When it comes to project management, there are many different approaches, methodologies,
and frameworks that can be used to achieve your project goals
One of the most widely used project management philosophies is Agile
Though popular in IT and software development, Agile’s adaptive nature makes it attractive to
fast-moving teams across many industries
In fact, 71% of organizations report using Agile methods at least some of the time
So, what exactly is Agile project management?
When Agile was first developed, it was articulated through something called the Agile Manifesto
The Agile Manifesto lays out four core values and 12 principles that describe the processes and priorities of an Agile team
The four Agile values are:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Alongside these values, the creators of the Agile philosophy crafted 12 principles
some of which encourage early and continuous delivery,
collaboration with stakeholders, and a supportive working environment
The 12 principles also stress the importance of self-organizing teams, simplicity,
and reflections “on how to become more effective”
along with fine-tuning practices based on these reflections
These are the 12 principles that act as the foundation of Agile development and project management:
One, Satisfy the the customer through continuous delivery
Two, Welcome changing requirements
Three, Work toward frequent delivery within shorter timescales
Four, ongoing and daily collaboration between the project team and stakeholders
Five, building projects around motivated individuals
Six, convey information through face-to-face interactions
Seven, An understanding that working software is the primary measure of progress
Eight, Agile promotes sustainable development through its processes
Nine, an emphasis on technical excellence and good design
Ten, Simplicity by maximizing work not done
Eleven, The best architectures and design emerge from self-organizing teams
Twelve, Regular reflection on how to become more effective
Within the Agile methodology, two of the most widely used frameworks are Scrum and Kanban
These days, Agile Scrum is the more popular framework
and interpretation of the original values and principles of the Agile approach
Let’s dive into the practices of Agile Scrum teams
Now that you understand the basics of Agile, you may be asking yourself "What makes an Agile team?"
How do they interpret and incorporate the Agile approach for better, more efficient project delivery?
Let’s start with the anatomy of an Agile Scrum team
How do Agile Scrum teams work?
1-4 week cycles called “sprints”
Daily standup meetings
Sprint retrospective at the end of the cycle
Rapid feedback
Close collaboration with customers and stakeholders
Agile Scrum teams are self-organizing in nature
Typically, these teams are very adaptive, reacting to the customer or project’s needs,
rather than predicting them from the start
They are also quick, constantly adjusting their processes to enable delivery, in short,
fast-paced cycles — called sprints
Ideally, one sprint will last from one to four weeks
This is to ensure that teams are not planning too far ahead
and they are refining their processes in order to optimize customer delivery
This is ideal for projects that have the potential to evolve over time,
ones where the deliverable can be released in increments,
and also projects that require consistent customer feedback
Typical roles in an Agile Scrum team include:
Team lead or Scrum master, team member, and product owner
A team lead, or Scrum master,
“coaches” the group and paves the way for them to reach the project’s goals
They have the crucial skills needed to help teams overcome obstacles such as resource limitations,
poor communication, and other roadblocks
Team members primarily work on the product
They could be the engineers, members of the creative team, or even the designers
In short, the team members are the ones doing the bulk of the day-to-day project work
The product owner is responsible for product vision and priorities
Think of it this way. If the project is a plane, the product owner would be the Captain
But not every Agile team is the same
Different frameworks help teams apply the Agile philosophy in a variety of contexts
Let’s now discuss Kanban, another framework within Agile
Where Scrum is cyclical in nature, Kanban is more like a river that flows
Instead of pushing tasks down the production line, they are, instead, “pulled” based on what the project
requires and what has already been completed. Adapted from auto manufacturer Toyota’s production
process in the 1940s, Kanban imagines a much leaner approach to Agile project management
Generally, the Kanban method operates by moving tasks along a Kanban board
with at least three production phases — or columns
These phases are:
Backlog or To-do
In Progress
Completed
More columns can be added depending on your team workflow
For instance, if you have an approval step in your specific process,
you may add a “waiting for sign off” column
These tasks are represented as “cards” or sticky notes
The Backlog is the ranked to-do portion of the Kanban board
The In Progress phase represents the tasks that are currently being worked on by members of your team
Once a task has been attended to, it is moved from the “In Progress” section of the board to the “Completed” section
Though the Kanban method may seem fairly straightforward,
there are five steps to successfully implementing it
Step 1: Visualize the Workflow
Step 2: Limit the Work-in-Progress (WIP)
Step 3: Measure & Manage the Flow
Step 4: Make Process Policies Explicit
Step 5: Use Models to Recognize Improvement Opportunities
Kanban is often ideal for projects where continuous delivery is essential
And, like Scrum, Kanban also prioritizes process improvement — an important principle of Agile
Scrum and Kanban are just two examples of contrasting Agile frameworks
Here’s what sets them apart
Scrum teams support incremental delivery,
whereas Kanban is much more focused on workflows and moving tasks from "To-Do" to "Completed"
You’ll also find that Kanban is less ritualistic, while Scrum relies on events
like daily Scrum meetings, sprint reviews, and sprint retrospectives
So, what is the best Agile framework for project management?
Well, that depends on your project requirements and other factors
though Scrum is the most popular framework in use today
While Scrum teams are cross-functional and iterative in nature,
Kanban represents a more flexible Agile approach — favoring continuous task flows
Though Agile represents a broad philosophy and general approach to project management,
different frameworks like Kanban and Scrum help teams interpret it according to specific projects,
clients, and how their teams work best
If you’re looking to implement Agile at your organization,
Wrike can help you choose the framework that works best for your team
Our Kanban boards, custom workflows, and custom dashboards
mean that planning your next sprint or organizing your product backlog is a breeze
Check out our other videos to learn about
other project management methodologies, frameworks, and techniques