Kanban vs Scrum: 8 Key Differences When Applying Agile In SDLC

Have you ever wondered why Kanban and Scrum are often confused with each other? Both are Agile frameworks designed to enhance project management efficiency by delivering products early and continuously improving processes. Despite their similarities, they have distinct approaches and applications.

Interestingly, Kanban and Scrum can complement each other, but when should you use one over the other? What factors make one framework a better fit for your team? If you’re unsure about the key differences between Scrum and Kanban or how to determine the right methodology for your workflow, we’ve prepared a detailed comparison to guide your decision.

Before diving into their differences, let’s first explore what Scrum and Kanban really mean.

1. What is Agile Software Development?

Before exploring the benefits of Kanban and Scrum, it’s essential to understand the foundation of Agile software development. Agile is a collaborative, self-organizing, and cross-functional approach to managing work and meeting project requirements.

Before the Agile Manifesto, most software projects followed the Waterfall model, where tasks were broken down into linear and sequential stages before development even began. While structured, this approach often led to rigid workflows with limited flexibility for changes.

In contrast, Agile development breaks projects into smaller, iterative cycles. This allows developers to identify and address issues early, while stakeholders can continuously review progress and provide feedback throughout the development process.

1.1. What is Scrum?

Scrum is a widely used Agile framework that promotes a structured, iterative approach to software development. It enables teams to collaborate effectively and deliver high-impact work in a structured way. Scrum is particularly useful for teams that thrive on predictability, as it organizes work into time-boxed iterations called Sprints, ensuring regular progress and continuous improvement.

1.2. What is Kanban?

Like Scrum, Kanban is designed to improve work coordination and efficiency. However, unlike Scrum’s Sprint-based planning, Kanban operates on a continuous flow model. Instead of working in fixed iterations, team members pull tasks from a prioritized backlog as they become available. This approach provides greater flexibility and is ideal for teams that need to adapt quickly to changing priorities.

2. 8 key differences between Kanban and Scrum

Detailed Comparison of Scrum and Kanban

Aspect	Scrum	Kanban
Origin	Originated in software development, influenced by Agile methodologies. Developed to improve project management and iterative product delivery.	Originated in lean manufacturing, specifically from Toyota’s production system, designed to optimize efficiency and minimize waste.
Ideology	Based on Agile principles, emphasizing iterative progress, self-organization, and continuous learning through feedback loops. Encourages teams to plan, prioritize, and adapt to changes.	Focuses on visualizing workflows to enhance process efficiency. Encourages limiting work-in-progress (WIP) to reduce bottlenecks and improve flow.
Cadence	Follows fixed-length iterations called sprints, usually lasting 1-4 weeks. Each sprint has a defined goal, and work is planned upfront.	Operates on a continuous flow system where work items move through the process as capacity allows. No predefined timeframes, allowing flexibility.
Practices	– Sprint planning: Defining the work for the sprint. – Daily Scrum: Short daily meetings to discuss progress and blockers. – Sprint execution: The development team works on tasks within the sprint. – Sprint review: A showcase of completed work at the end of the sprint. – Sprint retrospective: A meeting to reflect on what went well and areas for improvement.	– Visualizing workflow using Kanban boards. – Limiting Work-in-Progress (WIP) to improve focus and reduce task switching. – Managing flow by tracking the movement of tasks. – Implementing feedback loops for continuous improvement. – Using metrics like cycle time and lead time to optimize performance.
Roles	Defined roles including: – Product Owner: Manages the product backlog and sets priorities. – Scrum Master: Facilitates the Scrum process and removes obstacles. – Development Team: Cross-functional team responsible for delivering the product.	No required roles; teams organize themselves. Responsibility is shared among team members, who focus on optimizing workflow and completing tasks efficiently.
Best for	Teams working on complex projects that require structured planning, frequent reviews, and adaptability. Ideal for software development and iterative product enhancements.	Teams that need flexibility and continuous delivery without rigid sprint cycles. Commonly used in operations, support teams, and manufacturing.
Flexibility	Requires commitment to sprint goals, making it less flexible once a sprint has started. Changes can only be made in the next sprint.	Highly flexible as new tasks can be added anytime based on capacity. Changes can be made without waiting for a sprint to end.
Key Metrics	Velocity (measures completed story points per sprint), sprint burndown chart, and release burndown chart.	Cycle time (time taken to complete a task), lead time, and cumulative flow diagram.

