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Kanban vs Scrum: Meaning, Key Differences, Use Cases, and Which One to Choose
Explore the core principles, types, and major differences between Kanban and Scrum to help you choose the right agile framework for your projects.
#DrivingExpertLedTransformation
Christian Twiste
Chief Digital Officer
July 24, 2025
Table of Content
- Kanban vs Scrum: What You Need to Know
- Scrum and Kanban Explained
- Essential Kanban Concepts to Know
- Scrum's Three Pillars
- Kanban vs Scrum: Key Differences
- Kanban vs Agile
- Kanban vs Waterfall
- Scrum vs Kanban: When to Use
- When to Employ Kanban
- When to Apply Scrum
- When Dual Adoption Makes Sense
- Get Tailored Agile Solutions with Korcomptenz
- Final Thoughts
- FAQ’s About Kanban & Scrum
Kanban vs Scrum: What You Need to Know
Kanban and Scrum are project management frameworks for agile work that allow you to deliver work in incremental, smaller pieces with ongoing improvement. They are quite different in implementation, though.
Kanban emphasizes visualization of work, capping work in progress, and continuous flow. Scrum organizes work into time-boxed sprints with specific roles and responsibilities to deliver iteratively and regularly.
They both borrow from agile and lean philosophies, focusing on flexibility, openness, and minimizing waste. Scrum is more closely associated with the agile methodology, whereas Kanban offers more flexibility for implementation.
You don’t necessarily need to use one versus the other. Most teams use a mixture of the two to capitalize on each other’s strengths. Nevertheless, knowing the difference between Scrum and Kanban can guide you toward the approach or combination that best suits your workflow.
Scrum and Kanban Explained
Kanban: Kanban is a graphical project management method intended to make workflows more efficient and eliminate bottlenecks. At the center is the Kanban board, physical or virtual, broken out into columns that symbolize every phase in a process. Assignments are seen as discrete cards and travel across the board as they’re worked on, providing unobstructed transparency into status and bottlenecks.
The benefits of Kanban include making work visible and manageable, improving overall project clarity and flow. Its visual organization shines a light on task status and exposes bottlenecks, allowing you to allocate resources better and operational drag. The key benefits are:
- Easy visibility of workflow and progress.
- Faster delivery with better throughput.
- Increased predictability in results.
- Improved alignment between business goals and delivery.
Essential Kanban Concepts to Know
In software development, Kanban prioritizes simplicity and mastery through essential concepts:
Definition of Workflow (DoW): Establishes well-defined rules of what constitutes started, done, and how tasks should move through every stage.
Work in Progress (WIP) Limits: Limits the number of work items in each column to avoid overload and identify bottlenecks in advance.
Kaizen: Encourages a continuous improvement culture where each team member is motivated to make and execute process improvements.
Scrum: Scrum is an agile framework designed for complicated projects that require flexibility and rapid adaptation. It is based on brief, time-boxed development cycles called sprints, generally ranging from one to four weeks. Scrum teams are relatively small, five to seven people, self-managing, and commonly consist of a Scrum Master, a Product Owner, and a cross-functional development team.
With an iterative methodology, Scrum divides projects into manageable phases. This enables teams to deliver value in small steps while responding rapidly to changing priorities and needs.
Scrum's Three Pillars
Scrum is based on three pillars of principles that govern team behavior and decision-making:
Adaptation: Seizes change, enabling teams to change direction rapidly when necessary.
Transparency: Keeps everyone on track by maintaining the visibility of goals, progress, and decisions.
Inspection: Invites frequent inspection to catch problems early and drive ongoing improvement.
