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ScrumvsKanban
What is the difference between Scrum and Kanban?
Updated 2 min read7 differences
In short
Scrum organizes work into fixed-length sprints with set roles and goals, while Kanban is a continuous flow on a board that limits how much work is in progress.
Scrum
Scrum is an Agile framework in which a small team delivers a product in fixed-length cycles called sprints, using defined roles, events, and artifacts.
Read the page on ScrumKanban
Kanban is an Agile method that visualizes work on a board of columns and limits how many items can be in progress at once to keep work flowing smoothly.
Read the page on KanbanScrum and Kanban compared
| Aspect | Scrum | Kanban |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | Fixed-length sprints, usually one to four weeks | Continuous flow with no fixed iterations |
| Roles | Product owner, Scrum Master and developers | No required roles; existing roles stay |
| Planning | Sprint planning sets a goal for each sprint | Work is pulled in whenever capacity frees up |
| Limiting work | Only what fits in the current sprint | Explicit WIP limits for each column |
| Changes mid-cycle | Discouraged; new work waits for the next sprint | Allowed at any time if there is capacity |
| Key metrics | Velocity and sprint burndown | Cycle time, lead time and throughput |
| Best for | Product teams building features toward regular releases | Support, operations and teams with unpredictable incoming work |
The difference, explained
Scrum and Kanban are both popular Agile ways of managing work. Scrum breaks work into sprints, fixed time boxes of usually one to four weeks, with defined roles (product owner, Scrum Master and developers) and events such as sprint planning, the daily scrum, the sprint review and the retrospective. Kanban shows work as cards moving across columns on a board, like To Do, In Progress and Done, with no required roles or iterations.
The core difference is cadence versus flow. Scrum commits to a batch of work for each sprint and generally protects that sprint from new requests, which creates a steady rhythm of planning and delivery. Kanban pulls in new work whenever there is capacity and prevents overload with work-in-progress (WIP) limits, which cap how many cards a column can hold.
Many teams combine them in a mix often called Scrumban: they keep sprints and retrospectives but use a Kanban board with WIP limits. Scrum teams often track sprint work on a board anyway, so the tools overlap even where the rules differ.
A common misconception is that Kanban is just a board of sticky notes. Its real value comes from limiting work in progress and measuring flow, such as cycle time, the time an item takes from start to finish; a board without WIP limits misses most of the benefit.
Which one should you use?
Choose Scrum when…
- Your team builds new features and benefits from a regular rhythm.
- You want clear roles and structured planning and review events.
- Stakeholders expect predictable, time-boxed deliveries.
Choose Kanban when…
- Work arrives unpredictably, such as support tickets or incidents.
- Priorities change daily and cannot wait for a sprint to end.
- You want to improve an existing process without adding new roles.
Readers ask
Is Kanban Agile?
Yes. Kanban is widely used as an Agile method because it emphasizes continuous delivery, visible work and ongoing improvement, although it originated in lean manufacturing.
Which is better, Scrum or Kanban?
It depends on the work. Scrum suits teams delivering planned features in regular increments, while Kanban suits teams handling a steady, unpredictable stream of tasks.
What is Scrumban?
Scrumban is a hybrid that keeps some Scrum practices, like regular planning and retrospectives, while using a Kanban board with WIP limits to manage the flow of work.