Scrum + Kanban = Scrumban

While much is written about the advantages of scrum over traditional approaches like Waterfall, in a single line it makes things easier for all the stakeholders of project. Kanban, on the other hand, is a lean manufacturing process. It is used for a logistic control system. Kanban is a Japanese term which means “Visual board” or “Card you can see.”

Scrumban is a hybrid of scrum and kanban process.

Scrumban = Scrum + Kanban

Let’s see the main characteristics of both methodologies:

Scrum

1. Cross-functional, self-organized teams
2. Time boxed approach where iterative development leads to potentially shippable code
3. Inspect and adapt the approach

4. A prioritized list of features to be worked upon in a given sprint

Kanban

1. Visualize workflow
2. Use named column to indicate the current state of an item in the workflow
3. Limit work in process: By assigning explicit limit on items in work it helps a lot for situations where there is a constant need for re- reprioritization of items and task switching

Scrumban Can Be Used

• For maintenance of different applications
• For event-driven work, like IT support/help desks
• Projects with frequent and unexpected user stories

Here is a typical workflow or Kanban board for maintenance project:

Why scrumban is suitable for a maintenance project:

• High priority/show stopper items can popup any time
• Need to work on items as and when they appear. No prioritized and committed PBIs
• Still go in a time boxed approach using scrum with having limit on WIP
• Can easily visualize work items
• Instead of velocity, a kanban metric cycle time is used, which gives us more realistic information (i.e. a time a ticket takes to complete) measured from when it is first began
•  You can still use sprint retrospectives to identify what was done right and what can be improved

If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about Scrum, check out our compendium of tutorials and articles.