Azure DevOps Scrum vs Agile: Understanding the Differences

Azure DevOps Scrum and Agile are two popular methodologies used in software development, but they have distinct differences.

Scrum is a framework that emphasizes teamwork, accountability, and iterative progress toward well-defined goals. It's often used in projects with complex requirements and frequent changes.

Agile, on the other hand, is a broader methodology that emphasizes flexibility and rapid delivery. It's often used in projects with rapidly changing requirements and a need for quick adaptation.

Both Scrum and Agile aim to improve collaboration and deliver value to customers, but Scrum focuses on a more structured approach with regular sprints and retrospectives, while Agile is more flexible and adaptable.

Agile is an approach to software development that rejects the traditional "Waterfall" approach. It suggests a more lightweight and iterative approach, where small cross-functional teams work quickly to deliver software in small increments or iterations.

This approach focuses on rapid delivery and short feedback cycles. It allows the team to learn and course-correct as they go, reducing risk and improving learning.

Agile is often implemented using frameworks like Scrum, which was created by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland in the 1990s. Scrum teams typically consist of up to 10 developers, guided by a product owner and a Scrum Master.

In Scrum, the team delivers a product increment every sprint, which is between one and four weeks long. They pull items off a Product Backlog and try to complete them each sprint.

Agile in Azure DevOps has some similarities to Scrum, but also some differences. In Agile, the main work item tracked on the Kanban board is a User Story, which corresponds to Product Backlog Items in the Scrum process.

Here's a comparison of Agile and Scrum:

Agile and Scrum both emphasize the importance of continuous integration and testing. In Agile, integration and testing are done continuously in small loops, reducing risk and improving learning.

Agile and Scrum are two popular methodologies used in software development, but what's the difference between them? In fact, Agile is a broader framework that encompasses various practices, including Scrum.

Scrum is a specific implementation of Agile, as explained in the article "Scrum methodology explained" by Darcy DeClute. It involves a Sprint review and retrospective, where the team reflects on their progress and identifies areas for improvement.

Here are some key differences between Agile and Scrum:

In Azure DevOps, you can use either Agile or Scrum processes to manage your projects. The default processes in Azure DevOps are designed to meet the needs of most teams, but you can also customize a process to suit your team's needs, as explained in the article "Main distinctions among the default processes".

In Azure DevOps, Agile and Scrum are two processes that are often compared. The main difference between them is around terminology rather than workflow.

Agile is suitable for teams with an Agile planning mindset, and it includes a range of work items like Epics, Features, User Stories, Bugs, Tasks, and Issues.

If you're using Agile in Azure DevOps, you can track your tasks with metrics like Original Estimate, Remaining Work, and Completed Work.

Here's a comparison of Agile and Scrum in Azure DevOps:

Remaining Work

Completed WorkRemaining Work

Whether you choose Agile or Scrum, it's essential to understand the terminology and how it applies to your project.

Agile and Scrum are two popular approaches to software development that share some similarities, but also have some key differences. Agile is a more lightweight and iterative approach that focuses on rapid delivery and short feedback cycles.

Agile in Azure DevOps has some similarities to Scrum, but also some differences. In Agile, the main work item tracked on the Kanban board is a User Story, which corresponds to Product Backlog Items in the Scrum process.

One of the main differences between Agile and Scrum is the way they handle bugs. In Scrum, bugs are automatically included as a work item type, whereas in Agile, they are an optional issue type. If you are using bugs in Agile, you can split them out into tasks, just like User Stories.

Task tracking is also more flexible in Agile than in Scrum. In Agile, you can track tasks by Original Estimate, Remaining Work, and Completed Work, whereas in Scrum, you can only track Remaining Work.

Here's a summary of the main differences between Agile and Scrum in Azure DevOps:

In summary, Agile and Scrum are both popular approaches to software development, but they have some key differences in terms of how they handle bugs and task tracking. By understanding these differences, you can choose the approach that best fits your team's needs.

To set up Agile in Azure DevOps, you'll want to create a project and choose the Agile process. A project in Azure DevOps is a container to plan and track work for specific work goals, and you'll need to create a product backlog of all the ADO work items related to the project, sorted by priority.

