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What is Scrumban?

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What is Scrumban?

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Scrum and Agile methodologies evolved to help teams transition between Kanban and Scrum and vice versa. Just as brunch was the name for breakfast and lunch, malware was the name for malware and software, so we got Scrumban. Since it is a hybrid of Scrum and Kanban, it is designed to provide a more flexible and efficient workflow. Let’s discuss how it works, how it compares to Scrum and Kanban, and when to use this hybrid approach.

What is Scrumban?

Scrumban is simply a combination of Scrum and Kanban. Scrum is known for its structured and iterative framework, while Kanban is best known for its visual workflow and focus on continuous improvement. Scrumban is a hybrid project management approach that combines these outstanding Scrum and Kanban principles. This provides Scrumban users with enhanced flexibility and optimized workflows, allowing them to quickly adapt to changes.

How Does Scrumban Work?

Scrumban leverages the features of Scrum, such as daily stand-up meetings and retrospectives, to ensure regular progress assessment and team coordination. It also uses Kanban’s visual task management and work progress limits (a certain number of cards on the board to prevent overwork) to optimize workflow and maintain steady productivity. Teams use visual boards to track tasks at various project stages.

Instead of using fixed-length sprints, Scrumban uses on-demand planning, scheduling new tasks based on current needs and workload. The result is a more responsive and adaptive planning process. Additionally, it employs bucket-size planning, which involves managing long-term goals and breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks that can be prioritized dynamically.

This approach also downplays the importance of deadlines, because on-demand planning and the use of bucket-sized goals means that sprint tasks can come and go based on long-term goals, with periods of review and reaffirmation in between. With this hybrid approach, you get a balanced, flexible framework that fits a variety of project environments and promotes continuous improvement and adaptability.

Scrum, Kanban and Scrumban comparison

To better understand the similarities and differences between Scrum, Kanban, and Scrumban, let’s start with a comparison chart that summarizes their key aspects:

method
structure
Key Points
Most suitable
Scrum
Sprints, roles (Scrum Master, Product Owner), rituals (daily stand-up, sprint planning, retrospectives)
Iterative development and incremental delivery
Complex projects with changing requirements
Dashboard
Iterations without specific roles or time limits, visual workflow, limits on work in progress
Continuous Delivery and Efficiency
Projects that require continuous workflow and flexibility
Crumbling
Combining Scrum with Kanban, Visualization Board, WIP Limits, Iteration Planning
A hybrid approach that balances planning and process
Teams that need flexibility and structure often transition from Scrum to Kanban

Scrum

Scrum is a well-defined framework that promotes structured roles and time-boxed iterations called sprints. The Scrum Master accelerates the process, the Product Owner manages the project backlog, and the Development Team works towards sprint goals. Scrum ceremonies, including daily stand-up meetings, sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives, ensure continuous improvement and coordination. Scrum is best suited for projects with changing requirements, and it provides a clear structure for iterative development and incremental delivery.

Dashboard

Kanban emphasizes visualizing the entire workflow and setting limits on ongoing work to improve project efficiency. There are no fixed roles or time-bound iterations; instead, you pull tasks from the backlog based on capacity. This continuous delivery model helps teams maintain a steady workflow and quickly adapt to changes. Kanban software Particularly useful for projects that require continuous workflow and flexibility, such as maintenance and support tasks.

Crumbling

As mentioned earlier, Scrumban combines the structured planning of Scrum with the visual workflow management of Kanban. It enables teams to balance planning and process, making it ideal for projects with fluctuating requirements. Scrumban is particularly beneficial for teams transitioning from Scrum to Kanban and vice versa, as it provides the flexibility to adapt to changing priorities while maintaining structured progress tracking.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Scrumban

As a fusion of two agile methodologies, Scrumban introduces various advantages and limitations to project management.

