Title: Scrumban: Our journey within Agile

We had the opportunity to take a Scrum Master course and apply those learnings into our company. That experience made us reflect on the way we work and understand a framework we thought we knew more about than we really did.

In the following sections, we'd like to share with you the key concepts of the Scrumban method, as well as some lessons we've learned from this experience.

Our Agile Journey

Aligned with the 12 principles of the Agile Manifesto and convinced that agile is the best way to develop software, we began our journey to find a framework that suits the low complexity of our projects, scale, and size of our teams.

Since Agile is based on flexibility and adapting to the needs of the team and the project, we wondered what if we try Scrumban?

Scrumban

Scrumban tries to find a middle ground for teams that find Scrum too rigid and Kanban too flexible. In this way, we can take elements from both frameworks and combine them to get the best tool that suits our own team and project needs.

Scrum

Scrum is undoubtedly the most used framework in the industry. It is a lightweight framework that allows collaborative work between teams, generating value through adaptive solutions to complex problems.

The purpose of Scrum is to drive teams to move forward together, in a self-organized way, learning through experiences, reflecting on their victories and defeats in order to achieve continuous improvement and produce value.

Kanban

Kanban is a visual system that allows work to be managed as it progresses through a continuous process. It is more flexible and does not require roles, allowing it to be applied in smaller teams.
Kanban is often the best approach for projects that provide a service, support for software already delivered, or when priorities are continually changing.

Advantages of Scrumban in Small Companies

Scrumban is an ideal framework for small companies like ours. It provides structure without sacrificing flexibility, which is especially important for teams that may have to shift priorities or adjust processes on a regular basis.

With Scrumban, we have been able to balance a structured approach with the ability to adapt to changes quickly, resulting in improved productivity and greater customer satisfaction.

Which One to Use?

Scrum might be the best choice for projects that are expected to develop and deliver products, with a high level of complexity and uncertainty, in a consistent manner. It's more structured, allows forecasting, emphasizes teamwork, accountability, and iterative progress towards a well-defined goal.

Kanban is often the best approach for projects that provide a service, support for software already delivered, or when priorities are continually changing.

Other methodologies such as Methodology XP or Extreme Programming are also used, but to a lesser extent than Scrum and Kanban.

Conclusion

Implementing Scrum, Kanban, or other agile development methodologies is about making adjustments and compromises where it makes sense. Small companies should at least try these practices first before abandoning them.

Ultimately, agile is about doing things rapidly, so keep trying new approaches with your small team until you figure out what works.
Scrumban is an excellent choice for small companies that need to balance a structured approach with the ability to adapt to changes quickly.

Don't be afraid to try new approaches - at Commit Studio, we've experienced firsthand the benefits of using Scrumban. We have successfully implemented this methodology in our projects and have seen significant improvements in efficiency and productivity. Contact us to learn more about how we can help your business achieve success results.