Agile and Scrum: Definitions, Differences, and Examples

If you work in tech, you’ve probably heard people use Agile and scrum interchangeably. They aren’t. Understanding Agile vs. scrum can transform team dynamics and boost efficiency, impact, and overall results.

This guide explores the key differences between Agile and scrum—and how to implement scrum successfully within an Agile environment.

What’s the difference between Agile methodology vs. scrum?

Agile vs. scrum is a common point of confusion: Agile is a philosophy and mindset for delivering value iteratively. Scrum is a specific Agile framework with defined roles, events, and artifacts.

Teams often blur the terms because scrum is the most widely adopted way to practice Agile, so the practices become shorthand for “doing Agile.”

What is Agile methodology?

Agile is a project-management philosophy codified in the 2001 Agile Manifesto by 17 software practitioners. It emphasizes responding to change, close collaboration with customers, and frequent delivery of valuable work. Rather than rigid, upfront plans, Agile favors short feedback loops and continuous improvement. Multiple frameworks put Agile into practice—scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), and others—each applying the same values in different ways.

What is the scrum framework?

Scrum applies Agile principles through short iterations called sprints, which are usually between one and four weeks. Work is guided by three roles (product owner, scrum master, and developers) and three core artifacts (product backlog, sprint backlog, and increment).

The process kicks off with sprint planning, where the product manager takes a look at the product backlog, customer feedback, and the organization’s priorities. Based on this review, they select a short list of tasks to tackle during the sprint. Then, a team of development experts (usually five to nine) is brought on board to work together and complete these tasks.

During a sprint, the team holds a daily scrum, which is a 15-minute standup meeting where they discuss their progress and any relevant challenges. These daily check-ins are all about fostering transparency in the development process, allowing team members to collaborate and solve problems more efficiently. The emphasis on transparency is a key feature of the scrum framework, helping to create shorter development cycles—and, ultimately, leading to better results over time.

At the end of a sprint, the development team conducts a sprint review with key stakeholders, where they present deliverables from the sprint. This is an opportunity for the team to share what they’ve accomplished, answer questions, and gather feedback.

After the sprint review, the team shares what they’ve created, called an increment, with stakeholders (and sometimes even users) to get more feedback. The idea is that each sprint should deliver a piece of the product that helps move everyone closer to the larger product goal.

After that, the development team meets with the product manager for a sprint retrospective. This is a chance to talk about what went well and what could be improved for next time. They might gather feedback on things like process improvements or consider using a workflow automation tool based on their experiences from the last sprint. They also review the product backlog to get ready for the next sprint. Then the whole cycle begins again.

Is scrum actually Agile?

Yes. Scrum is one of the most popular Agile frameworks. Think of Agile as the “why” (values and principles) and scrum as a structured “how” for living those values day to day.

Agile (mindset)

• Scope. Values and principles that center on customer focus, small changes, and team empowerment across many project management methodologies (such as scrum, Kanban, and XP).
• Structure. Flexible guidance—teams adapt practices; no required roles or events.
• Rhythm. Continuous flow or time-boxed loops—teams pick what fits the work.

Scrum (framework)

• Scope. A specific scrum framework used to implement Agile principles.
• Structure. Defined roles (product owner, scrum master, developers), specific check-points, and shared work lists and deliverables.
• Rhythm. Fixed-length sprints (typically 1–4 weeks) with inspect-and-improve moments each cycle.

You can absolutely be Agile without scrum (for example, Kanban, as well as other hybrid approaches), and you can “do scrum” without truly being Agile if you follow motions—meetings and checklists—mechanically without customer focus, iteration, or empowerment. The confusion persists because many organizations adopt scrum first as their entry point into Agile, so “scrum practices” become synonymous with “Agile” in everyday language.

Which comes first, Scrum or Agile?

In the Agile vs. Scrum conversation, Agile comes first. Agile is the broader philosophy—values and principles for iterative, customer-focused delivery. Scrum is one specific way to apply those values. In practice, teams adopt an Agile mindset and working agreements first, then choose a framework (such as Scrum) to operationalize that mindset.

Can you use Agile without Scrum?

Yes. Agile can be practiced without Scrum. Agile is the philosophy while scrum is just one framework that implements it. Teams might choose Kanban for continuous flow and interrupt-driven work (support, ops) or XP when engineering quality practices (pairing, test-driven development) are paramount. Scrum shines when cross-functional teams benefit from a stable sprint cadence, clear roles, and a shared sprint goal.

Quick guide

• Pick scrum when: you want time-boxed planning/review cycles, stronger role clarity, and a steady inspect-and-adapt rhythm.
• Pick another Agile framework when: work is highly variable/queuing (Kanban) or you need deep engineering practices (XP).

