As we saw a few weeks ago in this article where we compared Kanban and Scrum, we can say that although these two perspectives share some principles and are common when it comes to managing agile projects, by the intrinsic nature that defines them, they are completely antagonistic positions.
But not everything in this life is either black or white, and although there are projects that benefit from following these perspectives in their purest state, there are others that need a bit of both. Therefore, in today’s article we will see how we can combine these approaches to offer a solution that helps those projects that require structure but with some adaptability.
How did Scrumban come to be?
Many times, as for example happens in interface design, what for some may be the solution that makes the most sense to them, does not necessarily have to be the solution that meets the needs of the users. This is the approach that gave rise to Scrumban, responding to the specific needs of teams that were looking for an agile methodology that could adapt to changing environments without losing the structure needed to manage projects efficiently.
Although it was initially introduced by Corey Ladas in his book Scrumban: Essays on Kanban Systems for Lean Software Development, it quickly established itself as an autonomous methodology, which means that it evolved into an independent approach that does not need to depend completely on Scrum and Kanban, since it has principles, practices and applications sufficiently developed to be used without having to strictly align with the original rules.
In this way, with the creation of Scrumban it was proposed to solve the following drawbacks:
- The limitation of Scrum in dynamic environments: Scrum, although effective for projects with a clear scope and defined work cycles, can become rigid in projects where priorities change frequently or where tasks are unpredictable. Teams working in environments such as technical support or continuous product development often face difficulties in following Scrum’s iterative, sprint-based approach.
- The need to visualize and adapt the workflow: On the other hand, Kanban, with its focus on visualizing work in progress and continuous improvement, provides a flexibility that Scrum does not, but lacks the structure and defined roles that many teams need to coordinate.
Scrumban features
As we have seen so far, the initial purpose of Scrumban has never been to replace Scrum or Kanban, but to serve as a bridge between both methodologies. In this way, Scrumban seeks to increase responsiveness to change and continuous process improvement by optimizing workflows in the following way:
Scrum-based structure:
- Clear roles: Scrumban maintains roles such as Product Owner, Scrum Master and development team. However, it is more flexible in the way these roles are implemented.
- Regular meetings: Although Scrumban can make the traditional Scrum meetings (planning, review and retrospective) more flexible, the daily meeting or stand-up is still essential.
Kanban-style work visualization:
- Kanban board: The use of a Kanban board is central to Scrumban, as thanks to this board you can visualize the work flow in columns such as pending, in progress and completed.
- Work in Progress (WIP) limits: Scrumban adopts the practice of limiting the number of tasks that can be in progress at the same time, helping to avoid overloading the team and encouraging the completion of tasks before starting new ones.
Focus on continuous improvement:
Scrumban promotes regular reviews of the team’s workflow and processes to identify opportunities for improvement. In this way, teams can adjust their WIP limits or redefine their priorities as project needs evolve.
Just-in-Time planning:
Unlike Scrum, which plans tasks at the beginning of each sprint, Scrumban uses more dynamic planning, allowing you to adjust priorities as circumstances change, which is particularly useful in projects with a lot of uncertainty.
Scrumban implementation
To effectively implement this hybrid approach, it would be necessary to be clear about the different perspectives in order to avoid confusion. In addition, to help the team it would be necessary to introduce the following aspects:
- Set up a Kanban board: Design a board with the necessary columns to reflect the current workflow.
- Define WIP limits: Make sure that each column of the board has a clear limit to avoid overload.
- Hold regular meetings: Although you can relax some Scrum meetings, make sure to keep the necessary ones for coordination and feedback.
- Adapt roles: Clarify the responsibilities of each team member, but be flexible in execution.
- Review and adjust: Regularly evaluate the process to make adjustments to optimize the workflow.
Conclusion
As we have seen throughout the article, by adopting Scrumban, teams that need it can benefit from greater efficiency, flexibility and continuous improvement, while staying aligned with agile principles, allowing teams to adapt to changing environments while maintaining a clear organization and optimized workflow.
Besides, beyond being a simple mix of Scrum and Kanban, Scrumban has established itself as a working model that has been able to meet the needs of organizations and teams seeking balance between structure and adaptability. For this reason, its ability to optimize processes and maximize productivity has made it a strategic choice for those facing dynamic and constantly evolving projects.
Resources:
[1] Block&Capital – Kanban or Scrum? Find out which methodology is best suited to your project
[2] Kanban Tool – Scrumban: The Best of Kanban and Scrum
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