Lean and agile are two terms that have gained popularity among development teams lately. Although the market has been putting these ideas into practice for some time, a better understanding of what each term means is still needed.

Many people learn agile practices through SCRUM and need clarification when combining SCRUM with AGILE.

However, everyone has different roles and responsibilities, so it's imperative to understand what each does.

What are the differences?

Lean and Agile are more than just methodologies. It would be more appropriate to name the philosophy concepts LEAN and AGILE, as they form the basis for various methodologies (such as SCRUM and Kanban).

Lean, agile, and scrum concepts. Many managers already use agility, scrum, and lean in everyday life. In this regard, it is essential for a company to understand the differences between agile techniques in order to choose the option that most effectively suits its profile.

Many people think of colorful sticky notes that stick to the board when tasks are assigned and rub off after completion when agile methods are mentioned. This is just an approach to using and applying the Agile methodology in project, team, business, and product prototyping. Agile methods aim to get work done through repeatable and measurable processes. They integrate team members and tools collaboratively, keep end-user needs in mind at all times, and share feedback so everyone is always active and on the same page. Iterative approaches work well with the T&M model due to their iterative nature.

We understand LEAN, AGILE, and SCRUM better. We seek to minimize risk and waste by maximizing customer value in a management philosophy inspired by Toyota System methods and results. Agile is built on Lean, which works across multiple industries.

The iteration philosophy geared towards time allows the product to be built step by step and delivered in smaller portions. Agile aims to increase process flexibility, enable rapid change adaptation, and involve all stakeholders. As a result, results are delivered faster and expressed clearly using agile decision-making practices.

In other words, Agile supports a workplace that embraces change. All procedures are more easily organized and the method of "prioritizing" what is delivered is used. Agile teams work with more autonomy and fewer participants.

Onboarding is a crucial step as it allows information to be shared and issues to be resolved quickly. That way, everyone can get the results they want.

Agile, incremental, and iterative development methods are described in Scrum. This is a set of practices, roles, events, artifacts, and rules that guide a team in project delivery.

IT industry professionals often use Scrum. To minimize problems such as gaps, misunderstandings, and lack of integration, Scrum aims to increase agility in IT operations execution through the use of lean teams. A strong role division is also a goal of Scrum.

There are positions like Product Owner (who is the link between the company and the customer), Team Member (who works on the development team), and Scrum Master (who manages all teams' routines).

How do Lean, Agile, and Scrum benefit organizations? Regardless of the distinction between these three terms, agile concepts have many advantages.

The benefits are listed below:-

Reduction in development and maintenance costs:

Significant reductions in project life cycle costs can be achieved through a significant reduction in defects, successful identification of risks, and a more aggressive approach.

Estimated return on investment:

The proposed strategy is based on the regular delivery of working and production-ready software. You can benefit from software built in early development cycles combined with robust prioritization and planning strategies;

Productivity is increased two to three times compared to traditional methods:

Development team productivity can be increased significantly by eliminating waste, reducing complexity, and improving code quality;

Increased commitment and assertiveness:

The project is constantly adapted to the company's needs and corrections are always welcome.

Full monitoring, management, and visibility of the development cycle:

To improve management and decision-making, the process provides reliable information on project status at all times;

Less ambiguity:

To increase predictability and reduce uncertainty in software development, short planning, and delivery cycles, more meaningful estimates, and reliable compilation at all stages of the development process are opportunities.

Better end product quality:

The highest quality of the end product is ensured by quality management procedures applied from product design to development;

Continuous development:

The proposed process is based on a continuous improvement cycle through retrospectives and control and adaptation techniques applied throughout the project life cycle. It is a flexible procedure that adapts to different types of projects.

Expert opinions:

We asked many industry experts for their opinions on Lean vs Agile vs Scrum: What Works Best for Application Development. Here are some application development experts.

Application Development Experts:

Jessica Shee - Manager at Ubisoft shares her thoughts on Lean vs Scrum. Nimble vs Scrum: 

Which is Better for Application Development?

1. Which is Better Lean vs. Nimble vs Scrum for App Development?

It really depends on the needs of your specific application development project. Lean focuses on streamlining processes and creating a continuous stream of value, Agile emphasizes collaboration with customers, on-time delivery, and adaptive planning, and Scrum uses a methodology with sprints to manage and complete projects. There are strengths and weaknesses to each of these methods. It's imperative to consider the specific needs of your project and team when deciding which is most suitable for your application development.

