What is Scrumban? With Olatunde Adekunle

02/21/23 • 4 min

This week’s Trainer Talk is with Olatunde, SAFe Program Consultant (SPC). Tunde shares some reflections on how to merge the best of Kanban with the best of Scrum in an approach called “Scrumban.”

Key Takeaways:

Somebody asked me a question. The question was, “why do you need to Implement Scrumban?” First, I always ask, “what do you know about Scrumban?” They think it's a buzzword, a nice-sounding framework. But to answer their question, I've always encouraged them: What do you like about Kanban? They said they loved the transparency. Fantastic. They said they love the implementation of the WIP limits. They love the fact that they can see throughput. Throughput is the amount of work they have completed based on past data. What don't you like about Kanban? They will say, “we don't like that you don't have immediate benefit realization.” Their releases are two months. They don't like the fact that it doesn't have defined roles. They don't like that it is the delivery team, the Kanban team, and then the product owner. Then I pivot. What do you like about Scrum? Well, now they say they like the defined three roles. The Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the Delivery team, the Scrum Team. They also like transparency and accountability. Well, if you like the best things that you love about Scrum added to the best thing that you love about Kanban, then merge them. Now you have Scrumban.

How do you implement it? Scrum always talks about early validation of working software as our greatest priority. That's principle number one behind the Agile Manifesto. So, for early validation, instead of three months in Kanban, move it to two weeks. Instead of two weeks, move it to three weeks. Instead of three weeks, you can move it to a month. Thirty days. That's it. And then you have backlog refinement. So, practice continuous refinement of your backlog and its priorities. Keep the WIP limit. Keep it. Do you like the Retrospective? Let's add it. You have daily stand-up, which creates daily accountability in Scrumban. You have backlog refinement and continuous refining of the product backlog. You have retrospectives, you'll always find other ways that we can get better. And once a month, always do a demo. Always do a demo to leaders. Always do a demo to stakeholders. And that is some of the biggest benefits of Scrumban. This is the way to go any time you want to merge the benefits of Scrum, plus the transparency and the continuous work-in-process of Kanban. Merge them, then you have Scrumban.

Related to this Episode:

A complete list of the current SAFe Training by AgileThought.

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Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

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Key Takeaways:

Related to this Episode:

A complete list of the current SAFe Training by AgileThought.

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

Previous Episode

Lead Without Blame with Tricia Broderick

This week, Dan Neumann is joined by a long-time acquaintance and friend, Tricia Broderick, a leadership advisor and co-author of Lead Without Blame with Diana Larsen.

In this episode, Tricia talks about the book she wrote with Diana, their mission, and the most important messages that are carried in it, such as the true meaning of a Team, the relevancy of collaboration and connection, autonomy, metrics, and much more!

Key Takeaways

What makes a Team resilient?
- Collaboration and connection are the foundations of an authentic Agile Team.
- Online work does not make connecting to others any easier.
Do the leader’s team connections need to be cared for differently than the lateral connections between team members?
- Power dynamics don’t have to be formal, it could be someone who the leader greatly respects or who has an influential power.
- A psychologically safe environment welcomes everyone to express their true selves, even though it is impossible to assure emotional safety for everyone at all times since each Team member is unique.
- Are you showing up with compassion?
Bounded autonomy:
- You cannot empower someone to do something if they don’t have the knowledge or the skills.
- Trust is required in both directions.
Information radiators and appropriate use of metrics are the right way of seeing trends.
- Sometimes metrics are misused; they need to be used carefully.
- Metrics need to help the team collaborate towards problem-solving and not as weapons.
A Team doesn’t become one only because it is named that way.
- A group is not a Team, cooperation isn’t the same as collaboration.
You are a better leader because you are not perfect, own your mistakes and growth, since they have brought you to the point where you are today.
- The only way it is impossible is if you stop trying.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Lead without Blame: Building Resilient Learning Teams, by Diana Larsen and Tricia Broderick

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

Next Episode

Why does ChatGPT say we still need human Agile Coaches?

This week, Dan Neumann is joined by ChatGPT, a large language model developed by open AI. An AI language model, I'm designed to understand natural language and generate human-like responses to questions and prompts, trained on a vast amount of text data, and have knowledge of a wide range of topics including software development project management and Agile methodology.

ChatGPT shares his expertise and insights with Agile Coaches’ Corner listeners in this episode.

Key Takeaways

● ChatGPT shares what is most valuable for an Agile practitioner.

○ The most valuable thing for an agile practitioner is to embrace the agile mindset, which emphasizes the importance of collaboration, continuous Improvement, and flexibility.

○ Understanding Scrum and Kanban is crucial for Agile practitioners.

○ Ongoing learning is essential for Agile practitioners to stay current on techniques.

● Why can it be difficult for people to adopt an Agile mindset?

○ The agile mindset requires individuals to be open to change and embrace a culture of continuous improvement this means being willing to experiment, take risks and learn from failure.

○ Individuals are required to communicate effectively with others and be willing to share knowledge and expertise; for people who are used to working independently or in silence, this can be a challenging adjustment.

○ It requires focusing on bringing value to the customer/end-user and pivoting quickly in response to changes in requirements.

○ Adopting an Agile Mindset requires self-awareness and a willingness to be open to feedback and critique.

● The fixed mindset trap happens when individuals and organizations focus on what has worked in the past and show resistance to change.

○ To overcome this, people must be ready to look for new ways of thinking and working, willing to take risks, and learn from failure.

● Does science back up the growth mindset?

○ Some argue that the growth mindset concept oversimplifies the complex factors contributing to success. The emphasis on individual effort and motivation may overlook the role of systemic factors, such as social inequality and structural barriers.

○ Despite criticisms, many practitioners and organizations find value in the growth mindset concept as a way to promote learning collaboration and a focus on continuous improvement.

● How can leaders start to embrace the uncertainty that goes into important moments like budgeting, release cycles, and communication?

○ It is essential for leaders to recognize that uncertainty is a natural part of any complex project.

○ Rigid expectations can be counterproductive.

○ Leaders can shift the focus from fixing deliveries to outcomes.

○ A Leader can create a culture of psychological safety and experimentation where Teams can feel confident in taking risks.

● Why does ChatGPT name Scrum as a methodology?

○ Scrum is indeed a framework rather than a methodology.

● Can a Chatbot take the work of humans?

○ ChatGPT cannot fully replace a human since it doesn’t have human experience, empathy, and intuition that a human coach has.

○ Agile requires knowledge of human behavior, group dynamics, and organizational culture.

● Agile is a mindset and a way of thinking about work, it is about embracing uncertainty, continuously learning and improving, and collaborating with others to deliver value to customers.

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!