Agile Methods in Focus: What, Where and When?
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2025 4:12 am
A look at Lean, Kanban, Scrum, design thinking and agility at scale from different perspectives
For some time now, agility has been a guiding principle, a mindset, something akin to a philosophy for success in today's business world. Companies are increasingly using agile methods, which allow them to respond more flexibly to changing demands. Given the increased number of agile approaches available, it is not always easy to find the right method for the relevant application. In this blog post, we take a look at various agile methods, including Lean, Kanban, Scrum, design thinking, and agility at scale through Nexus, SAFe, and LeSS from various perspectives. The goal of the blog post is to help agilists and others interested in the topic select the right method for them and to stimulate discussion.
Agility Basics at a Glance
Before we address the specific methods available, it is important to understand the basic principles that all agile approaches have in common. Agility means the ability to respond flexibly to change and involves fostering cooperation and establishing a continuous process of improvement. These principles are the foundation of every agile facebook data method and are critical to its success. A key example is the agile retrospective, in which teams regularly reflect on their work and identify possible improvements.
Lean: improving efficiency by eliminating waste
Lean is not just a term used in production. It has also found its way into the agile world. The goal of the lean approach is to maximize customer benefits and minimize waste at the same time. The approach focuses on lean processes that are constantly optimized through a continuous improvement process.
A practical example of Lean is lean software development, inspired by lean principles adopted from the manufacturing industry. By eliminating redundant steps in the development process that make, for example, code unnecessarily complicated, development teams can increase their efficiency and respond more quickly to customer needs. As an example, a software development team applying lean principles might conduct regular code reviews to identify and remove redundant code.
Kanban: Visualization and continuous workflow
Kanban is a method and principle based on visual control. It allows you to clearly visualize the work process and promotes a continuous workflow. Kanban is especially suitable for teams that need a flexible approach, want to increase the efficiency of their process, and have frequently changing priorities. The visualized workflow also makes it easier to identify bottlenecks and optimize the process.
A practical example involving the use of Kanban in IT support is a digital Kanban board. Here, open support tickets are visualized in different columns, showing each step from request to resolution. Team members can move tickets according to their urgency to ensure a continuous workflow. Another advantage of using digital Kanban boards (or Kanban-like ticketing systems) is continuous automation and thus optimization of process steps and sub-steps, for example through automatic status messages sent to the person who submitted the request.
For some time now, agility has been a guiding principle, a mindset, something akin to a philosophy for success in today's business world. Companies are increasingly using agile methods, which allow them to respond more flexibly to changing demands. Given the increased number of agile approaches available, it is not always easy to find the right method for the relevant application. In this blog post, we take a look at various agile methods, including Lean, Kanban, Scrum, design thinking, and agility at scale through Nexus, SAFe, and LeSS from various perspectives. The goal of the blog post is to help agilists and others interested in the topic select the right method for them and to stimulate discussion.
Agility Basics at a Glance
Before we address the specific methods available, it is important to understand the basic principles that all agile approaches have in common. Agility means the ability to respond flexibly to change and involves fostering cooperation and establishing a continuous process of improvement. These principles are the foundation of every agile facebook data method and are critical to its success. A key example is the agile retrospective, in which teams regularly reflect on their work and identify possible improvements.
Lean: improving efficiency by eliminating waste
Lean is not just a term used in production. It has also found its way into the agile world. The goal of the lean approach is to maximize customer benefits and minimize waste at the same time. The approach focuses on lean processes that are constantly optimized through a continuous improvement process.
A practical example of Lean is lean software development, inspired by lean principles adopted from the manufacturing industry. By eliminating redundant steps in the development process that make, for example, code unnecessarily complicated, development teams can increase their efficiency and respond more quickly to customer needs. As an example, a software development team applying lean principles might conduct regular code reviews to identify and remove redundant code.
Kanban: Visualization and continuous workflow
Kanban is a method and principle based on visual control. It allows you to clearly visualize the work process and promotes a continuous workflow. Kanban is especially suitable for teams that need a flexible approach, want to increase the efficiency of their process, and have frequently changing priorities. The visualized workflow also makes it easier to identify bottlenecks and optimize the process.
A practical example involving the use of Kanban in IT support is a digital Kanban board. Here, open support tickets are visualized in different columns, showing each step from request to resolution. Team members can move tickets according to their urgency to ensure a continuous workflow. Another advantage of using digital Kanban boards (or Kanban-like ticketing systems) is continuous automation and thus optimization of process steps and sub-steps, for example through automatic status messages sent to the person who submitted the request.