Lessons from My Coaching Experience
When I first started coaching Agile teams, I was often asked one question more than any other:
“Should we use Scrum or Kanban?”
At first, I gave textbook answers. Now, after guiding multiple teams — from product developers to marketers and analysts — I’ve come to realize that this isn’t a question of which is better, but which fits your context, culture, and cadence.
Let me share what I’ve learned along the way.
Where Scrum Shines
Scrum works beautifully when teams need structure, rhythm, and clear delivery goals. It brings people together in short, time-boxed sprints — with clear planning, daily stand-ups, reviews, and retrospectives.
When I worked with a team building an IoT learning platform, we adopted Scrum.
The regular Sprint Planning sessions helped everyone understand the scope. The team loved the focus that the Sprint Goal brought, and the retros gave us space to grow continuously.
Scrum is ideal if:
- Your team works on complex, evolving products
- You need a consistent cadence and structure
- There’s a clear need for defined roles and ceremonies
But I’ll be honest — Scrum isn’t for every team.
Where Kanban Wins
I once coached a small operations team that handled support tickets, system checks, and ad hoc requests. We tried Scrum. It frustrated them. Why? Their work was interrupt-driven — no sprint backlog could contain it.
We switched to Kanban.
No roles to define. No ceremonies to schedule. Just a visible flow of work, clear WIP limits, and a shared focus on throughput. The team’s stress went down. Their delivery rate went up. The system fit their flow.
Kanban is ideal if:
- Your team handles continuous work or service delivery
- Priorities change often
- You want flexibility over fixed iterations
What I’ve Learned as a Coach
There is no one-size-fits-all.
Scrum works best when you need predictability. Kanban shines when you need flexibility. But sometimes, a hybrid approach works — we call it “Scrumban.” I’ve supported teams that start with Scrum, but gradually loosen some rules and add flow-based tracking as their maturity grows.
As a coach, my role is to help teams reflect on:
- The type of work they do
- The kind of collaboration they need
- Their pain points and aspirations
Only then do we pick a framework — or shape one.
Final Thoughts
So… Scrum or Kanban?
It depends on your team’s reality, not preference. Don’t choose based on what’s trendy. Choose based on what helps your team deliver value and grow sustainably.
If Scrum gives your team structure — use it.
If Kanban frees your team to flow — embrace it.
If neither fit perfectly — shape your own path.
At the end of the day, Agile isn’t about the framework — it’s about finding what works, inspecting often, and adapting without fear.
Want to discuss what’s best for your team?
Let’s chat: jamessimba1@gmail.com