10 Popular Misconceptions About Agile, Scrum, and Kanban
Agile Coaches' Corner
Misconception about Kanban and its Principles
This chapter discusses the common misconception that Kanban is an iteration-less framework and explains its values and principles. The key steps of Kanban, starting where you are, visualizing workflow, limiting work in process, measuring and managing flow, and continuous improvement, are highlighted along with guidance on how to start implementing Kanban.
In this week’s episode, your host Dan Neumann is going solo! He will be sharing the top 10 misconceptions he regularly runs into related to Agile, Scrum, and Kanban. Some of these myths include believing that Scrum is a methodology, that Agile is a process, and that following the mechanics of Scrum is sufficient enough to be an excellent team. Have you run into of these? Or do you believe them yourself?
Prepare to have 10 myths debunked! Tune in to hear them all and find out if you’re mistakenly falling for one of these misconceptions!
Key Takeaways
Misconception #1: There is an Agile process
Agility is 4 values and 12 principles
When the Agile Manifesto was created back in 2001 they defined the various values and principles from what they found was common in finding success; they didn’t just imagine what a new process might be
Misconception #2: Agile is good and every other approach is bad
Agile works really well for complex, challenging problems that require teamwork to deliver a solution to
Straightforward problems may not require agility; simple problems require simple solutions
Misconception #3: Scrum is a methodology
Scrum is a lightweight framework
Misconception #4: “We do Scrum… but…”
If you don’t follow the Scrum framework you’re not doing Scrum
By saying “We do Scrum… but…” you’re putting these cracks in the Scrum framework which is going to inhibit your team’s ability to be successful using the Scrum framework
Misconception #5: Following the mechanics of Scrum is sufficient enough to be an excellent team
Scrum’s effectiveness is really enhanced when teams embrace and understand the values behind the Scrum framework (focus, openness, respect, courage, and commitment)
When the values are not present, you can follow the mechanics but you’re really going to be lacking in your ability to become a high-performance team
Scrum values really bring the events, the roles, and the framework to life
Misconception #6: You can have a highly productive Scrum team without adopting good engineering practices
Though this might be true if you are organizing a group of volunteers to do yardwork for a non-profit, it doesn’t work for delivering a working increment of software every sprint
You will be very challenged as a Scrum team if you do not have good engineering practices that are agreed upon as a team
If you don’t take time to continually practice intentionally growing your engineering skills to share those with the team that’s going to limit the ability for your Scrum team to be highly productive
Misconception #7: We can do Scrum without improvement
The retrospective at the end of each sprint is an opportunity for your team to become intentional about committing themselves to continuous improvement
No Scrum team is going to be perfect right out of the gate, but you’ve got to commit to continual improvement
Misconception #8: Running to Kanban because the Scrum boundaries are uncomfortable
It’s difficult to put together a product increment every sprint but these are opportunities for growth and improvement; not your reason to run away and use a different approach
A misconception about Kanban is that it is an iteration-less framework; in reality, Kanban has values and principles just like Scrum
Misconception #9: You don’t “go to” Kanban
You apply Kanban’s values to the work that you’re doing and you embrace those principles (in other words: you just start doing Kanban)
Do not invent a new workflow that you imagine will work; just start with where you are
Misconception #10: Scrum and Kanban are mutually exclusive
They work incredibly well together, so feel free to use them together
You can use the information you glean from Kanban to help improve your team’s ability to deliver using the Scrum framework
What myths do you run into?
Share them by tweeting using the hashtag #AgileThoughtPodcast or email them to Podcast@AgileThought.com!
Mentioned in this Episode:
Agile Coaches’ Corner Podcast Ep. 19: “Eric Landes on Kanban Metrics in the Scrum Framework”
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott
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