• Agile & Scrum Basics

The Shocking Difference Between Agile Working and Scrum

Scrum and Agile working are often used interchangeably. They are not synonyms; indeed, they can be different things. Yet they also have a lot to do with each other. What exactly is it about? Good question. Over the past 20 years, Agile and Scrum have grown in popularity. In the rapidly changing world with many digital and technological developments, we need a way to get a grip on projects.

Difference between Scrum and Agile

Get this in your head. Agile is another word for agile, and Scrum is an agile way of developing products. Agile is a body of thought, a set of principles for working agile. Scrum is a framework with defined roles and meetings, making it one of the ways to work Agile. Avoid Scrum becoming a synonym for Agile working. Make sure that people within an organization are first introduced to the Agile way of thinking and working. The moment it is clear what Agile means, then Scrumming is only a small step.

What are the best steps towards Agile? Scrum Academy is happy to help you clarify the opportunities of Agile working. And of course this can be done in combination with Scrumming.

Agile approach

Literally translated, Agile means “agile” or “nimble. Agile is a way of thinking that breaks down developments in a company and about project approaches into small pieces. In large projects, these small pieces each cover a number of weeks. This provides overview, but of course also flexibility.

The moment a different approach is needed later in a project, you can easily apply it in another small part of the project. For that reason, it is an ideal working method for a market that can be characterized as agile and changeable. Is it the case that the project course is already fixed? Then implementing changes becomes a lot more difficult. For the Agile approach and true Agile working, an open working atmosphere and a willingness to communicate is very important.

Scrum framework

With the Scrum framework, work is done in self-directed and multidisciplinary teams. These teams work together in “sprints” that almost always last two to four weeks. In these teams, you have different Scrum roles. Think of a Product Owner and a Scrum Master. The Product Owner sets priorities regarding the product and the Scrum Master guides the team. The different Scrum roles flesh out the self-organizing team.

This allows you to set goals quickly and also adjust them as needed. This makes it possible to respond smoothly to customer or client needs. For both Agile and Scrum, companies all have their own idea for the application.