2.1. Kanban vs. Scrum: Advantages

Benefits of Kanban

The Kanban framework provides a clear visual representation of a team’s workflow, allowing tasks to move through different stages, such as “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Completed.” This structure helps teams streamline processes and enhance efficiency.

Key benefits of using a Kanban board include:

• Offers a quick, at-a-glance overview of ongoing tasks and progress.
• Enhances workflow flexibility by visualizing work in progress.
• Helps teams identify bottlenecks and areas for process improvement.
• Makes inefficiencies and obstacles highly visible.
• Enforces strict limits on work in progress (WIP), preventing overload.

Many project management tools integrate Kanban boards with color-coded task tracking to improve clarity. Since the primary goal of the Kanban methodology is continuous improvement, teams must meet regularly to refine processes, eliminate blockers, and optimize workflow.

As a result, Kanban boards have become an essential feature in modern project management tools. If you want better task visualization, ensure your tool includes a Kanban view.

Benefits of Scrum

Scrum is an Agile framework designed to help teams complete projects efficiently and iteratively. While Agile is a broader philosophy promoting collaboration in software development, Scrum provides a structured approach to implementing Agile principles.

Key advantages of Scrum include:

• Establishes clear roles, rituals, and responsibilities for the team.
• Encourages continuous process improvement through daily stand-ups and sprint reviews.
• Enables leaders or product owners to effectively manage and support their teams’ most critical tasks.
• Uses predefined sprints with fixed timeframes and workloads, ensuring focused and achievable goals.

When comparing Kanban vs. Scrum, Kanban primarily emphasizes optimizing workflows and improving processes, while Scrum is designed to tackle complex projects and accelerate task completion.

2.2. Kanban vs. Scrum: Roles

Kanban Roles

The Kanban team typically consists of two key roles:

• Service Request Manager (SRM): Acts as the liaison between the customer and the business, ensuring that customer needs are met while maximizing value. The SRM considers factors such as cost of delay, complexity, and technical risk. By applying predefined value criteria, the SRM enhances transparency and consistency in decision-making, enabling the team to become more self-sufficient.
• Service Delivery Manager (SDM): Focuses on overseeing service quality and ensuring timely and appropriate responses to customer demands. The SDM plays a critical role in maintaining efficiency and optimizing workflow.

Unlike Scrum, Kanban does not enforce strict role definitions, and teams can adapt responsibilities based on their specific needs.

Scrum Roles

The Scrum team consists of three defined roles, each with distinct responsibilities:

• Product Owner: Represents project stakeholders and ensures that development aligns with business goals. The Product Owner is actively involved in the development process, answering questions, reviewing completed work, and prioritizing tasks. Their role fosters collaboration between the team and stakeholders.
• Scrum Master: Acts as a coach and facilitator for the team, ensuring adherence to Scrum principles. The Scrum Master leads meetings, removes obstacles, and keeps the team focused on sprint goals. Their role is to maintain efficiency and promote Agile best practices.
• Development Team: Composed of three to nine professionals responsible for executing tasks as prioritized by the Product Owner. The team is self-organizing and cross-functional, working collaboratively to deliver high-quality results within each sprint.

While both frameworks emphasize teamwork and efficiency, Kanban roles focus on workflow management, whereas Scrum roles follow a structured Agile approach with distinct responsibilities.

