Book: Henrik Kniberg & Mattias Skarin “Kanban and Scrum — Making the Most of Both”

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the software development industry has undergone a tremendous number of changes. Nowadays, if you aren’t familiar with Agile methodologies and words like Kanban and Scrum leave you puzzled, chances are you might hear, “Out of the profession!”

Many people now see Agile methodologies as some kind of panacea for all problems. It’s like, “Back in the day, everyone worked with Waterfall, so things were slow, expensive, and unpredictable.” And if you suddenly switch to modern agile methodologies, happiness will immediately follow. But there is no cure-all, and any methodology requires proper application. In my experience, I haven’t seen a single company that fully applies all aspects of agile methodologies, and that’s generally fine. Agile is more about approaches and practices that each team should try, experiment with, and find what works best for them. Of course, there are certain principles that need to be followed.

I also know several companies (fairly large ones) that became disillusioned with Agile after trying the wrong approach or implementing it incorrectly. Personally, I’m not an avid fan of every methodology, but I’ve worked extensively with Agile, tried different approaches with teams, and continuously read about implementation practices—regardless of the old saying, it’s better to learn from others’ experience.

And I must say, there aren’t that many good books on the subject. Many authors provide rather superficial descriptions of techniques, while some are more focused on selling themselves as trainers than on helping companies understand what to do and how to do it. I can say that even some official certifications from the Agile community provide very superficial knowledge, and people then flaunt an official certificate without any real experience or, at times, even a basic understanding of how to work with the methodology.

But there is one author whose books I genuinely enjoy. Henrik Kniberg has been implementing Agile in various companies (including Spotify) for many years, working as a consultant and evangelist of all agile methodologies. Most importantly, he isn’t afraid to share his experiences in the form of articles and books. In 2010, he wrote Kanban and Scrum — Making the Most of Both, supplementing it with real-life examples from a second author, Mattias Skarin. Unlike many other books, this one doesn’t ramble on; instead, the author lays out how to effectively use both methodologies in a concise, structured, and straightforward manner.

He begins with a brief comparison of Kanban and Scrum, clarifying how they differ and how they each implement agile principles in different ways. He also explains which types of tasks each method is best suited for. Rather than promoting one over the other, he highlights the strengths of both approaches and even shows how they can be combined in some cases.

All of this is illustrated with concrete examples and well-illustrated versions of boards (since both Kanban and Scrum involve the concept of a team board). This makes the book easy and quick to read. It’s actually quite short, which might deter some readers who are used to lengthy academic works. However, even if you tried, there’s very little you could cut from this book.

I first read it in 2017 and enthusiastically recommended it to colleagues. This year, I needed to revisit some of my peers’ experiences and check if I’d forgotten anything, and I re-read the book in just a day with the same enjoyment. Once again, I’m ready to recommend it to anyone who’s already practicing Agile or just planning to.

What’s more, the authors offer the book for free to anyone interested. But if you want to support them, you can also purchase a copy.

My rating: 4.5/5

	Henrik Kniberg, Mattias Skarin “Kanban and Scrum – Making the Most of Both” (free)	download
	Henrik Kniberg, Mattias Skarin “Kanban and Scrum – Making the Most of Both”	buy