It is never ‘OR’, rather a much needed ‘AND’

‘Scrum doesnt work for us and hence we are planning to switch to Kanban’ is the most trending phrase in our industry dealing complex work.

However, the decision to switch from Scrum to Kanban typically arises not from Scrum shortcomings, but rather from challenges in your very own implementation.

It is ignorance to avoid your implementation challenges and try stick with such an excuse.

Let me help you understand the Red Flags of poor Kanban Adoption:

• Board without Policies: A board without Work In Progress (WIP) limits or policies isn’t a Kanban. WIP limits establish a pull-based system, which enhances both the flow and active management of the workflow.
• Ignored or Unused Metrics: Kanban goes beyond task visualization. Flow Metrics viz., Work In Progress, Work Item Age, Cycle Time and Throughput provide transparency and form a basis for improvement.
• Neglected Key Charts: Cumulative Flow Diagrams (CFD), Work Item Ageing Trend, Weekly Work In Progress Chart and Cycle Time Scatterplots aren’t mere decorations. They offer insights into workflow and guide improvement discussions.
• Not Ordering your Product Backlog Items: Kanban values focusing on value. Teams should continuously order (better sequence) high-value work and consider swarming on tasks for faster completion.
• Queued Work Mismanagement: Too many PBIs / tasks waiting, especially in validation, signals batching and inefficiency.
• Stalled Work Items: Items lingering without progress reveal bottlenecks.
• Infrequent Flow Discussions: Regular discussions about flow are vital. Stagnant items without discussions hinder improvement.
• Ignoring Feedback Loops: Kanban’s philosophy emphasizes continuous improvement through feedback loops. Ignoring feedback hampers the process.

Now that you read them, it is time for the bad news for all those who dream to cross that concrete curb anytime soon.

All that you read above as anti-patterns are very much the same and perfectly applicable with Scrum.

Hence if your current implementation doesnt challenge the status-quo and help get better overcoming these patterns with Scrum, you are not far away from disappointment with Kanban.

Take few minutes as a team to reflect on your current implementation challenges and associated excuses with Scrum. May be, a handful of practices needs to get revisited for a timely reset.

Remember, it is always Scrum and Kanban stronger together!

Or in the words of Dave West, CEO of Scrum.org, “Scrum with Kanban — building bridges and not walls”.