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Kanban vs scrum

Last post 10:25 pm January 26, 2019 by Simon Mayer
2 replies
03:54 pm January 26, 2019

We have a team whose work is often dictated by customers whose requirements (or rather priority) may change at short notice. One moment, they need feature 1 added to the current sprint, but the next feature 2 is of more priority.

In a situation like that, would Kanban be a more effective Agile model than Scrum?


06:54 pm January 26, 2019

Are you delivering a complex product for which clear ownership would be valuable?


10:25 pm January 26, 2019

The title of this topic suggests that you can't combine Scrum with Kanban. That's a common misconception. Here's one example of how it could be done.

Another common misconception about Scrum is that you cannot change plan during a Sprint.

Whilst it usually comes with a significant cost (both financial and psychological), cancelling a Sprint is always an option for a Product Owner, whenever the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete.

If the Scrum Team sets a good Sprint Goal, it can also allow the team freedom in the way it is achieved. This often makes it easier to adapt to unforeseen changes.

Although I state there is a cost to cancelling a Sprint, there is also a cost to suddenly shifting focus, irrespective of the method used.

Could it be that there are certain challenges that would prevent both Scrum and Kanban from working correctly? For example, is there a clear vision for the future development of the product, and is the Product Owner in control of the Product Backlog?


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