What Is Scrumban?
Do you want to use Scrumban for your project but aren’t sure how it works? Or do you want to explore different project management methods? Either way, this particular method is a great one to learn more about — it takes two popular management methods, fuses them, and brings you the best of both worlds.
What is Scrumban?
Scrumban is an agile development method that fuses Scrum and Kanban project management styles. It was created for teams who want to start using a pull-based system instead of batch work. A pull-based system means that you’re only starting new work when there is demand, or pull, for it.
This hybrid design takes Scrum’s structure and Kanban’s visual appeal and ability to adapt to create something truly unique. Scrumban is one of the few project methodologies that allows you to change details of your work without delving into chaos.
That isn’t the only reason people use it. Scrumban can also be used as a steppingstone from Scrum to Kanban. This is because the jump can be tough, especially for software developers. And who can blame them? It can get quite complicated. This combination offers a far less drastic option — teams can practice in Kanban without giving up the cushioned structure of Scrum.
Before getting into how Scrumban works, we’ll talk about Scrum and Kanban separately.
What is Scrum?
Scrum is an agile framework. It can develop, deliver, and sustain complicated products. Although it was created to be used for software development, other fields have begun using it as well. As an undefined, empirical process where actions and plans are developed according to consistent feedback and experience, Scrum maintains its value by upholding a few key principles.
The three pillars of Scrum are:
- Transparency
- Inspection
- Adaptation
As with any project management methodology, Scrum implements individual roles to assist with delegation, leadership, and organization amongst a collaborative team. The main roles essential to Scrum are Scrum master, product owner, and development team.
The team tracks its progress in daily 15-minute meetings followed by sprints, or periods of work. And when the project finishes, they have a sprint review to reflect on their work.
What is Kanban?
Kanban is a Japanese word meaning billboard. It got this name because visualization is an integral part of the process. Participants use visuals of in-progress and pending work items, which keep them up to date with work. Kanban boards ensure visualization of your entire team’s work, standardization of workflow, and identification of any blockers or dependencies for a quick resolution.
Visually, Kanban works by sorting actions into categories, which are displayed across a horizontal access to demonstrate progress throughout a campaign.
The basic version of a Kanban board consists of a 3-step workflow: To Do, In Progress, and Completed, however, depending on the general structure or size of your team and the objective of the tasks at hand, you can map the workflow to meet your specific requirements.
Now, let’s see how you can use both these processes together.
The Method
Scrumban takes the best parts of two different methods and fuses them, which means that you’ll be using a standard Kanban board format (To-do, doing, done), but you’ll be adding prioritization levels into the mix. Work is organized in the following ways:
1) Iterations
Work iterations are one of the most important elements of Scrumban projects. These are mini scrum sprints, and are kept short so the team can easily make changes to their work if they need to. Iterations are measured in weeks and typically kept below two.
However, the specific time depends on the progress and work ethic of each team. Most teams use a measure called ‘velocity’ to determine trends and issues in their work. This ensures continuous improvement and provides insight used to determine specifics for the iterations.
2) On-demand planning
Scrumban works based on demand. This means teams only begin planning once the planning trigger goes off. This trigger is linked to the number of tasks on the team’s ‘To Do’ list. A planning event is set up when the number goes below a certain value.
The number depends on the team’s velocity and the time needed to complete the next iteration. These new tasks are then added onto the “To Do” section. Additionally, you can also implement 15 minute standup sessions as you’d implement in Scrum for daily check-ins.
3) Prioritization
The next element of Scrumban is prioritization. Teams decide what tasks they will pay more attention to during the planning event. This means that the ‘To Do’ list will specify what tasks need to be done first and which ones can be done later.
This prioritization can be done by one of the following:
- Listing them in order — the most important goes at the top
- Adding priority numbers to the existing list
4) Bucket size planning
Scrumban uses this type of preparation to set up long-term goals. It is based on a system with three buckets. Each one represents a stage in the plan — 1 year, 6 months, and 3 months. Work items must follow the process before they can go up on the Scrumban board.
1-Year Bucket
This bucket targets long term goals. For example, plans to enter a new market, putting out a new product, etc. Once a company decides to go ahead with a certain item, it is moved to the 6-month bucket.
6-Month Bucket
Work items moved here are just ideas. They need plans, and that’s what this bucket is for. The item is moved to the next bucket when the company has a plan and is ready to implement it.
3-Month Bucket
Along with the work item, the various requirements are moved here too. The project is then divided into clear tasks. And team members draw them from this bucket during their planning meeting, following which they begin their work.
5) The Board
A simple Scrumban board has three columns:
- To Do
- Doing
- Done
After each planning meeting, tasks are added to ‘To Do’. When a team member starts a task, it is moved to ‘Doing.’ And as soon as they finish, it goes to ‘Done.’
This board reflects the progress of the team. The columns are changed and increased according to their progress. Some of the most popular add-ons are priority columns.
6) Work In Progress Limits
In the Scrumban method, one person shouldn’t be doing more than one task at a time. This ensures that the team works effectively.
These also set bounds for what they have to do and when. For example, if a team is working on a few User Stories, they use WIP limits to keep iterations short. A planning trigger is then put in place to let a team know when they have to plan next.
7) The Team
Scrumban doesn’t place a limit on the specific number of team members or their roles. In most situations, people keep the roles they had before using it. Also, these team members can choose what task they want to do themselves.
However, team roles are specialized and not as cross-functional as you’d expect to see in Scrum teams.
8) Pull Principle
Unlike other methods, the project manager does not control who does a task in Scrumban. This ensures a smooth process flow where all members of the team are satisfied with their work item and are equally busy at all times.
9) Feature freeze
Feature freeze is used when a project is reaching its deadline. Once it is put in place, no new tasks can be added.
10) Triage
Triage typically follows feature freeze. The manager decides what tasks will be completed and which will be left unfinished. Hence the team only focuses on the vital parts of the project and forgets the less important ones.
If you put all of these together, you’re likely left with a Kanban board divided into the “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done” categories, with additional information about prioritization and timing based on the buckets you assign. The flow of work is dictated by a “pull” principle, which means work isn’t started until there is a trigger to set it into motion. Here’s a great Scrumban graphic from Eylean that gives an overview of Scrumban at a high level:
Other tools
Since Scrumban keeps track of projects, you do need some tools to make it work. For example, small iterations manage teamwork. The most common tools for this are visual boards. Some teams use sticky notes or a whiteboard to illustrate the different steps of the project.
On the other hand, decentralized teams use visual management software. This can be any of the following:
Conclusion
Scrumban is an excellent solution for any team who needs Scrum’s structure and Kanban’s flexibility. It’s also a great half-way point between the two for those looking to transition.
But at the end of the day, it is just a project management method and the outcome depends on how companies implement it. If done right, they can see huge benefits. But if not, all they will see is stagnation. Understanding the process is crucial.
