Methodologies

A methodology is the set of values, roles, events and practices a team uses to turn requirements into working software. A process model describes the shape of the work, meaning its phases, ordering and feedback points. A methodology describes how a team actually works day to day inside that shape. Both live in this section, because in practice a team picks them together.

The families

Family	Core bet	Cadence	Prescribes
Agile	Change is cheaper to absorb than to prevent	Weeks	Values and principles, not a process
Scrum	Fixed timeboxes create rhythm and feedback	1 to 4 week Sprints	Roles, events, artifacts
Extreme Programming	Engineering discipline drives agility	Days to weeks	Technical practices
Kanban	Limiting work in progress makes work finish faster	Continuous flow	Visualization, WIP limits, flow metrics
Lean	Most of the delay is waste, not work	Whole value stream	Thinking tools, not a process
DSDM	Time and cost are fixed, scope flexes	Timeboxes	Lifecycle, roles, MoSCoW governance
Process Models	The shape of the work decides when you learn you were wrong	Phases or iterations	Ordering of phases and feedback points

Scrum, XP, Kanban and DSDM are all compatible with the agile values. Teams routinely mix them, most commonly Scrum for the management frame with XP for the engineering practices.

Cross-cutting pages

• AI in Software Methods, using LLMs and agents to improve delivery without outsourcing engineering judgment.
• Choosing a Methodology, how to pick, and why hybrids are normal.
• Development Practices, TDD, BDD and FDD, the practices that decide how the code gets written inside any of these.
• Cynefin Framework, sorting the problem by how cause and effect behave before picking a response.
• Scaling Agile, LeSS, SAFe, Scrum@Scale and what actually breaks with many teams.
• Other Methodologies, Crystal, FDD, RAD, Scrumban, Spiral and Shape Up.
• Agile Anti-patterns, how adoptions fail while keeping the name.

How the pieces relate

graph TD
    AG[Agile values and principles] --> SC[Scrum]
    AG --> XP[Extreme Programming]
    AG --> DS[DSDM]
    LN[Lean thinking] --> KB[Kanban]
    LN --> AG
    SC -->|management frame| HY[Common hybrid]
    XP -->|engineering practices| HY
    SC --> SB[Scrumban]
    KB --> SB

Quick orientation

• Want a rhythm and clear accountabilities? Start with Scrum.
• Delivery keeps slipping on quality? The gap is engineering, so read XP Practices.
• Work arrives unpredictably? Use Kanban.
• The date cannot move? Use MoSCoW and flex scope.
• Many teams, one product? See Scaling Agile.
• Requirements stable, regulated or contract-bound? A plan-driven process model is often the safer fit.

Assessments

Longer mixed quizzes covering this whole section:

• Agile Foundations, 16 questions.
• Scrum, 16 questions.
• Flow, Kanban and Lean, 14 questions.
• Practices and Governance, 16 questions.

Check Your Understanding

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What is the difference between a process model and a methodology?

They are the same thing under two names

A process model describes the ordering of phases and feedback, and a methodology describes how a team works day to day inside it

Correct. The Incremental Model says "deliver in increments". Scrum says who is in the room, for how long, and with which artifacts.

A methodology only applies to agile teams, a process model only to plan-driven teams

A process model is documentation, a methodology is code

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Why do Scrum and XP combine so often?

Because both were written by the same authors

Because Scrum requires pair programming

Because XP has no way to plan work

Because Scrum prescribes a management frame and no engineering practices, while XP prescribes engineering practices and little management structure

Correct. They cover each other's gaps, which is why Scrum teams without technical practices tend to slow down after a year.

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