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Category Kanban

Kanban , scrum

Scrum vs Kanban – Which one shall we adopt?

How it all started?

Before we get into details of Scrum vs Kanban, we will take a top-down approach, first thing to understand is What is Agile? and Agile Manifesto .  This will give you a view of the agile revolution, Scrum and Kanban are part of this structure.

The Agile Manifesto, which has 4 values and 12 principles, is supported by frameworks; two famous frameworks are Scrum and Kanban.

Scrum vs Kanban – What are these frameworks all about?

The next part is to understand these frameworks before we decide which one to adopt over the other.

What is Scrum?

What is Kanban?

Difference between Scrum vs Kanban  

CriteriaScrumKanban
InceptionSoftware Development (A Framework created for software development)Originated from Lean Manufacturing
ApproachEach element of the scrum framework serves a specific purpose that is essential to the overall value and results realized with Scrum. This has to be followed.Less prescriptive as compared to Scrum, 3 Kanban practices are must
AccountabilitiesScrum defines three specific accountabilities within the Scrum Team: the Developers, the Product Owner, and the Scrum MasterDoes not have defined accountabilities
Iterative approachFollows Iterative approachDoes not follow iterative approach
CadenceSprints have fixed length events of one month or lessContinuous flow
PlanningScrum events for planning are Sprint Planning, Daily ScrumNo defined cadence for planning however team can decide based on context

Conclusion – Scrum vs Kanban

There is no prescribed answer to use Scrum or Kanban. It all boils down to one aspect and that is context. Try one framework for a certain period and inspect and adapt and track the progress, move it to the next if you don’t see progress. Either Scrum or Kanban, continuous improvement is the key.

Kanban , scrum

Does Kanban have a Kanban Scrum Master?

Have you come across this word – Kanban Scrum Master?  The question arises who is accountable as a scrum master in Kanban or an equivalent role?

Before we get into the answer, go through this information –

Accountability of a Scrum Master

Kanban on a page

Is there a Kanban Scrum Master?

Refer to this line in this article (Kanban on a page) – Those who participate in the value delivery of a Kanban system are called Kanban system members. There are no roles defined by Kanban, hence there is no such role called Kanban Scrum Master. However, there are teams following Kanban that have roles like Flow Master (this is not prescribed anywhere and varies from context to context and also as per the team’s convenience). A Flow Master is a person who facilitates the daily stand-up (Again Kanban does not prescribe a daily stand-up however teams have a daily stand-up to discuss work impediments and progress).

If it is an interview question, the answer is simple – There is no Kanban Scrum Master however there can be a Flow Master based on the team dynamics and context.

Kanban

14 Key Terms in Kanban – Everybody should know

Here are the terms that one comes across in Kanban. Understanding the concepts of these terms will help one in understanding Kanban.

Flow – Kanban is based on the theory of flow. Flow is of no use without value, in Kanban Flow is the movement of potential value through a system.

Kanban Practices – There are 3 practices in Kanban ( (1) Defining and visualizing a workflow (2) Actively managing items in a workflow (3) Improving a workflow

Kanban system – Kanban practices are collectively called a Kanban system

Kanban system members -Those who participate in the value delivery of a Kanban system are called Kanban system members.

Workflow – How work gets done + movement of potential value through a system.

Definition of Workflow (DoW) – This is the fundamental concept of Kanban. The explicit shared understanding of flow among Kanban system members within their context is called a Definition of Workflow (DoW).

Kanban Board – The visualization of the Definition of Workflow (DoW)is called a Kanban board.

Work Items – A definition of the individual units of value that are moving through the workflow.

Work in progress (WIP) – Any work items between a started point and a finished point are considered work in progress (WIP).

WIP limits – WIP stands for Work in Progress, part of actively managing items on a workflow practice. Controlling WIP helps in managing the workflow which means not adding new work items unless the in-progress work items are completed.

Service Level Expectation (SLE) – Forecast of how long it should take a work item to flow from start to finish. It serves 3 functions – right sizing, completion forecast, and how much age is too much age.

Throughput: The number of work items finished per unit of time. Note the measurement of throughput is the exact count of work items.

Work Item Age: The amount of elapsed time between when a work item started and the current time.

Cycle Time: The amount of elapsed time between when a work item started and when a work item finished.

Refer this page – Kanban on a page to know about Kanban in a nutshell.

Kanban

Kanban on a page

Definition of Kanban

Kanban is a strategy for optimizing the flow of value through a process that uses a visual, pull-based system. Context is critical in Kanban and the primary step upon which the whole Kanban setup is built. If a team/organization is following the below 3 practices of Kanban, they are doing Kanban. There can be additional practices that teams can adopt along with Kanban practices based on their context however these 3 practices are a MUST.

3 Practices of Kanban

  1. Defining and visualizing a workflow
  2. Actively managing items in a workflow
  3. Improving a workflow

These Kanban practices are collectively called a Kanban system

Those who participate in the value delivery of a Kanban system are called Kanban system members.

Core Concept of Kanban

Flow theory is the foundation of Kanban. Flow is the movement of potential value through a system. The strategy of Kanban is to optimize value by optimizing flow. Optimization does not necessarily imply maximization. Rather, value optimization means striving to find the right balance of effectiveness, efficiency, and predictability in how work gets done.

3 aspects of value optimization – Effectiveness, Efficiency, Predictability

An effective workflow is one that delivers what customers want when they want it.

 An efficient workflow allocates available economic resources as optimally as possible to deliver value.

A more predictable workflow means being able to accurately forecast value delivery within an acceptable degree of uncertainty.

Kanban Measures

Quote – If you can’t measure it, you cannot improve

There are 4 measures in Kaban

  • WIP: The number of work items started but not finished.
  • Throughput: The number of work items finished per unit of time. Note the measurement of throughput is the exact count of work items.
  • Work Item Age: The amount of elapsed time between when a work item started and the current time.
  • Cycle Time: The amount of elapsed time between when a work item started and when a work item finished.

Summary

If one has to summarize Kanban in one sentence that would be Kanban is about flow optimization which includes effectiveness, efficiency and predictability. No flow No Kanban.