Change is constant and inevitable. Professionals working in IT/Software development heard these two terms “Agile and Scrum” frequently used in that field and nowadays it is used in other industries also. Now come to the first point, everything needs to adapt to change in this world, projects are not exempt. Agile is a one of the project management methodology that how a team or particular project responds to change especially in this fast ever changing business environment.
The other Scrum is a framework created based on agile project management principles. This framework used to make teams work together for common goals. So in this article we can compare both the terms to understand their difference and benefits more better.
What is Agile?
Project management is evolving over the period of time through various philosophies and methodologies. Traditional methods have some flaws such as more structured planning, more complex documentation, difficulty in standardized and getting tough to adapt changes. To rectify this agile was firstly introduced in the software development field with an agile manifesto created by the agile alliance the form group of software practitioners as standard document in 2001.
It clearly states about the agile principles and practices and how to apply them in software development for faster delivery without compromising quality. Agile project management is completely different from the traditional method, it’s mainly focused on step by step approach, prioritisation and collaborative work teams.
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What is Scrum?
Agile project management methodology is the base and it’s created various project management frameworks such as Kanban, Extreme programming (XP), PRINCE2, Adaptive Project Framework (APF), Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Lean and finally Scrum also one of it.
Scrum is one of the most used agile frameworks created for those teams that work in a collaborative work environment and efficiently deliver the final output within specified short time cycles (Sprints). It breaks down the total project into smaller tasks,has daily standup meetings to discuss progress with structured guidelines instead of rigid sets of strict rules, and it allows flexibility to team.
Scrum Masters is facilitator of scrum framework into the teams, they also act as coach and leader to effectively implement scrum practices into the team members, make them contribute to organisational success and capable to overcome challenges through various iterative processes. To be certified scrum master explore this CSM Certification training course.
Agile vs Scrum: Key Differences
| Aspect | Agile | Scrum |
| Type | Agile is Methodology | Scrum is the Framework, created based on Agile. |
| Focus | Agile focuses on delivering value incrementally and responding to change throughout the project lifecycle. | Scrum focuses on delivering value through short, time-boxed cycles called sprints, generally taking 2-4 weeks. |
| Values | As per Agile Manifesto there are four core values in Agile: Individuals & Interactions, Working Software, Customer Collaboration, and Responding to Change. | Scrum has five core values: Commitment, Courage, Focus, Openness, and Respect. |
| Team Size | Suitable both larger team and smaller teams | This is suitable for teams with 5 to 9 members. |
| Some Notable software development frameworks | Scrum, Kanban, Lean, SAFe, Adaptive Software Development (ASD), Rapid Application Development (RAD) | Scrumban, Disciplined Agile (DA), Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) |
| Roles | No specific roles, Roles vary depending upon the framework implemented. | Scrum Master, Product Owner, Development Team |
| Events | Agile methodology used agile ceremonies to conduct processes that are, Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-up, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective | There are five core Scrum events: The Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective. |
| Communication | Traditional face to face communication | Daily mandatory scrum meetings conducted by scrum master. |
| Deliverables | Focus on delivering working software regularly | Focus on delivering working software regularly at the end of each sprint |
| Artifacts | There are no specific artifacts. | three core Scrum artifacts are the Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Product Increment. |
| Adaptability | continuous adaptability throughout the project | Adapts within the time-boxed sprints |
| Compatibility of Cross-functional teams | Agile is a mindset, it works for cross-functional teams, but effectiveness depends upon which framework is used. | Scrum is a better framework than Agile for cross-functional teams. |
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Benefits of Agile methodology
- Agile methodology used in projects where needs to adapt change fastly and respond to that change, make good choice of method for projects with rapid change environments.
- Making faster time-to-market delivery means encouraging release of the product into the market to get quick review from customers and if any changes apply, implement them on a going basis.
- Agile’s iterative approach encourages the quality of the software as first priority Testing through the software development process makes a path to high quality products.
- By following agile principles, developers regularly assess the software during sprints. So they can fix potential obstacles or bugs before it escalates. So agile encourages better risk management.
- Agile teams work in short time periods, sometimes referred to as sprints. So because of fixed shorter durations, managers can easily predict the budget and plan more efficiently finance wise.
Benefits of using Scrum Framework
- Scrum is based on an iterative and incremental approach, projects are split as small sprints and deliver the output as phase wise and ensuring the faster delivery without delay and not compromising in quality.
- Scrum process has daily standup meetings and regular feedback which organised by Scrum master make team work better communication and collaboration environment.
- Organisations using Scrum frameworks are easily adapted to change at any phase of the projects.
- Delivering the smaller portions of products and collecting customer feedback through progress make customers aware of the progress, feel confident, and keep them informed about the project regularly.
- Scrum encourages regular feedback and retrospectives,makes teams identify areas for improvement and continuously improve processes to attain better quality and efficiency.
Conclusion
Professionals use both terms Agile and Scrum often to mix up, Agile is more of a general way of thinking about creating software. Scrum, on the other hand, is a more concrete system for putting Agile ideas into action. It’s all about working in short bursts and letting teams manage themselves. So both are used in the project management industry as philosophy and framework respectively. Hope to understand this difference and benefits now you get a clear idea about these terminologies.