Kanban vs Scrum: Key Differences
Explore how these two agile approaches differ to guide your methodology choice.
| Aspect | Kanban | Scrum |
|---|---|---|
|
Cadence / Flow |
Continuous, pull-based workflow |
Time-boxed sprints, 1–4 weeks |
|
Roles |
No fixed roles: team collectively manages board |
Defined roles: Scrum Master, Product Owner, dev team |
|
Board Lifecycle |
Board runs continuously; items flow through stages |
Board resets each sprint; backlog is separate |
|
Scope / Prioritization |
Flexible; reprioritize with new items anytime |
Fixed sprint scope: new items wait for the next sprint |
|
Metrics |
Lead time & cycle time, cumulative flow diagrams |
Velocity, burndown charts, sprint goals |
Kanban vs Agile
Agile is a principle of project management that encourages flexibility, iteration, and continuous evolution, but isn’t technically a methodology in itself. It is concerned with reacting to change rather than being inflexible about planning and is best suited to fluid project environments.
Kanban implements Agile. As an Agile framework, Kanban offers tangible tools and workflows that facilitate Agile values, such as visualizing flow, responding to change, and encouraging team-level transparency.
Kanban vs Waterfall
Waterfall implies a linear project management approach in which the tasks are performed in a predetermined sequence until completion. Waterfall best applies to projects with precise requirements, few anticipated changes, and tight schedules or budgets.
Conversely, Kanban provides room for flexibility and constant adjustments as the project progresses. Although the two methods are different, you can still utilize a Kanban board in a Waterfall setup to help see the progress on tasks and enhance clarity.
Scrum vs Kanban: When to Use
Scrum and Kanban offer distinct benefits tailored to project requirements. It’s not always a Scrum vs Kanban situation—many teams adapt both to their needs to increase flexibility, transparency, and speed of delivery. Apply each where it works best or mix them to achieve the merits of both methodologies.
When to Employ Kanban
Kanban enhances process visibility, improves productivity, and fosters a culture of constant improvement. It can fit in with current processes seamlessly, so it is perfect if you prefer to implement Agile but are hesitant about overhauling the entire process. It works well in conjunction with Scrum as well, without disturbing accustomed practices.
When to Apply Scrum
Scrum enables teams to deliver quicker, enhance quality, and lower costs, particularly in complex projects or frequently changing environments. It is ideal for industries based on innovation or ongoing updates, including software development or product design, where continuous feedback and responsiveness are critical.
When Dual Adoption Makes Sense
Scrumban is a hybrid model that combines Scrum’s structured process with Kanban’s visual workflow tools. It provides a pragmatic method for teams versed in one to adopt the components of the other for greater flexibility and efficiency.
Get Tailored Agile Solutions with Korcomptenz
Korcomptenz helps you navigate the Kanban vs Scrum decision with clarity and precision. Our experts assess your workflows and recommend the proper framework, or a hybrid, to match your goals.
We guide you in understanding the difference between Scrum and Kanban, implement best-fit solutions, and support continuous improvement. With us, you gain a flexible, results-driven approach to agile transformation.
Final Thoughts
Kanban and Scrum both present impressive benefits, but the actual value comes in understanding when to use them and how, and of course ensuring they are properly supported throughout the project lifecycle. Using one framework or a mix of the two is fine, but correlating it to your team’s objectives and project complexity is the key to providing long-term results.
Korcomptenz offers extensive experience in software development consulting to enable you to streamline processes and respond to change quickly. We also excel in custom software development, making your agile approach work for your specific business requirements.
Transform the way you work and begin your agile journey with Korcomptenz today. Learn more about our services. Contact us for a free consultation!
FAQ’s About Kanban & Scrum
What is the primary difference between Kanban and Scrum?
Kanban employs a flow of continuous work with adaptable planning, whereas Scrum has fixed sprints with assigned roles and organized delivery cycles.
Can I combine Kanban and Scrum?
Yes, most teams follow a hybrid method to reap the benefits of both methods and adjust to project requirements more successfully.
When do I select Kanban instead of Scrum?
Use Kanban if you prefer to enhance workflow visibility, restrict disruption to existing processes, and introduce agile practices incrementally.
What are the principal roles in a Scrum team?
A Scrum team will usually consist of a Scrum Master, a Product Owner, and a small, self-organizing development team with cross-functional capabilities.
How does Kanban enable agile principles?
Kanban encourages agile values by making work visible, constraining work in progress, facilitating continuous delivery, and developing a culture of constant improvement.
