Kanban vs Scrum vs Waterfall: Project Methodologies Compared
Waterfall plans everything up front, Scrum delivers in sprints and Kanban delivers in a continuous flow. Compare the three methodologies side by side, see where agile and lean fit, and copy one example board for each.
Quick answer: Waterfall runs a project in sequential phases with all planning up front. Scrum is an agile framework that delivers in fixed sprints with defined roles. Kanban is a flow method that limits work in progress and delivers continuously. Waterfall suits fixed scope; Scrum suits product development; Kanban suits unpredictable work – and they can be combined.
1. Key Takeaways
- Waterfall: sequential phases, plan up front, deliver at the end.
- Scrum: agile framework with sprints, roles and events.
- Kanban: continuous flow, WIP limits, no required roles.
- Agile is the umbrella for Scrum and Kanban; lean is the thinking behind Kanban.
- Hybrids work: a Kanban board inside a waterfall project is common.
2. Waterfall vs Scrum vs Kanban at a Glance
The three methodologies differ most in how they plan, handle change and deliver.
3. What Is Waterfall?
Waterfall is a sequential project methodology: requirements, design, build, test and deploy, with each phase finished before the next begins.
It works well when scope is fixed and changes are expensive – construction, regulated projects, hardware. The risk is late feedback: the customer sees the result only at the end.
4. What Is Scrum?
Scrum is an agile framework in which a team delivers a working increment every sprint (one to four weeks) with a Product Owner, Scrum Master and developers.
Sprint planning, the daily Scrum, sprint review and retrospective give the team a regular rhythm. Scope is fixed per sprint, and changes wait for the next one.
5. What Is Kanban?
Kanban is a lean method for managing flow: visualise work on a board, limit work in progress and pull new work when there is capacity.
There are no sprints and no required roles. Priorities can change at any time, and each item is delivered as soon as it is done. Cycle time and throughput replace velocity.
See the work flow, not the phases
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6. Agile, Lean and Waterfall: How They Relate
Agile and lean are mindsets; Scrum and Kanban are agile ways of working; waterfall is the traditional plan-driven alternative.
Kanban comes from lean manufacturing (Toyota), Scrum from agile software development – and both reject the big up-front plan of waterfall.
7. Kanban, Scrum and Waterfall Boards in PlanBoards
Here is one real board for each methodology, built in PlanBoards.
Waterfall project – office move
Requirements, Design, Build, Test and Deploy as columns – the Gantt plan and floor plan are attached as images.
Scrum sprint board
Sprint Backlog, In Progress, Review and Done – with the sprint goal and a burndown chart.
Kanban flow board
Incoming, Doing (WIP 3), Waiting on Customer and Done for a support team.
8. Which Methodology Should You Choose?
Choose waterfall for fixed scope, Scrum for product development in regular releases and Kanban for unpredictable, continuous work – or combine them.
9. Using Kanban in a Waterfall Project
You can keep waterfall phases and milestones and still use a Kanban board for the daily work inside each phase.
10. FAQ
These are the questions people ask when comparing Kanban, Scrum and Waterfall.
What is the difference between Kanban, Scrum and Waterfall?
Waterfall delivers in sequential phases planned up front; Scrum delivers in fixed sprints; Kanban delivers continuously with WIP limits.
Is Kanban agile or waterfall?
Kanban is an agile and lean method. It can still be used inside a waterfall project to manage daily work.
Is Scrum better than Kanban?
Neither is better in general. Scrum suits product teams with a roadmap; Kanban suits work that arrives unpredictably.
When should I use waterfall?
When scope is fixed, requirements are stable and changes are costly – for example construction or regulated projects.
Can you combine Scrum and Kanban?
Yes. Scrumban keeps Scrum events and adds Kanban WIP limits and flow metrics.
Where does lean fit?
Lean is the thinking behind Kanban – deliver value and remove waste – and it influences agile methods in general.
Can I run all three in PlanBoards?
Yes. Use phase columns for waterfall, sprint columns for Scrum and flow columns with WIP limits for Kanban – free to use.
11. Sources and Further Reading
These are the sources behind this guide.
- Wikipedia: Waterfall model
- Wikipedia: Scrum (software development)
- Wikipedia: Kanban (development)
- Ken Schwaber & Jeff Sutherland. The Scrum Guide.
- Manifesto for Agile Software Development (2001).
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