Applying Scrum with Kanban

Kanban is the perfect strategy for optimising flow, especially when applied with Scrum.

But how do they work in perfect harmony when for years the have been touted as adversaries?

My name is Andy Hiles and as an experienced Scrum Master, Scrum and Kanban trainer and a recognised contributor to the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams from Scrum.org, I felt there was a gap or lack of practical explanation between the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams and the content of the Professional Scrum with Kanban course.

Are you confused about the purpose of Story-Points?
Have you been asked 'When will it be done?' and not had any confident answer?
Or indeed been asked to provide velocity calculations or number of sprints as a deterministic solution?
Perhaps you are under confident in applying Kanban or unsure of how it could complement your Scrum Team?

My aim for this book was to present a more complete view of how someone could actually utilise the guidance and learnings in a practical way, for teams, in real life. Hence, this book was my way of trying to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together to fit some sort of practical, relatable experience.

The story follows Katie as an experienced Scrum Master struggling to satisfy the demands of the stakeholders and the management team in her organisation. After a particularly difficult day at work Katie realises that the answer she has been looking for has been hiding in plain sight all along.

With the help of the rest of the Scrum Team and a bit of guidance from an experienced coach, Katie soon learns the power of combining both Scrum and Kanban to maximise value and leverage flow.

★★★★★

Teams and organizations around the world are looking to Agile as a way of providing a simple way of dealing with complex changes while still retaining a level of business agility – the ability to stay relevant in the market place, to fight off the market place disruptors.

Agile has slowly been dominating the approach that many organizations are taking. Frameworks such as Scrum and strategies like Kanban have fought for popularity as teams try to use these tools as a way of managing the complexity and risk associated with building, maintaining and changing products.

In the public domain, Agile communities have tended to side with each technique individually and has ended with lots of media information titled ‘Scrum vs Kanban’, as if it is a choice for one or the other.

This book builds upon the release of the Kanban guide for Scrum teams from Scrum.org that highlights utilizing both techniques together can help teams optimize the flow of value they deliver. Or in other words provide advice and best practices for teams performing complex product change.

Not really such a pointless book afterall!