Almost every single tech company uses Agile or Scrum (or also Waterfall or Kanban or a combination). Why? Which is better? What is different? Should you use both? When are they best implemented together? What is a scrum master and should you have one? These are just a few of the many questions a tech company asks itself when deciding to implement Agile or Scrum, or both.
All are project management frameworks. Simply put, Agile is a management system for software development and the cycle of development, testing, and deployment/integrating/implementation. It is an incremental, iterative approach to software development. You have a defined goal and a defined timeline of reaching this goal with various steps, check-ins, feedback, and testing along the way. All of this is outlined in the Manifesto for Agile Software Development and its 12 Principles. Agile helps to bring cohesiveness between individuals on a team and also between different departments with very different tasks, that are all working towards the same larger goal. While the Agile system is very clearly detailed, it can look very different at different companies and ultimately this makes sense bc it it’s a framework and mindset at its core. The mindset of being agile and highly adoptable and responsive to change. Most companies report some paint points as they introduce Agile into their company but employees tend to enjoy working with an agile mindset and it helps with productivity, testing, and cross departmental collaboration. Being agile is crucial to business success; you must be able to adopt and change to stay ahead of the curve.
Similarly, Scrum is a project management system similar to Agile. It is a subset (a framework) of Agile. One of its most defining/recognizable features are the sprints. Most companies use a two-week sprint cycle. The main objective is outlined at the beginning and each step of what needs to get done along the way and how long this would take it split up into these two-week sprints. At the end of each sprint, you have an opportunity to revise end goals or what is needed to get there. If you are able (and not working with a client with a very strict deadline), you might determine that you need to add an extra sprint cycle to have time to implement a new feature that you did not previously realize was needed. With Scrum, you will deliver your software at the end of each sprint. You have a Scrum Master who is in charge of this entire Scrum process and communicates effectively with all of the departments involved. The Scrum Master becomes the voice behind this entire process. Each person will have a specific role on the Scrum team and there are many Scrum terms that you will need to learn in the Scrum Glossary. People love Scrum because it provides for accountability, transparency, project development visibility, and higher productivity. Scum and Agile are both awesome platforms that help your business manage and balance of of things in the pipeline for awesome software development and deployment!
