How do you use Scrum or Kanban to improve the quality of your start-up?

1 What is Scrum?

Scrum is an agile framework that organizes work into short iterations called sprints, usually lasting one to four weeks. Each sprint has a goal, a backlog of tasks, and a team of cross-functional members who collaborate and self-organize to complete the work. At the end of each sprint, the team delivers a potentially shippable product increment and reviews it with the stakeholders. The team also holds a retrospective meeting to reflect on what went well and what to improve.

3 How to choose between Scrum and Kanban

Both Scrum and Kanban have their advantages and disadvantages for start-ups. Scrum can help you deliver value quickly, align your team around a common goal, and adapt to changing customer needs. However, Scrum can also be rigid, demanding, and disruptive for some start-ups, especially if they have a lot of uncertainty or dependencies in their work. Kanban can offer more flexibility, transparency, and continuous improvement for start-ups. But it can also lack direction and collaboration for some start-ups, especially if they have a complex or competitive product.

The best way to choose between Scrum and Kanban is to consider your start-up's goals and challenges. For example, if you have a clear vision, stable team, and well-defined product, you might benefit from Scrum's structure and discipline. If you have a vague idea, a dynamic team, and a rapidly evolving product, you might prefer Kanban's openness and responsiveness. You can also experiment with both frameworks and see what works best for you and your customers.

4 How to measure performance with Scrum

If you decide to use Scrum for your start-up, it is important to define and track some key indicators of performance and quality. These can include customer satisfaction, business value, product quality, and team performance. To measure customer satisfaction, use surveys, reviews, feedback sessions, or net promoter score (NPS). Metrics such as revenue, profit, growth, retention, or market share can help measure business value. You can evaluate product quality with metrics like functionality, reliability, security, or performance. Useful metrics for team performance include productivity, efficiency, or quality. Review these indicators regularly — preferably at the end of each sprint — to inform your decisions.

5 How to measure performance with Kanban

If you choose to use Kanban, key indicators of performance and quality can include customer satisfaction, business value, flow efficiency, and process quality. The same metrics listed above can help you measure customer satisfaction and business value. You can measure flow efficiency with metrics such as cycle time, throughput, lead time, or work in progress (WIP). And you can use defect rate, error rate, or rework rate to measure process quality. Continuously monitor these indicators, preferably on your Kanban board, to identify and eliminate any waste or variability in your work flow.

6 How to improve quality with Scrum or Kanban

Whether you use Scrum or Kanban, always strive to improve your performance and quality. To do this, align your work with customer needs and expectations using feedback loops, user testing, market research, or customer interviews. Additionally, prioritize your work based on value and urgency using techniques such as MoSCoW, Kano model, or value stream mapping. You can also optimize your work process based on data and insights with tools such as burndown charts, cumulative flow diagrams, or control charts. Implement best practices for work quality by using methods such as code reviews, testing, debugging, or documentation. Finally, learn from your mistakes and successes by utilizing retrospectives, root cause analysis, or kaizen to identify and implement improvements.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?