Kanban, Scrum, and Waterfall

Product management often relies on established frameworks, notably Agile and Waterfall. Both approaches provide distinct advantages and challenges. Understanding these methodologies is vital for product managers aiming for successful project outcomes and forms a strong foundation for effective product development. By the end of this reading, you will be able to explain the distinctions between Agile and Waterfall, demonstrate how to break down the Agile approach into Kanban and Scrum frameworks, and highlight each approach’s respective strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases within the context of product management.

The Agile approach

Agile is a project management philosophy rather than a strict set of instructions. It emphasizes flexibility, adaptability, and responding quickly to changes. Methodologies like Kanban and Scrum have been developed to bring the philosophy to life through practical application. The Agile Manifesto, a document outlining the core values and principles of Agile development, emphasizes:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

These principles, further detailed at https://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html, underscore the importance of iterative development, continuous feedback, and collaboration.

Key benefits of Agile include increased flexibility, faster feedback loops, improved collaboration and communication, and higher customer satisfaction.

Kanban, for instance, is particularly effective in dynamic environments with ongoing changes and requests, such as enterprises dealing with software development. Consider a large software company managing multiple projects simultaneously, needing to maintain clarity and order despite shifting demands. Kanban offers a visual method, often implemented using digital boards like Microsoft Planner, where tasks are represented as cards moving through columns denoting stages of progress—from 'To Do' to 'Done.' This visualization helps teams identify bottlenecks and prioritize tasks efficiently, making workflow visible to everyone involved. In a B2B software development context, Kanban can be used to manage the ongoing development of a complex platform, such as a customer support system. The Kanban board provides a real-time view of the status of various tasks, from feature requests to bug fixes, ensuring that the team can quickly respond to customer needs and deliver value continuously.

A Kanban board typically consists of columns such as "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done." Tasks are represented as cards that move across these columns as they progress. Each column may have a work-in-progress (WIP) limit to control the amount of work in each stage.

However, Kanban's flexibility can occasionally lead to challenges, such as a lack of structure and potential difficulty in anticipating exact timelines for task completion. This requires teams to maintain self-discipline and effective communication to fully utilize its capabilities. To mitigate these challenges, teams using Kanban often implement practices such as limiting work in progress (WIP) to prevent bottlenecks and ensure a smooth flow of work. Regular team meetings and reviews are also crucial for maintaining alignment and addressing any issues that arise.

Key Kanban metrics include:

• Cycle time: The time it takes for a task to move from 'To Do' to 'Done.'
• Lead time: The time it takes from when a request is made to when it is completed.

On the other hand, Scrum is a more structured agile methodology emphasizing iterative progress through defined time-boxed segments known as sprints. For example, a B2B enterprise software development team might adopt Scrum to structure the development process of a customer relationship management tool. Through Scrum, they break the project into smaller, manageable sprints of two to four weeks. At the end of each sprint, Microsoft Teams can facilitate the demonstration of completed tasks to stakeholders, enabling immediate feedback and necessary adjustments. This iterative process helps align development with user requirements and market needs.

Scrum provides a framework that includes specific roles and events:

Scrum roles:

• Product owner: Responsible for defining the product backlog and prioritizing features
• Scrum master: Facilitates the Scrum process and removes obstacles for the team
• Development team: A self-organizing team responsible for delivering the product

Scrum events:

• Sprint planning: Planning the work to be done in the sprint
• Daily scrum (Stand-up): A short daily meeting to discuss team progress
• Sprint review: A meeting to demonstrate the work completed during the sprint
• Sprint retrospective: A meeting for the team to reflect on the sprint and identify areas for improvement
• Backlogs: The Product Backlog is a prioritized list of features and requirements. The Sprint Backlog is a subset of the Product Backlog selected for a specific sprint.

Despite its advantages, Scrum's rigidity might not suit all teams, particularly those thriving in environments requiring rapid adjustments. Implementation demands a dedicated team embracing agile values, underscoring the need for a committed team structure and roles like the Product Owner and Scrum Master. Scrum's time-boxed nature can be challenging for projects with highly unpredictable requirements or those that require constant changes in direction. In these cases, a more flexible approach, such as Kanban, might be more appropriate. However, for projects with well-defined goals and a need for predictable delivery, Scrum can provide a valuable framework for success.

