and gives you enough information to choose between Kaban vs. scrum board. Let’s begin:
Scrum Board vs. Kanban Board: Key Differences
1. Definition
A Scrum board is a task board that tracks work in sprints, which are tasks divided into short, consistent, and repetitive time cycles. These sprints are so small that they can make team members work without losing focus but so long that they can deliver shippable work increments.
We can better understand scrum and scrum board from the analogy of a school test. Let’s assume Scrum is like a school project in which you must complete a specific backlog at a particular time. Creating a scrum board is like a plan that can help you identify what your team needs to do to complete the project and how to organize your team’s schedule.
A Kanban board is a task board that tracks the workflow process while maintaining the work-in-progress activities. The idea is to minimize the work in Progress and maximize productivity. These work-in-progress items are small enough to avoid unnecessary tasks but large enough to ensure the team member doesn’t sit idle.
We can better understand Kanban and Kanban board with the analogy of a basketball game where you get one point for completing a task. The idea is to score the maximum points in the minimum possible time.
2. Work in Progress
The idea behind the Scrum approach is to limit the work in Progress per iteration. During the sprint, the team commits to several tasks listed on the Scrum board. You can have all the functions in Progress simultaneously, but you must finish them before the sprint ends.
On the other hand, the Kanban approach limits the work in Progress per workflow state. Each team member picks one task from the backlog and moves it to the in-progress state. Then, they work on the tasks and move them to the done stage once complete. The team members don’t pick the next job until the first one is complete.
3. Ownership
A scrum team (headed by a leader called the scrum master) owns the scrum board. It is a cross-functional team in which members from different backgrounds and skills are required to complete the project work together. Also, only the board owners (members of the Scrum team) can edit the scrum board.
On the other hand, no specific team owns a Kanban board. Instead, all the members work together to track and manage the workflow progress. A product owner can make changes to the Kanban board.
4. Task Devotion
You can’t add new items to the scrum board during the sprint. The number of items in the sprint is predefined and doesn’t change throughout the sprint. On the other hand, there are no timeframes for adding new items to a Kanban board. When things in the To-do stage reduce, you can add new items. It would ensure the work on your plate doesn’t end till the project is complete.
5. Urgencies
Since Scrum involves a lot of planning and prioritization, you would rarely face any emergency in the Scrum approach. All the tasks in the Scrum board will be pre-planned and aid the project.
There can be an Urgency section on the Kanban board where you can add tasks that need to be done on priority. These can also be bottleneck tasks that are stuck for a long time. Kanban teams prioritize such urgent tasks and try to finish them first.
6. Backlog
The scrum team moves tasks from the product backlog in the scrum approach. For those who don’t know what a product backlog is, it is a list of items the team has committed to building over time. The approach is to divide items from the product backlog into the sprint backlog items through user stories. The team shifts items from the product backlog to the Kanban board in Kanban. User stories are optional. You can include them if you want or skip them.
7. Task Size
In Scrum, the team commits to a task only after it seems achievable in the timeframe of the sprint. Otherwise, they split it by steps until each step looks possible in the sprint timeframe. However, Kanban follows a different approach to task allocation. There’s no specific rule about the task size. The team member has to complete it after they have committed to it.
8. Task Prioritization
Prioritization is crucial in Scrum. Setting priorities right, estimating resources correctly, and grooming the product backlog during the scrum meetings ensures project success. On the other hand, Kanban doesn’t emphasize project prioritization and estimation. Instead, it uses probabilistic forecasting to plan the project.
9. Metrics for Success
Scrum uses velocity to measure project success. Velocity is the number of work items a team completes in a sprint. Increased velocity means the team is performing well. Here are some other metrics:
- Sprint Burndown: Burndown shows whether the team can complete the sprint scope. Ideally, the Burndown velocity should decline toward the end of the project. If it doesn’t, your team is facing problems.
- Scope Change: The number of stores added to the project during the release. They often delay a project.
- Escaped Defects: Several issues went unnoticed. It shows how efficient your software is during production.
Kanban measures project success by lead time, the time it took for the team to deliver the requested feature. Kanban boards also use a Cumulative Flow Diagram. It displays various statuses of work items in a specific time interval.
In a Nutshell
Both Kanban and Scrum approaches are agile. Both are closely related; hence, Kanban and Scrum are often used interchangeably. Therefore, it’s natural to get confused when deciding whether to opt for Scrum or Kanban for their project.
We hope the blog gave you enough idea of differences between both approaches. If you can’t decide, you can opt for a hybrid model. Hundreds of teams are doing that and witnessing success. Ultimately, the approach should help you efficiently complete your project.
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