Several project management practices have been introduced over the years to ensure effective team management and optimal collaboration in the world of work. It can be difficult to decide which of the many tools and techniques are appropriate for individual projects. Many factors must be considered before choosing an optimal tactic for a team and then for a project. The waterfall model, a traditional plan-driven approach has been around for decades. It was too difficult to bring in changes if water fall model is followed. This has led to Agile mindset which is concentrating on individuals and interactions, over processes and tools
In this article, I will walk you through the terms Agile and Scrum. For many in the IT industry, Agile and Scrum are terms probably heard for a while. The two terms, Agile and Scrum may appear to denote the same thing. However, these terms have specific meanings, and it is important to understand how they linked together to get our work done.
Mapping of Agile principles to Scrum
Considering Agile as a mainstream movement in the software development from past 18 years, it is hard to believe that people still have confusion surrounding Agile and Scrum. Describing the differences between Scrum vs Agile is like looking for the differences between the words “Red” and “Colour”. Red is a type of colour and use of it depends on the specific taste of the users. The same can be applied on Scrum vs Agile. One is a subcategory of the other.
Agile is the philosophy, whereas Scrum is the process to implement the Agile philosophy. Scrum is limited in scope as it is just one of the various frameworks to implement the Agile methodology. Agile refers to a set of principles for building software through iterative development. Scrum is a specific set of rules to practice when implementing Agile software development. Both Agile and Scrum follow a systematic approach to get the best results or outcomes. Both aim to deliver the maximum value to business users through the optimum use of the resources. They also complement each other in some respects.
Agile emphasize on iterative development, where requirements and solutions advance through association between self-organizing cross-functional teams. The clients, business stakeholders, and developers work together throughout the project. Agile teams adjust their behavior according to the changing project needs. Scrum is a lightweight process framework to implement the ideas of Agile philosophy, and the most widely-used one. Scrum offers a powerful way to develop products. Scrum team setup provides more visibility in all the levels. Also, responsibility resides with in the Scrum team.
Agile be a set of road rules, infrastructure and the road itself which connects multiple locations to one another. This includes road signs, traffic lights, markings on the roads etc. Scrum is just a vehicle that we see frequently on those roads. They are delivering things or taking people to different locations, but they are all relying on the road rules as principles or guidance. If we see a project going with bad implementation of scrum, breaking the Agile principles, it is like someone changing lanes without indication, potentially putting lot of people in danger. To deliver business value that customer expects, we will need to follow Scrum guidelines that are derived from Agile principles.
In short: Agile explains why and Scrum explains how. Agile is a way to do things and Scrum is a way to get things done.
