Kanban vs Scrum: Which Method Fits Your Team?

Scrum and Kanban solve the same problem in two ways. Both make work visible and manageable. Scrum relies on fixed time boxes, Kanban on a managed flow. Both methods have freely available guides: the Scrum Guide in its 2020 edition and the Kanban Guide, last updated in May 2025.

How do Kanban and Scrum differ?

The main difference is the rhythm. Scrum plans in fixed Sprints, Kanban in a continuous flow. The table summarises the differences as described in the two guides.

How does Scrum work?

Scrum organises work in Sprints. According to the Scrum Guide, a Sprint lasts one month or less and always has the same length. It starts with Sprint Planning and ends with the Sprint Review and the Retrospective. In between, the team meets every day for the Daily Scrum, which takes no more than 15 minutes.

The Scrum Team is small and has no sub-teams. The guide says it is typically ten or fewer people and defines three accountabilities:

• Product Owner: orders the Product Backlog and is accountable for the value of the product. The guide stresses that this is one person, not a committee.

• Scrum Master: establishes Scrum, coaches the team and the organisation and removes impediments.

• Developers: plan the Sprint and deliver an Increment that meets the Definition of Done.

Scrum pays off when a team works on one product and can regularly show a usable intermediate result. Typical cases are software, an app, a new online shop or a website relaunch (anything with a clear goal).

How does Kanban work?

The Kanban Guide defines Kanban as a strategy for optimising the flow of value through a process. It describes three practices that work together:

• defining and visualising the workflow,

• actively managing items in the workflow,

• improving the workflow.

The central tool is the WIP limit. WIP stands for work in progress: items that have been started but not finished. The team decides how many items may be in progress at the same time. New work only starts when capacity becomes available.

The Kanban Guide names four flow metrics: WIP, throughput, work item age and cycle time. Kanban does not prescribe roles or fixed iterations. Our glossary has a short definition of Kanban.

Which method suits your team?

The type of work decides, not the team's taste. Our editorial rule of thumb: if work arrives in plannable packages, choose Scrum. If it arrives continuously and unpredictably, choose Kanban.

Scrum works well for

• product teams developing software or an app,

• projects with a clear goal and results every two to four weeks,

• teams that can dedicate one person to the Product Owner role.

Kanban works well for

• support and service teams handling incoming tickets,

• marketing and content teams with many small requests,

• administration, accounting and office management,

• teams whose members also have other duties.

Hybrid approaches are possible. Some teams plan in Sprints and manage the work within each Sprint on a board with WIP limits. The method's name matters less than a clear rule that everyone on the team knows.

Which tool features do you need?

Almost every project management tool can display tasks on a board. A board alone does not make a Kanban or Scrum tool. Check these features before you choose:

Vendors spread these features differently across their plans. According to its pricing page, ClickUp includes Sprints in its free plan. At monday.com, sprint management is part of the monday dev product from the Standard plan upwards. MeisterTask puts Kanban boards at the centre. Our project management software comparison gives an overview with a focus on data protection.

Look at data protection as well as features. Tasks often contain names, customer data and internal information. Under the GDPR you therefore need a data processing agreement with the vendor. Our guide to choosing SaaS tools explains a structured selection process.

Getting started in four steps

1. Capture the work: for two weeks, note which requests reach the team and where they come from.

2. Choose the method: plannable packages point to Scrum, ongoing requests to Kanban.

3. Set up a tool: map your real workflow in a free plan or trial.

4. Review after four weeks: where does work pile up? Adjust columns, limits or Sprint length.

The first step costs nothing: sketch your current workflow as a board on paper. After that, it is worth looking at specific tools, for example in our Asana review.