Unleashing the Power of Agile: Understanding the Difference between Agile Mindset and Scrum Methodology
Tags: agile, beginners, productivity, management
Published: 2023-02-10 16:08:21

Agile and Scrum are two commonly used terms in the software development industry, but they are often wrongly used interchangeably. In this article, we will explore the key differences between these two terms understanding how they relate to each other.

Agile is a **mindset**, a true **“Way of Life”**, a set of values and principles that guide the way teams work together to deliver software (or any other valuable product in other industries, not belonging only to software development) incrementally and iteratively.  It was first introduced in 2001 through the **Agile Manifesto**, which outlines four core values:

1. **Individuals and Interactions** over processes and tools
2. **Working software** over comprehensive documentation
3. **Customer collaboration** over contract negotiation
4. **Responding to change** over following a plan

Agile is not a specific methodology, but rather a general philosophy that can be applied in various ways. One of the most important aspects of Agile mindset is the ability to adapt to change. As Jeff Sutherland, the co-creator of Scrum, stated:

> Agile is about creating an environment where teams can respond quickly to change It’s about embracing uncertainty and being able to pivot when needed

It allows teams to respond quickly to changing requirements, and deliver software that meets the customer’s needs quickly. In Agile development, the emphasis is placed on the production of working software, enabling teams to evaluate and verify their outcomes at an early stage of the development cycle.

**Scrum**, on the other hand, is **one of the many agile methodologies available**. It is a framework for managing and completing complex projects. It is **based on the Agile principles**, but it **provides a specific set of roles, ceremonies, and artifacts** to help teams work in a complex environment and accomplish their goals. Scrum is commonly used in software development, but it can also be applied to other industries such as marketing, finance, and healthcare.

The benefits of adopting an Agile mindset in the software development industry are numerous. Agile development has been shown to **improve team collaboration, increase customer satisfaction, and deliver software quickly** reducing risk at the same time through the inner iterative approach proposed by Scrum.

An example of a company that has successfully established a working Agile culture in its employees is Spotify.  Spotify’s engineering culture is heavily influenced by Agile principles, and they use Scrum as their primary methodology. they have achieved significant success by embracing the Agile mindset, and they continue to innovate and improve their development process.

> Agile is not just a process, it’s a way of life. It’s about being open to change and continuously improving

In contrast, companies that do not adopt an Agile mindset may struggle with communication and collaboration among teams, lack of transparency, and difficulty in adapting to changing requirements resulting in not truly valuable and slow releases.

> If you’re not continuously improving, you’re falling behind

Summarizing the concept, Agile is a mindset that allows teams to adapt to change and continuously improve, while Scrum is a specific methodology that provides a framework for managing and completing complex projects. The combination of them can lead to significant benefits in software development. It is important to note that while Scrum is a popular methodology, there are other Agile methodologies available such as Kanban, Lean, and XP.

It’s worth mentioning that Agile mindset and Scrum methodology are not only confined to software development, but also it can be applied to other industries such as marketing, finance, and healthcare.

When a team or organization is “**doing Agile**” they may be using Agile practices such as Scrum or Kanban, but they may not fully understand the Agile values and principles. They may be going through the motions of ceremonies proposed in Agile Methodologies (such as SCRUM) and using Agile terminology, but they may not be fully embracing the Agile mindset.

On the other hand, “**being Agile**” means that a team or organization has fully embraced the Agile culture. They understand its values and principles and strive to embody them in everything they do. Their primary goal is to continuously improve by adapting themself to the continuous changes understanding that Agile adaptation is not a destination, but a lifetime journey.  Being Agile through the adoption of one of the many Agile Methodologies available allows teams to be more collaborative, communicative, and flexible, and as a result, they can deliver value to the customer faster and with higher quality.

“Doing Agile” is the surface-level implementation of Agile methodologies, while “being Agile” is the deeper understanding of Agile and culture, which leads to a truly Agile way of working.

Last but not least, Scrum and the other Agile Methodologies are powerful tools for software development, but they must be understood and applied correctly to achieve the best results. It doesn’t mean that companies must choose a specific methodology following it blindly, they can choose some aspects of a specific methodology mixing them with others from other methodologies, creating truly new and completely customized methodologies by the team which will apply them. Some of these custom methodologies could become widely recognized as happened with the “Scrunban” Framework resulting from some SCRUM aspects mixed with some from Kanban Framework. **The key is to find the approach that works best for your team and organization.**

Concluding, Agile is a mindset that allows teams to adapt to change, while Scrum is a methodology that provides a framework for managing and completing complex projects. By embracing the Agile mindset and applying Scrum or other Agile methodologies (or a mix of them), teams can build a set of processes that allow them to work together more effectively, deliver value to customers, and continuously improve themselves.