If you are exploring the world of project management for the first time, then it might be a daunting task to get familiar with various approaches, methodologies, and processes. Project management is a very wide domain that includes numerous roles and responsibilities of a project manager.
A project manager is responsible for managing, planning, and leading the projects. However, the first and foremost step for a project manager is to choose the suitable project management methodology for project completion. There are several project management methodologies and two of them are Agile and Scrum.
In this article, let’s take a look at the differences between Agile and Scrum.
What is Agile?
Agile is a project management approach, which breaks down the project into small parts known as iterations, or sprints. The agile team focuses on delivering each sprint of a project at a time, rather than delivering the entire project at once. This project management methodology is widely utilized in software development to ensure that the cross-functional team is rather organized and on track at all times.
The basic underlying principle of agile methodology is to offer flexibility to make changes as and when needed and meet the goals and objectives of the project. Agile methodology revolves around its 12 core principles.
What is Scrum?
Scrum is another project management methodology that is considered a subset or a part of agile methodology. It focuses on promoting accountability, teamwork, and function during the iterative approach. Scrum includes a process that determines the team who will do the work, how it will be completed, and by when it can be completed.
Moreover, the concept behind Scrum methodology is to deliver projects in the shortest time by breaking them into phases or sprints. And during each sprint planning, the Scrum team is responsible for identifying a small part of the scope that is to be completed during the upcoming sprint, which takes 2 to 4 weeks. Ultimately, at the end of each sprint, the team delivers the work to the client.
Top Differences between Agile and Scrum
It can be a bit confusing to find the similarities between Agile and Scrum as they both work on the iterative approach. However, the key difference is that Agile is a project management methodology that is based on a set of principles and values. On the other hand, Scrum comes under the broader umbrella of Agile methodology and is used to facilitate a project.
A few other differences are as follows:
- The agile team involves professions coming from different cross-functional teams, while Scrum has specific roles such as Scrum Master and Product Owner.
- In agile the topmost priority is customer satisfaction, while in Scrum the key focus is to deliver maximum business value.
- In agile, the project head is responsible for managing and taking care of all project tasks, while in Scrum, the tasks are managed by the entire team.
Conclusion
Both Agile and Scrum may be based on the same idea to provide a smooth experience to the customers in the project management domain or software development. Regardless, there are significant differences between the two project management methodologies, and they cannot be substituted with each other. If you liked this guide, let us know in the comment section.
About the Author:
Chetan Sharma is a professional digital marketer and blogger at heart. He owns multiple educational blogs like HSSLIVE and many others.
