Are you an app startup looking to revolutionize your software development process? With the rise of agile methodology, you're not alone. In this article, we'll dive into three popular frameworks used in agile development - Scrum, Kanban, and Lean - and explore how each one excels.
Rise of Agile Methodology
The early 1990s saw a significant challenge for software development: the "application development crisis" or "application delivery lag." Industry experts estimated that this time gap amounted to approximately three years. In response, a group of experienced software developers gathered to brainstorm an alternative approach. Their objective was to replace the waterfall methodology, recognizing its inefficiency in building software that could effectively meet the demands of the internet era.
Agile software development surpasses the confines of specific frameworks like Scrum, Extreme Programming, or Feature-Driven Development (FDD). It extends beyond individual practices such as pair programming, test-driven development, stand-ups, planning sessions, and sprints. Agile software development is an umbrella term encompassing a collection of frameworks and practices that derive their foundation from the values and principles articulated in the Manifesto for Agile Software Development and its 12 underlying principles.
Scrum
Scrum is a widely adopted agile project management framework that provides teams with a structured approach to organizing and managing their work, guided by a set of values, principles, and practices. It promotes a learning-oriented mindset, empowering teams to self-organize and collaborate in solving problems while fostering a culture of reflection to drive continuous improvement.
Scrum is founded upon the concept of time-boxed iterations called sprints, which are designed to enhance team efficiency within cyclical development cycles. The key roles in Scrum include the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the Development Team. The artifacts include Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment. The key events include Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.
Scrum fosters transparency through visualizations such as sprint boards and burn-down charts. It promotes continuous improvement and adaptability by providing regular opportunities for inspection and adaptation. The iterative nature of Scrum enables incremental development, allowing teams to respond to changing requirements and deliver value in short cycles.
Kanban
Kanban is a visual system for managing work as it moves through a process. Kanban visualizes the process (the workflow) and the actual work passing through that process. Kanban aims to identify potential bottlenecks in your approach and fix them so work can flow through it cost-effectively at an optimal speed or throughput.
Kanban originated from the manufacturing practices of the Toyota Production System. It provides a framework for managing and optimizing workflow, promoting efficiency, and reducing bottlenecks. Kanban utilizes a visual board, typically divided into columns representing different stages of work, to visualize the flow of tasks or work items. In the Kanban framework, features are shipped and delivered immediately upon completion without adhering to a fixed schedule or predetermined due dates.
The core principles of Kanban include Visualize workflow, Limit Work in Progress (WIP), Manage Flow, and Continuous Improvement. Kanban is well-suited for organizations seeking to embrace the benefits of agility while minimizing drastic workflow changes. It is particularly suitable for projects where priorities frequently shift, and ad hoc tasks can arise anytime.
Lean
Lean, or Lean Manufacturing or Lean Thinking, is a methodical approach to managing businesses and improving processes that trace back to the Toyota Production System (TPS). Its core principles revolve around waste elimination, value maximization, and continual efficiency improvement, aiming to deliver top-notch products or services while minimizing costs and lead times.
In this context, waste refers to anything that does not contribute value to the final product, whether directly or indirectly. Examples include unnecessary meetings, product features that do not benefit end users, or redundant feedback loops.