Benefits of Scrumban

  • No team hierarchy: Since there is no hierarchy, there is no clear leader in the team and every team member has equal opportunity to make decisions.
  • flexibility: Scrumban is suitable for projects with changing priorities because it allows the team to adjust the work process dynamically.
  • Enhanced Visualization: With Scrumban, users gain access to more effective visual boards to better track progress, identify bottlenecks, and increase transparency and accountability.
  • Continuous improvement: Scrumban encourages regular evaluation and improvement of processes to increase efficiency.
  • Reduce planning overhead: It eliminates the need for fixed-length sprints and minimizes the planning overhead associated with Scrum.

Disadvantages of Scrumban

  • No team hierarchy: The lack of a team hierarchy is both a strength and a weakness. Depending on the use case, the lack of a clear leader and self-managed teams can create performance bottlenecks for your team.
  • learning curve: If your team is new to Scrum or Kanban, they may need training to implement Scrumban effectively.
  • complex: Combining elements of both approaches may increase the complexity of the management process.
  • Resource Intensive: Ongoing monitoring and improvement can be resource intensive.
  • Possibility of over-modification: Teams run the risk of over-tinkering with the framework and ultimately losing the benefits of a structured process.

Project management tools that support Scrumban

Yes

Atlassian’s Jira is a powerful Project Management Software A solution that supports both Scrum and Kanban frameworks, making it ideal for implementing Scrumban. It offers features such as customizable workflows, advanced reporting tools, and detailed issue tracking, giving teams the right tools to visualize their work and manage tasks through sprints with work progress limits.

Jira’s pricing tiers include a free plan for 10 users, an enterprise-level plan, and an entry-level premium plan starting at $8.15 per user per month.

Click

ClickUp is an all-in-one project management platform suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. It supports Scrumban with visual task boards, goal tracking, and detailed task dependencies, allowing teams to flexibly manage workflows. ClickUp’s extensive integration capabilities with various third-party applications enhance its usefulness in streamlining project management processes.

Pricing options include a free tier and paid plans starting at $7 per user per month.

Miro

Miro is known for its interactive online whiteboard that facilitates visual project management and makes it Scrumban-ready. It allows enterprise collaboration teams of varying sizes to create customizable whiteboards to visualize workflows, set WIP limits, and collaborate in real time.

Miro’s flexibility and ease of use are complemented by pricing tiers, starting with a free option and scaling up to premium plans at $8 per member per month.

When to Use Scrumban

Scrumban is a great fit for organizations seeking a balanced approach to project management that combines the strengths of Scrum and Kanban. If your team needs an approach that can adapt to changing priorities and enhance collaboration, Scrumban is the ideal solution.

Consider using Scrumban when you find yourself in any of the following situations:

  • Switching between methodologies: Because Scrumban was originally designed to help teams transition from Scrum to Kanban, you can gradually adopt Kanban practices while maintaining familiar Scrum elements for a smooth transition without abrupt changes.
  • You have a long-term project with constantly changing requirements: Scrumban combines iterative planning with continuous flow, supporting long-term planning while accommodating small changes over longer periods of time.
  • Continuous Flow Project: If your project has a continuous workflow and no clear deadlines, Scrumban is a good fit because it keeps the tasks flowing continuously, unlike Scrum, which resets its board after each sprint.
  • Teams seeking more flexibility than Scrum offers: If you find Scrum too rigid but still need some structure, you can consider Scrumban, as it allows for more flexibility in planning and execution than the strict Scrum framework.
  • When on-demand plans are preferred: Scrumban supports on-demand planning rather than fixed sprint planning, which benefits teams that need to adapt quickly to changing priorities and needs.
  • Teams looking to reduce meeting overhead: Scrumban requires fewer formal meetings than Scrum, which is a good thing if you find Scrum’s meeting schedule too cumbersome. In addition, fewer meetings help you focus on efficient work while still allowing for necessary communication and coordination.

For further exploration of Kanban and Scrum, see our top Open Source Dashboard and explore Best Scrum Certification in 2024.

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