Difference between SCRUM vs XP
Scrum is a structure or frame of reference whose objective is to encourage teamwork. It derives its name from the rugby team, motivating the team to work as a team while learning through its experiences and continuously improving by reflecting on its achievements as well as failures. In this topic, we are going to learn about Scrum vs XP.
Scrum is extremely popular because along with software development teams it can also be used by other teams too. It accepts the fact that the team might not know everything at the beginning of the project and will improvise and evolve during the course of the project. Basically, it keeps removing anything that might come in the way to cause late delivery or hinder efficiency and progress.
Scrum allows a maximum one-month duration to complete a sprint.
Extreme Programming or XP as it is called is a software development program whose motive is to improve the quality of the software while always keeping the changing customer requirements in mind.
It is a significant set of practices that can deliver good quality software programs to consumers, efficiently and in the quickest way possible. The chances of finding bugs are nearly nil. There are twelve software development practices it is based on and also keeps improvising on them.
It refers to the practices that have worked well in the past and changes according to today’s needs. XP generally works in one or two weeks of iterations and its goal is to produce software of high quality. A one week sprint is much easier to plan and to predict what will happen in one week.
Head to Head Differences between SCRUM vs XP (Infographics)
Below is the top 6 comparison between SCRUM vs XP:
The Key Differences between Scrum and XP
The differences between scrum vs XP are quite subtle yet very significant and might have quite an effect on the project undertaken. They are as under :
Development period
Scrum generally works in iterations or sprints which lasts from two to four weeks. To deliver a product which is working is their goal. They are more focused on the release date of the product.
XP also works in iterations but the duration is one to two-week-long because its principle is quicker deliveries and fast feedbacks. It does not worry about the release of the product but is more focused on the delivery of a working system.
Accommodating changes
After the planning of a sprint is completed, any kind of changes is not allowed by scrum during that sprint. If it becomes necessary to make changes, the ongoing sprint is put on hold and newsprint is started according to the required changes.
XP is willing to make any changes that are required because early changes result in quality products. It believes that replacing a better feature will benefit the user.
Prioritizing tasks
In scrum, the owner of the product lays down its requirements according to their needs and priorities but it is up to the team to make any changes which they think are required or will prove beneficial to the consumer. They can change the order of development but within that sprint only.
On the other hand, in XP the customer lays down its requirements according to his needs and urgency of work and the team just has to follow that order in the iteration. They do not have the right to make changes on their own.
Engineering methods
The main focus of scrum is productivity and no engineering methods are adopted. If the team deems necessary, it can apply XP or Kanban. Self-organization is given more importance here.
XP allows its team to adopt practices like automated testing, development driven by tests, pair programming, continuous alliance, restructuring for improvement, etc. it encourages regular feedbacks from consumers and delivering the software infrequent and small releases.
Owner of the product
The scrum leader asks the owner of the product to assess the backlog and decide the order of the stories for the sprint. It is made sure that these stories are understood by the team when they are in the planning phase.
In XP, the customer who is the owner of the product sets the order of the stories for the sprint. Any new requirements are brought in by him and all the releases are also reviewed by him.
Comparison between SCRUM vs XP
Let us discuss the topmost comparison between SCRUM vs XP
|
Aspects |
Scrum |
XP |
| 1) Length of iterations | 2 to 4 weeks | 1 to 2 weeks |
| 2) Changes are done with an iteration | This cannot be done in the scrum. After completing an iteration, no changes are allowed. | If a need is not executed, the change can be reinstated, but the implementation time has to be the same |
| 3) Preference of features | There is no need for demand and priority to be aligned. | The demand is in accordance with the priority |
| 4) Owner of the product | The scrum master asks the owner of the product to decide the order of the stories and explains each phase to the team | The customer is the owner of the product who decides the job priority and analyses the releases |
| 5) Prioritization of the work | The owner of the product decides the priority but the team can work as per their choice within that sprint | This team works according to the job preference decided by the customer |
| 6) Engineering methods | The producers just have to be conscious and might not be that strict. | To guarantee progress and quality engineering methods like pair programming, simple design, restructuring are strictly followed. |
Conclusion
It is best to conclude that a team should start with scrum and then go on to create your own adaptation of XP. Scrum is mainly a structure for the development of a product, where u can opt to add other practices if required and XP is a practice which can be carried out within the framework of the scrum.
The rules and practices of XP are quite strict and the maximum of these rules is not open to negotiations. So it might prove beneficial if XP is added into the scrum and then the iteration can be taken ahead. XP practices are productive and it is best if the team discovers them on their own rather than being commanded to use them.
Both Scrum vs XP are methods of agile whose only aim is to deliver a quality product to the customer. It is best to study and thoroughly go through both and then choose the one which is best suited for the concerned project. The alignment of Scrum and XP is good and both complement each other.
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