2. What are the differences between Lean, Agile, and Scrum?

Lean and Agile are closely related and often used interchangeably, but they are different. Lean is a general philosophy of continuous process improvement using techniques such as Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, and 5S. Agile is an iterative, incremental software development methodology that focuses on delivering customer value in short iterations and responding quickly to change. Software development using Scrum is an agile management method. It is an easy process that emphasizes personal communication, interdisciplinary teams, and self-organization. It is based on the four core values ​​of Collaboration, Commitment, Courage, and Focus. Scrum uses time-limited iterations to deliver working software.

Application Development Expert:

Percy Grunwald – Data Hosting Full Software Engineer Manager at hosting data shares his thoughts on Lean vs. Nimble vs. Scrum: What Works Best for Application Development:

When it comes to application development, lean, Agile, and Scrum approaches prioritize the frequent delivery of working software. They also prioritize responding to changing requirements. The most appropriate method for your project depends on your specific needs and requirements.

Lean methodology focuses on creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) as quickly as possible and then iterating on it based on customer feedback. The main goal is to avoid waste and continuously improve the product. This approach is suitable for startups or companies that want to validate an idea for an upcoming product.

The Agile methodology is a flexible, iterative approach that emphasizes collaboration, adaptability, and frequent delivery of functional software. Agile prioritizes working software over comprehensive documentation and encourages cross-functional teams to collaborate. This approach works well for projects where requirements are constantly changing and teams need to respond to changing circumstances.

Scrum is an agile framework that provides a specific set of practices and roles to help teams deliver software in an agile environment. Often uses sprints to deliver working software and includes roles such as scrum master, product owner, and development team. Scrum's emphasis on transparency, inspection, and adaptability makes it particularly suited to complex projects that require close collaboration between cross-functional teams.

Application Development Expert:

Boris Shiklo - ScienceSoft CTO at ScienceSoft shares his thoughts on Lean vs. Nimble vs. Scrum: What Works Best for Application Development:

Agile is a faster alternative to linear software development. Through short-term iterative planning and incremental software delivery, Agile enables vendors to quickly gather customer feedback and make necessary changes quickly and cost-effectively. All this leads to better product quality and better customer satisfaction.

While Agile is an umbrella term for several iterative SDLC models, Scrum is one of the most popular frameworks. Scrum recommends dividing your project into short 2-4 week sprints with a clear goal for each sprint that cannot be changed mid-sprint. Each iteration typically includes a full cycle of design, development, quality assurance, and implementation of the target software module. At the end of the sprint, the team reviews the results and makes necessary changes to the project plan. The next iteration begins after this step has been completed.

The Lean methodology serves as a mindset or guiding principle rather than a practical framework. Derived from the manufacturing industry, the Lean approach focuses on eliminating waste and continuously improving processes. The lean philosophy in software development helps identify and eliminate redundant activities, reducing software development costs.

In practice, agile methodologies such as Scrum bring tremendous benefits to software development. On the other hand, lean principles help optimize current and repeatable processes, for example, improving existing software CI/CD pipelines.

Application Development Expert:

Securiti.ai Associate Product Owner of Securiti.ai shares his views on Lean vs. Agile: what is the most effective approach to application development?

The most appropriate approach to application development depends on project needs. Lean works best for projects with clear goals, few resources, and limited time. Agile works best on projects that require frequent changes and customer feedback. Scrum is ideally suited to projects that require more collaboration and transparency.

Lean is a methodology that reduces waste, increases efficiency, and maximizes value. It focuses on the end-to-end process, eliminating steps that don't add value and streamlining those that do.

Agile is a set of principles and values ​​that promote adaptive planning, predictive execution, continuous improvement, and collaboration with customers.

Scrum is an iterative and incremental agile development platform for product development management. It emphasizes team collaboration, early and frequent execution, and flexibility in responding to change. Scrum teams use sprints to deliver working software incrementally.

Conclusion: There is no definitive answer to using Scrum or Lean in agile projects. It depends on the organization's size,  business model, and other elements. However, your project management process can be improved.