2.3. Kanban vs. Scrum: Product Owner

Scrum Product Owner

In Scrum, the Product Owner plays a crucial role in defining and prioritizing product requirements. They collaborate closely with the Scrum Master, who facilitates the development process, ensuring that sprints are well-planned and executed. Unlike traditional project managers, the Scrum Master does not manage the team but rather guides and supports them in following Agile principles.

The Product Owner is responsible for:

• Defining the product vision and maintaining the product backlog.
• Prioritizing tasks based on business value and customer needs.
• Providing continuous feedback to the development team.
• Ensuring that sprint goals align with overall project objectives.

Kanban Product Ownership

Kanban does not require a specific Product Owner role. Instead, the Kanban board serves as the primary tool to align team members and track workflow efficiency. Since Kanban is focused on optimizing processes and reducing bottlenecks, ownership is decentralized—meaning that the entire team collectively ensures work progresses smoothly.

Key differences:

• Kanban is workflow-driven, not requirement-driven, so there is no need for a designated Product Owner.
• The team collaboratively identifies inefficiencies and adjusts processes as needed.
• Instead of working in fixed sprints, Kanban follows a continuous flow model, where tasks are pulled through the system as capacity allows.

2.4. Kanban vs. Scrum: Process

Scrum Process

The Scrum process begins with a product backlog, a collection of feature requests, enhancements, and bug fixes provided by clients or end users. Each requirement is written in the form of user stories, which describe the feature from the user’s perspective, following a structured format:

“As a (user role), I want to (action) so that (benefit).”

Once user stories are defined, they are broken down into smaller tasks and prioritized based on their business value and complexity. The team then estimates the effort required and selects a set of tasks to complete in the next sprint, a time-boxed period (typically 2-4 weeks).

At the end of the sprint, the team delivers a working component—whether it’s a new feature, an enhancement, or an updated UI. This ensures incremental progress, with each sprint contributing to the overall product development.

Kanban Process

Kanban also utilizes a backlog to track and manage tasks. Similar to Scrum, the backlog contains a list of work items that need to be completed. However, unlike Scrum, Kanban does not follow a strict sprint-based structure. Instead, it operates on a continuous flow model, where tasks move across different stages (e.g., Backlog → To Do → In Progress → Done) at their own pace.

Key differences between Scrum and Kanban:

• No fixed timeframes: Unlike Scrum sprints, Kanban allows tasks to be completed as soon as possible without predefined deadlines.
• No strict task volume limits: While Scrum teams predefine the workload for each sprint, Kanban has no rigid rules on how many tasks can be handled at a time—only Work in Progress (WIP) limits may apply.
• Real-time updates: Work is continuously prioritized and adjusted as needed without waiting for the next sprint cycle.

2.5. Work in Progress (WIP) Limits: Kanban vs. Scrum

Scrum WIP Limits

In Scrum, the development team commits to a fixed number of tasks at the beginning of each sprint. These tasks are determined during the sprint planning session, ensuring that the workload remains manageable within the sprint duration.

Key Scrum WIP Rules:

• Once a sprint begins, no new tasks can be added to the board until the sprint ends.
• The team must complete all committed tasks within the sprint timebox (typically 2-4 weeks).
• If a task is not completed within the sprint, it is moved back to the product backlog for future planning.

This structured approach helps maintain focus and predictability, ensuring that teams deliver working features at the end of each sprint.

Kanban WIP Limits

Kanban enforces Work in Progress (WIP) limits for each stage of the workflow, rather than setting a fixed number of tasks per iteration. These WIP limits help maintain workflow balance and prevent bottlenecks.

Example:
Imagine a team developing an app. If the backend team completes work faster than the frontend team, tasks will start piling up in the “Waiting for Frontend” column. In Kanban, WIP limits prevent this backlog from growing indefinitely.

How it works:

• Each workflow stage (e.g., “In Progress”, “Review”, “Testing”) has a maximum number of tasks allowed at a time.
• If a column reaches its WIP limit, no new tasks can enter that stage until an existing task is moved forward.
• This signals the team to adjust resources—for example, allocating fewer backend developers and more frontend developers to maintain workflow efficiency.

