Kanban vs Scrum Workflow

Kanban and Scrum are different approaches to managing work. Neither is universally better—the right choice depends on your team's context, work type, and organizational needs. This guide helps you choose and implement the right workflow.

Comparison

Scrum Overview

Sprint-Based Work

SCRUM FRAMEWORK
═══════════════

ROLES:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Product Owner: Prioritizes backlog
├── Scrum Master: Facilitates process
├── Development Team: Does the work
└── Clear responsibilities

CEREMONIES:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Sprint Planning: What to do
├── Daily Standup: Sync and blockers
├── Sprint Review: Demo work done
├── Retrospective: How to improve
└── Regular rhythm

ARTIFACTS:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Product Backlog: All work
├── Sprint Backlog: This sprint's work
├── Increment: Deliverable output
└── Visible work

SPRINT CYCLE:
─────────────────────────────────────
Planning → Development → Review → Retro
    └──────────────────────────────┘
              2 weeks (example)

WHEN SCRUM WORKS:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Product development
├── Teams can commit to sprints
├── Want predictable delivery
├── Need regular stakeholder feedback
├── Benefit from planning rhythm
└── Feature work

Kanban Overview

Continuous Flow

KANBAN FRAMEWORK
════════════════

PRINCIPLES:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Visualize work
├── Limit work in progress
├── Manage flow
├── Make policies explicit
├── Continuous improvement
└── Flow-based

KANBAN BOARD:
─────────────────────────────────────
│Backlog│ To Do │In Prog│ Review │ Done │
│       │  (3)  │  (3)  │  (2)   │      │
├───────┼───────┼───────┼────────┼──────┤
│ Item  │ Item  │ Item  │ Item   │ Done │
│ Item  │ Item  │ Item  │ Item   │ Done │
│ Item  │ Item  │       │        │ Done │
│ Item  │       │       │        │      │

Numbers = WIP limits

WIP LIMITS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Why limits matter:
├── Prevents overload
├── Exposes bottlenecks
├── Finish before starting new
├── Improves flow
├── Reduces context switching
└── Essential for Kanban

WHEN KANBAN WORKS:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Support teams
├── Bug fixing
├── Operations work
├── Unpredictable inflow
├── Can't commit to sprints
├── Maintenance work
└── Continuous flow

Choosing Between Them

Decision Framework

CHOOSING YOUR APPROACH
══════════════════════

CHOOSE SCRUM WHEN:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Building new products/features
├── Team can protect sprint time
├── Want predictable delivery
├── Stakeholders want regular demos
├── Need velocity for planning
├── Work can wait for sprint
└── Planning-friendly context

CHOOSE KANBAN WHEN:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Support/ops work
├── Interruptions are normal
├── Work can't wait
├── Team composition changes
├── Need maximum flexibility
├── Continuous deployment
└── Flow-friendly context

CONSIDER HYBRID WHEN:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Mixed work types
├── Want structure + flexibility
├── Transitioning between methods
├── Neither pure approach fits
└── Scrumban may work

QUESTIONS TO ASK:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── How predictable is incoming work?
├── Can we protect sprint time?
├── Do stakeholders need regular demos?
├── How often do priorities change?
├── What does the team prefer?
└── Context determines choice

Scrumban Hybrid

Best of Both

SCRUMBAN
════════

WHAT IS SCRUMBAN:
─────────────────────────────────────
Combine:
├── Sprint planning (from Scrum)
├── Retrospectives (from Scrum)
├── WIP limits (from Kanban)
├── Pull-based work (from Kanban)
├── Flexibility during sprint
└── Hybrid approach

SCRUMBAN WORKFLOW:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Plan sprint (loose commitment)
├── Pull work from backlog
├── WIP limits enforced
├── Can add work during sprint
├── Regular retrospectives
└── Flexible but structured

WHEN SCRUMBAN:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Transitioning from Scrum to Kanban
├── Feature + maintenance mix
├── Want planning but need flexibility
├── Team is mature and disciplined
└── Best of both worlds

IMPLEMENTATION:
─────────────────────────────────────
Sprint planning:
├── Plan enough for 1-2 weeks
├── Not full commitment
├── Leave capacity for unplanned

During sprint:
├── Pull from backlog
├── Respect WIP limits
├── Can add urgent items
├── Complete before starting new

End of sprint:
├── Review what was done
├── Retrospective
├── Plan next sprint
└── Continuous improvement

Implementation

Setting Up Your Workflow

IMPLEMENTING YOUR WORKFLOW
══════════════════════════

SCRUM SETUP:
─────────────────────────────────────
1. Define sprint length (2 weeks recommended)
2. Assign roles (PO, SM, Team)
3. Create backlog
4. Schedule ceremonies:
   ├── Sprint Planning: Sprint start
   ├── Daily Standup: Same time daily
   ├── Sprint Review: Sprint end
   ├── Retrospective: After review
5. Start first sprint
6. Iterate and improve

KANBAN SETUP:
─────────────────────────────────────
1. Map current workflow to columns
2. Set WIP limits (start high, reduce)
3. Create policies for each column
4. Populate board with current work
5. Start pulling work
6. Measure and improve

GITSCRUM WORKFLOW:
─────────────────────────────────────
For Scrum:
├── Create sprints
├── Plan backlog items into sprint
├── Track velocity
├── Sprint board view
└── Scrum ceremonies

For Kanban:
├── Use board view
├── Set WIP limits per column
├── Track lead time
├── Continuous flow
└── No sprint boundaries

Metrics

Measuring Success

WORKFLOW METRICS
════════════════

SCRUM METRICS:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Velocity: Points per sprint
├── Sprint goal achievement: %
├── Burndown: Progress toward goal
├── Commitment accuracy: Planned vs done
└── Predictability focus

KANBAN METRICS:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Lead time: Request to done
├── Cycle time: Start to done
├── Throughput: Items per period
├── WIP: Work in progress
├── Cumulative flow: Bottleneck detection
└── Flow focus

BOTH:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Quality metrics (bugs, rework)
├── Team satisfaction
├── Customer satisfaction
├── Business outcomes
└── What matters most

GitScrum Support

Tool Features

GITSCRUM FOR WORKFLOWS
══════════════════════

SCRUM FEATURES:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Sprint management
├── Sprint planning view
├── Velocity tracking
├── Burndown charts
├── Sprint goal tracking
└── Scrum-ready

KANBAN FEATURES:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Customizable columns
├── WIP limits
├── Drag and drop
├── Lead time tracking
├── Continuous flow view
└── Kanban-ready

FLEXIBLE:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Use sprints or not
├── Customize workflow
├── Track your way
├── Adapt to team
└── Tool supports both

Best Practices

For Workflow Selection

1. Start somewhere — Don't over-analyze
2. Iterate — Adjust based on experience
3. Team input — They do the work
4. Context matters — One size doesn't fit
5. Focus on outcomes — Not methodology purity

Anti-Patterns

WORKFLOW MISTAKES:
✗ Force-fitting methodology
✗ Following blindly without adapting
✗ Ignoring team feedback
✗ Changing too frequently
✗ No WIP limits in Kanban
✗ Interrupting sprints in Scrum
✗ Methodology over outcomes
✗ Not measuring

Related Solutions

• Setting up your first sprint
• Running effective retrospectives
• Managing team workload balance