Scrum and Kanban are undoubtedly the practical guides to doing agile. The popularity they have garnered over the last few decades has been overwhelming. Many agile practitioners prefer Scrum, Kanban and even newer methodologies like "Scrum-Ban"; the debate continues on which one you should choose. Let us try to unravel the key similarities and differences and their relevance in today’s software realm.
A Brief History of Scrum and Kanban
Have you seen a storekeeper stocking his supermarket shelf? When he observes that the shelf is near empty, he refills goods from the warehouse. The storekeeper never had a huge stock in his warehouse; he simply replenishes them when they near depletion. In effect, inventory levels are decided based on consumption pattern. In 1950s, engineers at Toyota were inspired by this model and adopted this in their factory floors. This practice smoothened their inventory levels and eliminated waste significantly. This system later came to be known as Kanban. Kanban simply enforces a strict work-in-progress limit and provides a visual understanding of progress of task.