Other Agile frameworks include Extreme Programming (XP) and Lean.

Waterfall: Predictability and structure in product development

Unlike agile methodologies, Waterfall is characterized by a linear approach emphasizing predictability and clear documentation. This methodology is structured for environments where regulatory compliance and a strict adherence to documented requirements are paramount, such as in the development of enterprise-grade security software. Here, a product development team may rely on phases, from requirement analysis to design, development, testing, and deployment, ensuring a comprehensive review at each phase before proceeding. In Waterfall, each phase must be completed before the next one begins, creating a sequential flow of work. This approach is often used in industries where changes are costly or difficult to implement after a phase is completed, such as construction or aerospace.

Waterfall's linearity suits projects with fixed requirements and timelines, where changes during development are costly or potentially disruptive. However, this rigidity can also be a downside in fast-paced industries where adaptability and responsiveness to user feedback are critical. Therefore, selecting Waterfall often hinges on the project's nature—such as government contracts requiring meticulous documentation or B2B environments needing clear deliverables and timelines. For example, the development of a large-scale enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for a government agency might utilize Waterfall due to the need for strict adherence to regulations and detailed documentation for auditing purposes. The Waterfall approach ensures that each phase of the implementation, from requirements gathering to testing and deployment, is completed and approved before moving on to the next phase, minimizing the risk of errors and ensuring compliance.

Balancing Agile and Waterfall in product management

The debate between Agile and Waterfall often sparks discourse within the product management community. Agile's adaptability suits evolving projects, while Waterfall's predictability fits defined deliverables. It is important to acknowledge that the choice between Agile and Waterfall is not always a binary one. Many organizations adopt hybrid approaches that combine elements of both methodologies to suit their specific needs. For example, Kanban suits ongoing changes, Scrum complex dependencies, and Waterfall regulatory projects. Team experience and organizational culture also influence selection of the methodology. New Agile teams might start with Scrum before transitioning to Kanban.

An example of a hybrid approach might involve using Waterfall for initial requirements gathering and planning, then transitioning to Agile for development and iteration. Another example is using Agile for software components and Waterfall for hardware components in a project.

Real-world examples in enterprise software and B2B

An enterprise software company managing its customer support platform's ongoing development across departments can leverage Kanban's visual tracking, often via tools like Microsoft Planner. This enables teams to prioritize and streamline workflow, ensuring timely updates and bug fixes. For example, a customer support team might use a Kanban board in Microsoft Planner to track support tickets, feature requests, and knowledge base articles

A B2B enterprise developing a new cloud service with evolving customer needs can utilize Scrum. Dividing the project into sprints, with Microsoft Teams facilitating communication during daily stand-ups and sprint reviews, allows for iterative feedback and continuous product adjustments. Similarly, a software company developing a cloud-based marketing automation platform might use Scrum for delivering new features and updates, leveraging Microsoft Teams for daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and sprint reviews.

Conversely, large-scale enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations for government agencies often follow the Waterfall methodology due to strict regulatory compliance and budget limitations. This sequential approach ensures all requirements are met at each stage before proceeding, minimizing the risk of mid-project changes. For instance, implementing a new financial management system for a government agency might utilize Waterfall due to the necessity of adhering to financial regulations and providing detailed documentation for auditing, ensuring thorough completion and approval of each phase, from requirements gathering to testing and deployment, thus minimizing errors and ensuring compliance.

Mastering methodologies like Kanban, Scrum, and Waterfall equips product managers with crucial tools for driving project success across industries. No single method fits all situations; the choice should align with specific project needs, team dynamics, and organizational context. Understanding each methodology's nuances allows product managers to make informed decisions, tailor their approach, and guide their teams toward high-quality deliverables within constraints. Ultimately, the most effective product managers adapt their approach to specific project needs, combining methodologies and tools for success, and excel at fostering collaboration.