2.6. Task Devotion: Kanban vs. Scrum

Kanban Task Devotion

In Kanban, team members have individual responsibilities based on their expertise, such as coding, testing, or reviewing. However, flexibility is a key principle in Kanban.

How Kanban Works:

• If a team member finishes their task early while another stage (e.g., testing) faces difficulties, they have the freedom to choose their next task.
• They can either help a teammate (e.g., assist in testing) or pick another task from the backlog.
• This dynamic task assignment ensures a smooth workflow and prevents bottlenecks.

Scrum Task Devotion

In Scrum, the entire team is collectively responsible for delivering the sprint’s committed work.

How Scrum Works:

• The team commits to a set of tasks at the start of the sprint.
• Instead of individual ownership, the team works collaboratively to complete tasks.
• If someone finishes their task early, they help teammates complete the sprint goals rather than picking unrelated tasks.
• The focus is on team success rather than individual task completion.

Key Difference

• Kanban: Individuals own specific tasks but have flexibility in choosing their next task.
• Scrum: The entire team is devoted to all tasks in the sprint and shares responsibility.

Choosing between Kanban and Scrum depends on whether your team values individual flexibility (Kanban) or collective responsibility (Scrum).

2.7. Handling Urgencies: Kanban vs. Scrum

Scrum and Urgencies

Scrum teams rarely face unexpected urgencies because they follow a structured planning process:

Why Scrum Handles Urgencies Well:

• Pre-planned work: All tasks are analyzed, prioritized, and planned before the sprint begins.
• Predictability: Since Scrum is both adaptive and predictive, teams anticipate and prepare for potential challenges.
• Sprint commitment: Once a sprint starts, the team focuses only on pre-defined tasks, minimizing last-minute disruptions.
• Exceptions: If a critical issue arises, it usually gets scheduled for the next sprint instead of disrupting the current one.

Kanban and Urgencies

Kanban is more flexible when it comes to urgent tasks, as it does not follow a fixed sprint cycle.

How Kanban Handles Urgencies:

• Urgency swimlanes: Kanban boards often have a dedicated “Urgent” swimlane to highlight critical tasks that need immediate attention.
• Dynamic task assignment: If an urgent task arises, some team members can shift focus to resolve it without disrupting overall workflow.
• Continuous flow: Since Kanban doesn’t have predefined sprints, urgent tasks can be added at any time without waiting for a new iteration.

Key Difference

• Scrum: Follows a structured plan, making last-minute changes rare. Urgencies are usually handled in the next sprint.
• Kanban: More flexible, allowing urgent tasks to be tackled immediately using a dedicated swimlane.

If your team frequently deals with urgent, unplanned tasks, Kanban may be the better choice due to its adaptability. However, if stability and predictability are priorities, Scrum provides a more structured approach.

2.8. Reporting in Kanban vs. Scrum

Scrum Reporting: Burndown Charts

Scrum teams use a burndown chart to track progress during a sprint.

How Burndown Charts Work:

• Visualizes remaining work rather than completed tasks.
• Tracks sprint progress in real-time to ensure the team stays on schedule.
• Updated continuously to help team members manage workflow and adjust strategies if needed.

Why It’s Important?

• Helps the team understand their velocity and whether they will meet sprint goals.
• Makes it easy for stakeholders to see progress without detailed explanations.

Kanban Reporting: No Fixed Charts

Unlike Scrum, Kanban does not prescribe any specific charts for tracking progress.

How Kanban Teams Monitor Work:

• Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD): Shows how tasks move through different stages (e.g., backlog → in progress → completed).
• Lead Time & Cycle Time Charts: Measure the time taken from task creation to completion, helping identify bottlenecks.

Why It’s Important?

• Focuses on continuous improvement rather than sprint-based tracking.
• Teams can use customized charts based on their workflow rather than a predefined structure.

