Let us begin by looking at the simple differences between the two concepts. Agile methodology refers to a practice which breaks a product into small builds. In agile, development and testing practices are simultaneous, as opposed to other software development approaches.
The methodology is pro teamwork and promotes face to face communiqué. In other words, the agile methodology requires business, key stakeholders, and developers along with clients to collaborate in the development of a product. On the other hand, scrum methodology is simply a subset of agile and one of the most popular frameworks for the implementation of Agile. This is an iterative software development approach used in dealing with composite software as well as product development. It quickly and recurrently reviews an actual functioning software. More emphasis is put on accountability and joint effort and iterative progress geared towards a well-defined objective. Scrum methodology acknowledges the fact that there are likely to be changed in the requirements, or in most cases, they are not likely to be clearly known at the outset of a project. Let us discuss more details about each of the two methodologies.
Agile Methodology
Software development is founded on an incremental, iterative method. Rather than having significant planning at the outset of the project, the methodologies provide for adjustments to the requirements in the course of development and encourages continuous feedback from the final users. Cross-functional experts work on product iterations for a certain period of time with the work organized into logjam depending on the business or client value. As mentioned at the onset, the focus in agile methodology is on the team, accountability and personal communication.The 12 Principles of Agile Methodology
1. The top priority is to content clients through timely and continuous delivery of valued software2. Openness to changing requirements irrespective of the phase of development. The changes are adopted even late in the development to ensure the client gains a competitive advantage.
3. Frequent delivery of functioning software from weekly intervals to monthly intervals with a predilection to a shorter time period.
4. Business, developers and other key stakeholders to work as a team daily until the project is complete.
5. Projects are developed around motivated people. They are offered the setting and the support needed, along with the trust to undertake the project successfully.
6. Advocates for face to face communication as the most appropriate way of delivering information from one end to the other during the development.
7. Functioning software is the basic measure of the made progress.
8. Facilitates sustainable development through the maintenance of constant pace for an indefinite period.
9. A lot of focus on technical excellence and appropriate design.
10. Simplicity is the cornerstone of progress.
11. Self-organizing teams are needed for the finest architectures and designs.
12. The teams should regularly contemplate on how to be more effective and make necessary adjustments.
Advantages of Agile Methodology
As highlighted earlier, iterations are made regularly, each with revaluation. This significantly lessens the development cost and shorten the time spend. Agile help development companies to come up with the most appropriate product. The following are some of the advantages of Agile Methodology:a) There is room for changes. The methodology has shorter planning intervals which allow for changes to be made during the development of the product.
b) Quick but excellent delivery.
c) Clients are heard. The leadership of agile advocates for collaboration between all parties involved and this allows for the voices of consumers to be heard.
d) There is continuous improvement. The response from users and team members are used to make relevant adjustments and this guarantees continuous improvement.
e) The end-goal may remain unknown.
Disadvantages of Agile Methodology
There are problems associated with Agile.The following are some of the disadvantages often encountered:
a) Planning of the project may be less concrete. For instance, the delivery date cannot be clearly established because of constant changes in priorities.
b) It requires a very knowledgeable team. The teams are often small and therefore members are expected to be knowledgeable in different fields.
c) Possible neglect of documentation. The teams must establish the appropriate balance between the two basic aspects, documentation and discussion.
d) There are high chances of the end product being completely different due to the lack of a definitive plan.
e) It requires developers to commit to the whole time period of the project.
Scrum Methodology
Scrum is one of the most effective ways of implanting Agile. As an iterative software design, scrum follows an established set of roles and responsibilities along with meetings which never change. Sprints, often last for a period of 1-2weeks, makes it possible for the team of experts to develop software regularly.Advantages of Scrum Methodology
Scrum is a very strict model with certain functions and ceremonies. Learning Scrum methodology involves a lot. However, it has the following advantages:a) It is more transparent. Stand-up meetings are carried out daily and this means the teams clearly knows the responsibility of each person. This cancels confusions and misunderstandings.
b) More accountability in the team due to lack of a project manager to constantly direct team members on what has to be done and when it should be done.
c) The model easily accommodates changes due to short sprints and regular feedback.
d) It is cost effective.
Disadvantages of Scrum Methodology
While scrum methodology has a number of concrete benefits, it also has some drawbacks. The following are some of its disadvantages:a) It demands a lot of experience and commitment from the time.
b) An inappropriate scrum master may end up ruining everything.
c) Poor definition of duties can translate to inaccuracies
Key differences
To this end, these two methodologies are clearly understood. But again let us consider Scrum vs Agile based on the discussion above. The following are some of the notable differences:• While Agile is a development technique founded on the iterative and incremental approach, Scrum is simply an effective way of implementing Agile, or a subset of Agile.
• Leadership plays a significant role in Agile while in Scrum the focus is on the self-organizing team.
• While flexibility characterizes Agile, Scrum is a very rigid approach with very limited room for changes.
• In Agile methodology, there is a need for frequent delivery to the final user in order to obtain feedback while in Scrum, the build is provided to the end user after every sprint.
• While project the head controls everything in the agile approach, Scrum has no project leader and therefore the tasks are controlled by the entire team.
Conclusion
This blog has explicitly discussed Agile and Scrum methodologies. In agile, development and testing practices are simultaneous, as opposed to other software development approaches. Scrum is a subset of Agile. It is the most productive way of implementing Agile, though it is rigid. We have also looked and the pros and cons of each methodology along with some key differences. We hope you find this material helpful.
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