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In the agile world how do agile, lean, and scrum compare
With all of the different methodologies, flavors of the month, and jargon it is very easy to get confused regarding how everything fits together. Are Agile and Scrum the same thing? What does it mean when someone says that they are LeanAgile? Is it really a thing or are they just trying to act like they know what they are talking about?
First, it is very common to mix up Principles with Tools. Principles can be applied to virtually every situation and are usually generic in nature. The principle of Joining is a great example. This principle states that joining things occurs when 2 or more things become affixed to each other. One tool that may be used to accomplish this principle is glue, and depending upon how strongly you want something joined, there are different types of glue that you may use. Other joining tools include nails, screws, marriage, contracts, database merges, ctrl+v, etc.
The principle that all of these tools employ is the same, but their specific methods of application differ greatly. Imagine trying to merge two companies using a finish nail, or attempting join two pieces of wood together with a contract. In the end, the best that we can do is to gather a number of different tools and understand the principles behind how and why they work. We should also be aware of which situations work the best for each tool. Last of all, we shouldn’t be afraid to modify a tool so that our results are improved and so that we don’t waste effort implementing something that doesn’t really apply.
So… back to the main topic. What is the different between Agile, Lean and Scrum? Agile and Lean are both collections of principles that can be used to solve problems, deliver better products and services, make a company productive and the customer happy. Agile and Lean talk about a lot of the same principles, but they may call them different things:
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Lean |
Agile |
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1. |
Create Value for the Customer. |
Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. |
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2. |
One Piece Flow (what is built today, shouldn’t affect what is built tomorrow, built one at a time). |
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage. |
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3. |
Continuous Flow. |
Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale. |
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4. |
Go To Gemba (to understand a problem you must go to where the problem is occurring i.e. IT can’t fix a business problem without going to the business). |
Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. |
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5. |
Employee Engagement. |
Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. |
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6. |
Visual Management. |
The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation. |
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7. |
Value is defined by the customer, and what they are willing to pay for. |
Working software is the primary measure of progress. |
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8. |
Focusing on the Process will generate the Results. The reverse is rarely successful. |
Agile processes promote sustainable development. |
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9. |
Takt and Stability – The steady beat/rhythm of production (unevenness is the largest waste). |
The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. |
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10. |
Discipline and the Pursuit of Perfection. |
Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. |
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11. |
Overproduction is a waste (producing more than is needed). |
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential. |
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12. |
Push decision making to the lowest possible level. |
The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. |
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13. |
Continuous Improvement or Kaizen. |
At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly. |
In many ways, Lean and Agile are synonymous. However, Lean is positioned to encompass all types of value creation, while Agile is more specifically targeted towards Product Development. Scrum, on the other hand, is a specific application of many of the Agile Principles. Scrum works well with software development teams in environments where the work can be broken down into very small pieces. The nature of technology infrastructure may not yet lend itself easily to Scrum.