Key Difference

• Scrum: Uses a burndown chart to track work remaining in a sprint.
• Kanban: Does not require specific reports but often uses Cumulative Flow Diagrams and Lead Time Charts for analysis.

If your team needs structured progress tracking within fixed timelines, Scrum’s burndown chart is highly effective. However, if you prefer a flexible approach, Kanban allows you to choose the most relevant metrics for your workflow.

3. When to Use Kanban vs. Scrum?

When to Use Kanban

Kanban is ideal for teams that need a visual project management system to track workflow at a glance. It is particularly useful in non-engineering fields or for teams managing ongoing processes rather than time-boxed projects. Consider using Kanban if:

• Your team requires a clear visual representation of tasks and their progress.
• You need an at-a-glance understanding of where a project stands.
• Your team is not in software development, engineering, or product management.
• You manage ongoing workflows rather than projects with strict deadlines.
• Your work does not require rapid iterations within short cycles.

When to Use Scrum

Scrum is a great fit for Agile-based teams that work in fast-paced environments, requiring structured planning and quick iterations. It is particularly effective when teams need a clear framework for managing tasks within defined sprints. Use Scrum when:

• Your team works in software development, product management, or engineering.
• A more structured and organized workflow would improve efficiency.
• You have a large backlog of tasks that need to be systematically completed.
• Your team is motivated by quick deadlines and regular deliverables.
• You have a dedicated Scrum Master to facilitate meetings and sprint planning.

4. Scrum vs. Kanban: Which is Better?

The good news is that you don’t have to choose one over the other—Scrum and Kanban can complement each other effectively. Both methodologies aim to improve workflow efficiency, minimize work in progress (WIP), and shorten the delivery cycle. By doing so, they help teams receive feedback sooner, optimize their processes, and track progress more effectively.

Scrum vs. Kanban: Choosing the Right Fit

• Scrum provides a structured framework, ensuring that teams work within time-boxed sprints, follow well-defined roles, and complete work within a specific timeframe. This is ideal for teams working on complex projects that require frequent iterations and continuous improvement.
• Kanban, on the other hand, offers flexibility and continuous delivery without enforcing strict sprint cycles. It works best for teams that need a visual representation of their workflow, want to manage ongoing processes, or work on projects that don’t require fixed timeframes.

Scrumban: A Hybrid Approach

Many Agile Scrum Masters recommend combining Scrum and Kanban to create a hybrid approach known as Scrumban. This method merges the structured sprint planning of Scrum with the visual and flexible workflow of Kanban, leading to better efficiency and process optimization.

For example, teams can use Kanban boards within Scrum to:

• Visualize the workflow through different stages, making it easier to track work-in-progress.
• Organize sprint backlogs efficiently, ensuring that tasks are prioritized and managed effectively.
• Facilitate daily standup meetings by providing a clear visual representation of the current work status.

By implementing Scrumban, teams can enjoy the best of both worlds—structured planning with the flexibility to adapt as needed. This hybrid approach ensures that every Scrum cycle runs smoothly, leading to better results and more efficient project execution.

Conclusion

Both Kanban and Scrum are powerful Agile methodologies that help teams enhance efficiency, optimize workflows, and improve software development processes. While Scrum is best suited for teams that thrive on structured sprints, defined roles, and iterative development, Kanban offers flexibility by enabling continuous delivery and work-in-progress (WIP) visualization.

Understanding the key differences between Kanban and Scrum allows teams to choose the right approach based on their project needs, work environment, and business goals. Some teams may benefit from Scrum’s structured framework, while others may find Kanban’s adaptability more effective for their workflow. In many cases, a hybrid approach like Scrumban can provide the best of both worlds, ensuring structured planning while maintaining flexibility.

Ultimately, the choice between Kanban and Scrum—or a combination of both—depends on how your team collaborates, adapts to change, and delivers value throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).