The Agile process supports many Agile method terms and works great for tracking User Stories and, optionally, bugs on the board. Tasks support tracking Original Estimate, Remaining Work, and Completed Work.

You can choose the Agile process when your team uses Agile planning methods, including Scrum, and tracks development and test activities separately. This process is more flexible and complex than the Scrum process.

To set up Agile in Azure DevOps, start by creating a project in Azure DevOps, which is a container to plan and track work for specific work goals.

A project in Azure DevOps is a container to plan and track work for specific work goals. You'll need to create a product backlog of all the ADO work items related to the project, sorted by priority.

Adding team members to your project is a crucial step, so make sure to add them as soon as you've created your project.

To set up Scrum in Azure DevOps, things move in quick bursts rather than pre-assigned flows, so be prepared to allocate tasks accordingly.

To set up Agile in Azure DevOps, you'll first need to create a project. A project in Azure DevOps is a container to plan and track work for specific work goals. You'll need to create a project and then add team members to it as a preliminary step.

A project in Azure DevOps is a top-level container where all the issues, backlog items, and so on will live. Each project is related to a specific process, however. You can choose from four types of processes: Basic, Scrum, Agile, and CMMI.

Here are the main differences between the four default processes in Azure DevOps:

To create a project, you'll need to choose a process that fits your team's needs. The Basic process is the most lightweight and is available with Azure DevOps Server 2019 Update 1 and later versions.

The Agile process in Azure DevOps is similar to Scrum, but with some key differences. It's designed for teams with an Agile planning mindset, and supports many Agile method terms.

The Agile process in Azure DevOps supports work item types like Epics, Features, User Stories, Bugs, Tasks, and Issues. This allows for more flexible task tracking compared to Scrum, where tasks are tracked by Original Estimate, Remaining Work, and Completed Work. In Agile, tasks can be tracked by Original Estimate, Remaining Work, and Completed Work as well.

In Azure DevOps, you can choose between four types of processes: Basic, Scrum, Agile, and CMMI. The Agile process is suitable for teams that use Agile planning methods, including Scrum, and tracks development and test activities separately.

Here are the main work item types supported by the Agile process in Azure DevOps:

These work item types allow for flexible tracking and management of your project's scope and progress.

In Azure DevOps, a project is a top-level container where all the issues, backlog items, and so on will live.

There are four types of processes you can choose from for an AzDo project: Basic, Scrum, Agile, and CMMI.

The Basic process is the most lightweight and is available with Azure DevOps Server 2019 Update 1 and later versions.

The Scrum process is the next most lightweight and works great for tracking product backlog items and bugs on the board.

The Agile process supports many Agile method terms and is a good choice when your team uses Agile planning methods, including Scrum.

The CMMI process provides the most support for formal processes and change management and is a good choice when your team follows more formal project methods.

Here's a summary of the main distinctions between the work item types and states used by the four default processes:

Each project is related to a specific process, and the choice of process depends on your organization, project, and team setup.

You can choose the process that best fits your team's needs and then customize it as needed.

Tasks support tracking Original Estimate, Remaining Work, and Completed Work in the Agile and CMMI processes.

You can also track bugs and tasks on the taskboard in the Agile and Scrum processes.

Workflow is a crucial aspect of the Agile process, and it's essential to understand how it works in Azure DevOps. Each work item type supports any-to-any transitions, which means you can update the status of a work item by dragging it to its corresponding state column on the board or taskboard.

The default workflow transitions support any state to any state transition, but you can customize these workflows to restrict some transitions if needed. To view the supported workflow transitions for each work item type, install the State Model Visualization Marketplace extension.

There are four default processes in Azure DevOps: Basic, Scrum, Agile, and CMMI. Each process has its own set of work item types and states, which are summarized in the following table:

The Agile process has some similarities to Scrum, but it also has some differences. In Agile, the main work item tracked on the Kanban board is a User Story, which corresponds to a Product Backlog Item in the Scrum process. Bugs are an optional issue type in Agile, and tasks can be tracked by Original Estimate, Remaining Work, and Completed Work.