The most important differences between a Kanban process and Scrum

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• Focus:Scrum focuses on delivering working product increments in each sprint. Kanban focuses on continuous flow and optimizing workflow efficiency.
• Planning:Scrum uses sprint planning to define the work for each iteration. Kanban relies on a pull system, where work is pulled from a prioritized backlog when capacity becomes available.
• Iterations:Scrum uses time-boxed iterations. Kanban has no set iterations; work progresses continuously.

When to Use Kanban:

• Unpredictable workload:Kanban is ideal for situations with a constantly changing flow of work or unpredictable work items.
• Focus on continuous improvement:Kanban excels at streamlining workflows and identifying bottlenecks for continuous improvement.
• Gradual change:Kanban is well-suited for organizations that want to gradually adopt Agile practices without a drastic shift.

When to Use Scrum:

• Predictable workload:Scrum is effective when the scope of work is well-defined, and project requirements are relatively stable.
• Delivering working increments:Scrum is valuable when delivering functional product increments at regular intervals is crucial.
• Structured teamwork:Scrum's defined roles and ceremonies (e.g., sprint planning, daily stand-up) create a clear structure for team collaboration.

Kanban Board: A Kanban board is a visual tool used to represent the workflow stages of work items. It typically has columns representing different stages (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done). Work items (often represented by cards) flow through these stages, providing a real-time view of progress. Kanban Board in Scrum (Not Common): While not a core element of Scrum, some teams might use a Kanban board within a sprint to visualize the flow of work within the current iteration. This can help the team manage tasks within the sprint timeframe. Impact of WIP Limits in Kanban: WIP (Work in Progress) limits are a core principle in Kanban. They restrict the number of tasks that can be in each workflow stage simultaneously. This helps to:

• Improve focus:By limiting WIP, team members can focus on completing existing tasks before starting new ones, reducing context switching and improving efficiency.
• Identify bottlenecks:WIP limits expose bottlenecks in the workflow by highlighting stages where work items tend to pile up. This allows for process improvement efforts.
• Predict lead times:By monitoring the flow of work through the board with WIP limits, teams can estimate the time it takes for a work item to move from start to finish (lead time).

In essence, WIP limits are a core concept in Kanban that promotes continuous flow, reduces work in progress, and improves overall project delivery efficiency.  

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Kanban vs. Scrum: Key Differences and Use Cases

Kanban and Scrum are both popular Agile project management methodologies, but they have distinct approaches. Here's a breakdown of their key differences and ideal use cases:

Differences:

• Structure: Scrum is a more structured approach with fixed-length sprints (iterations) and defined roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team). Kanban is more flexible, lacking set timeboxes or roles.