If you’ve worked in project management or software development for some time, you’ve probably heard this question more times than you can count: Scrum or Kanban, which is better?
Honestly, I used to think one had to be better than the other. But after working with different teams and project types, I’ve realized something important: they solve different problems. In this blog, I want to share my practical understanding of Scrum and Kanban, how they work in real projects, and when I prefer one over the other.
Understanding Scrum (From the Ground Level)
Scrum is a structured Agile framework. It works in fixed time periods called sprints usually 1 or 2 weeks. Everything in Scrum revolves around these sprints.
How Scrum Works in Practice
- Work is planned in advance during Sprint Planning
- The team commits to a Sprint Goal
- There are daily stand-up meetings
- At the end of the sprint, we do a Sprint Review and Retrospective
As a PM, I’ve noticed Scrum works best when:
- Requirements are clear enough to plan
- The team is stable
- Stakeholders respect sprint boundaries
What I Like About Scrum
- Clear roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Dev Team)
- Predictable delivery (you know what’s coming at the end of a sprint)
- Strong focus on continuous improvement through retrospectives
Where Scrum Struggles
Scrum can feel a bit heavy sometimes. If priorities change frequently or stakeholders keep pushing “urgent” tasks mid-sprint, Scrum becomes stressful instead of helpful.
Understanding Kanban (The Flow-Based Approach)
Kanban is much more flexible. There are no sprints, no mandatory ceremonies, and no fixed roles. Work flows continuously.
How Kanban Works in Real Life
- Tasks are visualized on a Kanban board
- Each task moves through stages like To Do → In Progress → Review → Done
- The focus is on limiting work in progress (WIP)
From my experience, Kanban feels more natural for teams dealing with ongoing work.
What I Like About Kanban
- Extremely flexible
- Easy to adopt (no big process change)
- Great visibility of bottlenecks
- Perfect for maintenance and support work
Where Kanban Falls Short
Kanban doesn’t force planning or reflection. If the team isn’t disciplined, things can just keep flowing without real improvement or long-term direction.
When I Prefer Scrum
I usually go with Scrum when:
- Building a new product or major feature
- Scope is mostly known
- The team is cross-functional
- Stakeholders can wait until sprint end
Scrum gives structure and predictability, which helps both the team and management.
When Kanban Makes More Sense
I prefer Kanban when:
- Work is unpredictable
- There are frequent priority changes
- The team handles bugs, support, or small enhancements
- Fast response time matters more than sprint goals
Kanban helps keep things moving without unnecessary pressure.
My Honest Take: There’s No One-Size-Fits-All
Many teams think they must choose either Scrum or Kanban. In reality, some of the best teams I’ve worked with use a hybrid approach (Scrumban), Scrum structure with Kanban flow principles.
At the end of the day, frameworks don’t deliver projects, people do. The right framework is the one that helps your team work better, not the one that looks good in documentation.