How to successfully implement a scrum framework using Agile methodology

Agile is the philosophy of how you work; scrum is the routine that puts the philosophy into motion. Think of Agile and Scrum like healthy living versus a specific workout plan: Agile emphasizes flexibility, continuous improvement, and responsiveness to change, while the scrum framework turns those ideas into concrete practices you follow every day.

In the case of scrum as an Agile framework, it prescribes concrete practices and defined roles. However, the organization as a whole must willingly onboard the Agile methodology for the scrum framework to work. Just as a person won’t put their best effort into a workout plan if they aren’t sold on the idea of a healthy lifestyle, teams won’t buy into Scrum if they aren’t committed to an Agile method of work.

If your team doesn’t already use Agile methodology or the scrum framework, you may need to provide some training. Share what it looks like in action, and the key benefits of approaching work within that framework. You’ll also want to give your team the collaborative tools they need to implement Agile methodology. You wouldn’t expect someone to complete a weight-training program without giving them weights, and you shouldn’t expect your team to implement a collaborative Agile framework without easy document sharing, for example.

Using Slack to accelerate Agile and scrum practices

Slack helps teams turn Agile and scrum concepts into everyday habits. Start by setting up a project channel and pinning a simple shared doc with the roadmap, definition of ready/done, and team agreements. Connect your task tool so anyone can turn a message into a task and use a short form to collect new requests in one place. This keeps priorities visible and encourages collaboration.

For the daily scrum meeting, schedule an automatic prompt (for example, yesterday, today, or blockers) and have teammates reply in a single thread. If a blocker appears, start a quick audio huddle instead of booking a full meeting. During sprint planning, the product owner can paste a shortlist of backlog items into the channel, so everyone sees the plan and context. For sprint review, share a short demo video and gather stakeholder feedback directly in the thread. In the retrospective, run a quick keep/stop/start poll and pin the action items so they carry into the next sprint.

If your engineering team uses GitHub or similar tools, post build results and pull-request updates to the same channel so progress and changes are easy to follow. Need outside input? Use Slack Connect to work with partners or customers without email—the result: fewer meetings, faster decisions, and scrum ceremonies that actually support Agile principles.

Collaboration is key for Agile and scrum

Whether you practice them separately or together in the Agile vs. scrum conversation, collaboration is what turns Agile principles into results. In Slack, teams keep context in one place and make Agile ceremonies lighter. A global innovation consultancy built a shared knowledge hub with quizzes to help employees prepare for Scrum certification—keeping learning and process guidance right in the project channels. Another digital payment company runs its daily scrum meeting as a quick Slack huddle, captures decisions in threads, and handles incidents in-channel so work keeps moving without extra meetings.

These patterns are simple but powerful: shared channels for cross-functional work, lightweight standups and reviews, and feedback that lives alongside tasks and code. The result is faster decisions, fewer handoffs, and practices that reinforce both the scrum framework and an Agile mindset—so teams ship value more predictably.

Agile vs. scrum FAQs

Can teams use Agile without implementing scrum?

Yes. Agile is the mindset; scrum is just one way to apply it. For example, many teams use Kanban or Scrumban to follow Agile principles without sprints. Those who handle lots of incoming requests often skip the sprints used in scrum, and simply pull the next most important task from a visual board, which is still very much Agile.

How can Slack support my scrum and Agile workflows?

Set an automatic daily check-in for the scrum meeting and reply in one thread. During planning, paste the shortlist of tasks in the channel so everyone sees context. For review, share a short demo video at the end of the sprint and collect feedback in the thread. For the retro, run a quick keep/stop/start poll and pin the action items. Have a 10-minute “what went well/ what to change” chat and choose two actions to try next time.

Which Agile approach works best for remote or hybrid teams?

Any Agile approach can work. Choose based on your work type: scrum helps cross-functional product teams align on a sprint goal; Kanban/Scrumban fit interrupt-driven work, such as support and ops teams. For distributed teams, favor clear boards, written updates, and fewer meetings. Whichever you choose, keep priorities visible, write things down, and keep meetings short.

Is scrum better than Agile?

They’re different things. Agile is a set of values and principles—customer focus, frequent small changes, and empowered teams. Scrum is one of the Agile project management methods that puts this into practice with short cycles and clear roles. It isn’t better than Agile; it lives inside Agile.

What is Scrumban, and when should I use it?

Scrumban blends scrum’s simple routine with Kanban’s board-based way of working. Teams agree to keep only a small number of tasks in progress at once, pick up new work only after finishing something, and have short daily check-ins plus occasional plan/show/improve moments. It’s a good fit for support or operations teams, as well as for mixed-product work where requests come in all day.

If you’re weighing Scrumban vs. scrum, choose Scrumban when work arrives continuously and can’t wait for the next sprint; choose scrum when a steady one- or two-week goal helps a cross-functional team stay aligned.