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If you’re getting involved in Agile methodology and Agile project management, software development, sprint planning or any other facet of product development and cross-functional project planning, Scrum, or possibly Kanban, are probably on your radar.

Each is a useful project management methodology for Agile teams, product owners, or other groups working on projects in the corporate or small business world, and each can help with cycle time and clearing out product backlog. They both allow for two-week sprints with regular team stand-up meetings and other highly efficient methodologies to enable a speedy work process.

But which one is more popular, which one should you select for your company and team, and how do you learn to use it effectively? Let’s look at each.

One of the big differences between Scrum and Kanban is that Scrum involves dividing projects into pre-defined segments and then organizing segments into time-boxed sprints (e.g., you’re given 14 days to complete a project, so you’re doing “two-week sprints”) while Kanban is more open-ended.

As the Hive notes,����are:

• Scrum keeps an eye on the clock; Kanban focuses on progress overall and includes a hard deadline.
• Scrum team members are assigned specific roles and possibly well-defined titles while Kanban is more flexible about what roles and tasks team members have and may shift people around to cover different facets of a project.
• At the end of a sprint (e.g., 10 days, 20 days), a Scrum board concludes, and that project is hopefully completed; Kanban boards can vary wildly based on the project.

To further complicate matters, says Atlassian, “some teams [might]����into ‘Scrumban.’” In a Scrumban, teams combine the usual sprints (of fixed lengths) and project roles/titles from the Scrum framework and “focus on work in progress limits and cycle time from Kanban.”

Atlassian says a product owner or team that are new to Agile methodology should be strongly encouraged to just����and run “with it for a while. You can always get fancy later on.”

Most Agile project teams should stick with Scrum. It helps keep people on task and focused on completing a project before a deadline. Often, Kanban can come across as too “loose,” with the project itself not feeling well-defined enough to seem important or a priority to team members, even when they are working on it full time.

ProofHub suggests����when trying to decide which is the best approach:

• Scrum is best for those who need to focus on one project or several crucial projects before a certain amount of time expires
• Scrum is great for collaboration and quick feedback on processes and products
• Kanban is good for visual learners or for those who like metrics
• Kanban is more easygoing and flexible

“Another advantage Scrum has going for it,”��, “is that Scrum increases team accountability. Because you’re moving quickly, you’re meeting often, at least daily. This adds to the transparency of the project, naturally, but also keeps Scrum team members accountable for their work. That means you can reward those that are performing and help those that aren’t.

The Project Manager blog also notes that because of the focus on productivity in the face of deadlines and the overall design of a Scrum team, Scrum can help save money on a project. “That’s����and other institutions where the bottom line is being scrutinized (and, honestly, when isn’t it?).”

To build a successful, working, flexible Scrum team and manage it as a��Scrum master, you’ll need to learn the fundamentals of Scrum.

��ɫ��Ƶ offers a��Fundamentals of Scrum��course entirely online.

As you make your way through the course materials in��Scrum Fundamentals, you’ll potentially learn how concepts, principles and Scrum practices deliver value to organizations by improving the effectiveness of teams and projects.

In this course, you’ll specifically learn how to:

• Use common Agile project management methodology and Scrum terms
• Explain the common elements of the Agile framework to your co-workers or others
• Execute a successful “sprint” as part of a Scrum project
• Make the case for why a company should adopt the Agile methodology and, specifically, Scrum

During the course, you’ll work on and get to practice the execution of the following:

• Sprint planning and goal development
• Daily Scrum facilitation
• Scrum and sprint management
• Retrospective and review facilitation

You will also explore how three roles of an Agile team, five ceremonies and three artifacts at the heart of Scrum, come together to solve real-world problems.

To learn what these things are and how they can help your team, company or career, check out ��ɫ��Ƶ’s online course,��Scrum Fundamentals, a 30-hour, self-led class available for one year after purchase.