If you're hiring app development, understanding agile methodologies helps you know what to expect: when you'll see progress, how changes are handled, and how to measure if the project is on track.
What Does "Agile" Mean?
Instead of defining everything upfront and waiting 6 months for results (waterfall), agile divides work into short cycles (1-4 weeks) with functional deliverables. This allows seeing real progress every 1-2 weeks, changing priorities without restarting, and catching problems early.
Scrum: The Most Popular Framework
- Sprints: 2-week cycles with a defined goal
- Daily standup: 15-minute daily meeting
- Sprint review: Demo of completed work to the client
- Retrospective: Team analyzes what worked and what to improve
Best for: New projects with 4+ person teams needing predictability and regular demos.
Kanban: Continuous Flow
- Visual board: "To do", "In progress", "In review", "Done" columns
- WIP limits: Maximum tasks in progress simultaneously
- No sprints: Work flows continuously
- Continuous prioritization: Client can reorganize priorities anytime
Best for: App maintenance, small teams (1-3 devs), frequently changing priorities.
Comparison
| Criteria | Scrum | Kanban |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Fixed sprints (2 weeks) | Continuous flow |
| Scope changes | Between sprints | Anytime |
| Metrics | Velocity (points/sprint) | Lead time, cycle time |
| Predictability | High (after 3-4 sprints) | Medium |
Conclusion
Scrum for new product development, Kanban for maintenance and support. Many teams use a hybrid ("Scrumban") combining both.
Want to see how we work? At MisterProSoft we use Scrum for product development and Kanban for ongoing support. Schedule a call and we'll show our process in action.
