Agile vs. Scrum

Today, every project is created and managed with a project management methodology – this is the key to success..

In our previous article, we talked about what Agile Software Development is and its processes. In this article, we will explore the differences between Agile and Scrum methodologies, or rather the differences between Agile, the framework for approaching project management, and Scrum, an Agile practice.

What is Agile Project Management?

Agile project management, also called Agile software development methodology, welcomes and encourages changing business priorities based on daily feedback and developments. It enables developers and team members to be agile by getting rid of the constraints of more traditional, linear-based methodologies such as waterfall project management.

Likewise, a work allocation structure breaks down project deliverables into manageable tasks, focuses on the incremental progress of an agile project, and provides room for change and opportunity. Agile stays away from comprehensive planning of the entire project. Teams and companies that implement an Agile-based strategy deliberately begin the project understanding that things can and should change through constant feedback. By doing this, team leaders can avoid or quickly respond to obstacles, because agile focuses on time and allows team members to complete a certain number of tasks until the end of the specified time.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Agile Methods

Advantages:

• Short planned cycles allow your organization flexibility for changing requirements and sudden changes
• Your customers actively provide feedback to create the product
• By giving priority to team participation, it ensures faster resolution of problems thanks to the communication established
• Any problem that arises as the project progresses rapidly is used as a stepping stone for a better solution in the next cycle

Disadvantages:

• Costs are unpredictable as product requirements are constantly changing
• Constant feedback from customers can bring you down, or some customers just may not have the time or interest
• New requests from customer feedback reveal additional phases that can prolong project costs and duration
• It can be difficult to implement in large corporate structures where communication with the customer is difficult

If you want your projects to be completed with success, you should apply the Agile approach, which does not resist change and progresses by receiving continuous feedback from the customer.

Popular Agile Project Management Tools

Technically, agile project management software does not exist. Because Agile is more of a framework than a methodology, any agile “software” is really a tool to implement your chosen agile-focused approach. Here are some of the most popular agile tools:

1. Asana
2. Jira
3. Trello

What is Scrum?

As mentioned above, Scrum Agile is an exemplary approach to a project management strategy. Scrum methodology provides structure and in-book rules to the agile concept. Different roles and events exist in a rigorous manner. On top of that, it’s built to continually improve both product progress itself and team member productivity and efficiency. Scrum is a recurring term.

Within a job, work is divided into “sprints”, assigned to short, defined periods of time (usually two weeks), with the expectation that that number will be finished by the end of the sprint. Each sprint is scheduled based on team member bandwidth and priority, so some span is hosted. Usually, there are no gaps between sprints. After Sprint 1 becomes Sprint 2, Sprint 3, etc. takes shape. It continues until all projects are concluded and the final product is delivered.

For this reason, Scrum is an ideal format for project scope and change-prone, flexible requirements, or a workflow based on knowledge creation and team collaboration.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Scrum

Advantages:

Scrum is a very defining framework with its specific roles and ceremonies. While there is a lot to learn, these rules have many advantages. 

• Greater transparency and project visibility: Thanks to daily stand-up meetings, the whole team knows who is doing what, eliminating many misunderstandings and confusion. Topics are predetermined, allowing the team to solve them before they get out of hand.
• Increased team responsibility: The Scrum team does not have a project manager who tells when and what to do. Instead, the team collectively decides which tasks to complete in each sprint. They all work together and help each other, fostering collaboration and strengthening the independence of each team member.
• Changes can be made easily: With short sprints and continuous feedback, it is much easier to adapt to and deal with changes. For example, if the team discovers a new user story during a sprint, you can easily add that feature to the next sprint at the backlog refinement meeting.
• Increased cost savings: Continuous communication ensures that the team is aware of all issues and changes as they arise, reducing costs and increasing quality. By coding and testing features in smaller chunks, giving constant feedback, and bugs can be fixed before they become too expensive to fix.

Disadvantages:

While Scrum offers some tangible advantages, it also includes some disadvantages. Scrum requires a high level of experience and involvement from the team, and projects may risk scope slippage.

• Risk of scope creep: Some Scrum projects may experience scope creep due to a lack of a specific end date. The lack of a completion date may tempt stakeholders to request additional functionality.
• On the team, it requires experience and commitment: With defined roles and responsibilities, the team must be familiar with Scrum principles to be successful. Since there is no defined role in the Scrum team, it needs team members with technical experience. The team must also adhere to the daily Scrum meetings and stay with the team throughout the project.
• The wrong Scrum Master can ruin everything: A Scrum Master is very different from a project manager. The Scrum Master has no authority over the team; they should trust the teams they manage and never tell them what to do. If the Scrum Master team tries to check, the project will fail.
• Poorly defined tasks can cause inaccuracies: If the tasks are not well defined, the project costs and timelines will not be accurate. If initial goals are not clear, planning becomes difficult and sprints can take more time than originally anticipated.

Popular Scrum Project Management Tools

The following are just a few of the popular project management solutions that enable the implementation of the scrum methodology.

1. Zoho Projects
2. TargetProcess
3. Axosoft

What are the Differences Between Agile and Scrum?

Besides the “Agile” and “Scrum” (i.e. Scrum is a kind of agile-based project management methodology) ordinances, there are other slight differences to note between Agile and Scrum that you should look out for in your research.

• Agile is a development methodology and is based on an incremental and iterative approach; Scrum is among the many implementation frameworks or processes of Agile methodology.
• Agile places emphasis on keeping the design and implementation simple. According to Scrum, design and implementation can be experimental and innovative.
• The main advantage of Agile methodology is flexibility as agility adapts quickly to changes, whereas Scrum has a somewhat rigid and structured approach or style.
• Agile methodology prioritizes direct communication and related techniques to achieve various goals. Scrum does not place much emphasis on direct communication.
• Agile includes frequent deliveries to business users to get feedback; whereas Scrum provides a structure for clients to get their feedback after each sprint.
• In Agile methodology, the project head performs various project tasks. But Scrum does not have a project head. Therefore, the whole team is addressing various issues related to the project.
• Agile methodology views working software as the key measure of progress. Scrum does not put stress on running software as a key measure of progress.

When is Agile Used?

• If the product itself enjoys the most flexibility
• If regular face-to-face interactions and collaborations between team members, organization, and customers are required
• When the final product requires regular updates, monitoring, and continuous delivery to the customer throughout the product lifecycle
• During rapid software development

When is Scrum Used?

• If the requirements of the project will most benefit from continuous change
• Team members are self-motivated and fully collaborative
• If the project allows for creative design and innovation
• If the project will benefit from at most one process control group

 

Our product managers work with you to clearly identify project requirements, milestones, feature and tasks to build the project work statement using the Agile development process. Ready to get started? Contact us today by filling out this form.