Agile vs Scrum: Key Differences, Benefits, and Certifications

Is your team practicing Agile—or just going through the motions of Scrum? Plenty of teams say they’re Agile, but end up stuck in long meetings, unclear roles, or workflows that don’t deliver real value. It’s no wonder people confuse Agile with Scrum—or assume they’re interchangeable. They’re not.

In this guide, we’ll clear up the confusion, explore the certifications tied to each, and show how choosing the right approach can make or break your team’s momentum.

What is the Difference Between Agile and Scrum?

Agile is a broad philosophy—a mindset based on values like collaboration, adaptability, and continuous delivery. It guides how teams approach complex work, especially in software development, and serves as the foundation for several frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming. Agile outlines what good project management looks like in dynamic environments, but it doesn’t tell teams exactly how to do it.

Scrum, on the other hand, is a specific Agile framework. It provides a clear structure with defined roles, events, and artifacts to help teams put Agile principles into practice. While Agile is flexible and open-ended, Scrum is more prescriptive—it tells you exactly how to run a Sprint, hold a Daily Scrum, and deliver usable product increments.

The confusion between Agile and Scrum stems from the fact that over 80 percent of organizations using an Agile approach use Scrum or Scrum combined with something else, typically Kanban or XP.

In short: Agile is the mindset, Scrum is one way to apply it. You can be Agile without using Scrum, but you can’t use Scrum without being Agile.

Category	Agile	Scrum
Type	Philosophy / Mindset	Specific framework within Agile
Scope	Broad; includes multiple frameworks (e.g., Scrum, Kanban, XP)	Narrow; a defined framework of Agile
Structure	Flexible and principle-based	Prescriptive with defined roles, events, and artifacts
Cadence	Iterative, varies by framework	Timeboxed Sprints (typically 1–4 weeks)
Roles	Not strictly defined	Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developers
Events	Varies by framework	Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Retrospective
Artifacts	Varies	Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment
Relationship	Foundation philosophy	One way to implement Agile principles

What is Agile?

Agile is a flexible, iterative approach to project management and software development that prioritizes collaboration, quick delivery, and adapting to change. Rather than a single method, Agile is an umbrella term for frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, and Lean. All share a core mindset:

• Deliver value often
• Improve continuously
• Stay responsive to real-world feedback.

Agile is a Mindset that Builds Over Time

The best way to think of Agile is as a mindset rather than a specific way of doing something. Agile is something you are, not something you do. That mindset can be applied to software development, other product development, process improvement, and any initiative where there is a degree of uncertainty that requires adapting to change.

Introduced formally in 2001 through the Agile Manifesto, it promotes working in small increments, gathering feedback early, and responding to evolving customer needs rather than following rigid, linear plans. Agile helps teams work more efficiently, reduce risk, and build products customers actually want.

Instead of working on a project from start to finish and delivering the final product once it has been totally completed, Agile delivers pieces of the project at a time, with the next piece building on the previous one until the project is completed. Think of it like being asked to build a mobile application for your phone.

You may start with minimal features, such as an ability to create an account and login. Over time, further functionality will be added based upon the priorities established by the customer. This ensures that work always focuses on the highest priority features so that the customer can quickly derive value from the deliverable.

Agile Frameworks

There are more than 50 different agile frameworks. Here are 9 of the most popular frameworks:

• Scrum: A structured framework with defined roles, events, and artifacts. Uses fixed-length Sprints to deliver working product increments and is the most widely adopted Agile framework.
• Kanban: A visual workflow management method that emphasizes continuous delivery and limiting work in progress. Focuses on optimizing flow rather than fixed iterations.
• Extreme Programming (XP): A developer-focused framework that promotes technical excellence through practices like Test-Driven Development, pair programming, and continuous integration.
• Lean: Originating from manufacturing, Lean emphasizes eliminating waste, maximizing customer value, and delivering only what’s essential.
• Crystal: A family of Agile methodologies tailored to team size and project criticality. Focuses on people, communication, and adaptability over strict processes.
• Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM): A framework that ensures projects are delivered on time and on budget with strong user involvement and a focus on business value.
• Agile Unified Process (AUP): A simplified version of the Rational Unified Process (RUP) adapted to align with Agile principles in a streamlined, iterative way.
• SAFe® (Scaled Agile Framework): Designed for applying Agile practices at the enterprise level, SAFe coordinates multiple Agile teams working on large-scale projects.
• Disciplined Agile (DA): A decision-making toolkit that helps organizations tailor their Agile approach by blending Agile, Lean, and traditional practices.

What is Scrum?

Scrum is a lightweight Agile framework used to develop complex products iteratively and incrementally. It structures work into short, timeboxed cycles called Sprints, which allow teams to frequently inspect progress and adapt as needed. Scrum is built around cross-functional teams and emphasizes transparency, continuous improvement, and delivering value.

Scrum was inspired by a 1986 Harvard Business Review article titled The New New Product Development Game and was formally introduced in 1995 by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber. It’s not an acronym—just a name borrowed from rugby. The full definition of Scrum is outlined in the Scrum Guide.

There are no Project Managers in Scrum since the development team is empowered and self-organizing. The closest the team has to a ‘manager’ is a servant leader, meant to help the team be successful, called the Scrum Master. The Scrum Master is not a master of the team, but of Scrum itself. They are the parties that effectively manage the correct application of Scrum which ensures the project’s success.

Scrum Events

In the project management and product development world, the Scrum consists of three roles, five events, and three artifacts, all of which characterize work organized into iterations of up to four weeks, referred to as sprints in Scrum. Each event reflects Agile values.

All Scrum events:

• Enable transparency and inspection
• Create structure and a steady cadence
• Minimize the need for additional meetings
• Ensure an appropriate amount of time is spent without wasting time
• Provide opportunities to continually adapt

The Sprint itself is considered an event and functions as a container for the other four events:

• Sprint Planning – Team members identify and commit to the work to be done in the Sprint.

• Daily Scrum – Team members touch base and update each other on how their tasks are progressing and share any challenges or impediments they are experiencing.
• Sprint Review – The customer, team (and potentially others) are invited to inspect the working solution component. The team assesses the feedback and adapts by incorporating it into the backlog of work to be done as determined by the customer.
• Sprint Retrospective – The team reflects on how the Sprint went. They draw lessons from this retrospective and identify experiments or an improvement plan to apply to the next Sprints to improve their effectiveness.

Scrum Teams

The Scrum Team consists of three roles, and only three roles. A few key responsibilities of those roles include:

• The Product Owner (PO) is the voice of the customer. They are a single point of contact for the business and end-users. As such, they own the product backlog of work to be done by the Development Team, as well as the prioritization of that work. Importantly, the PO is readily accessible to the Development team and collaborates with them.
• The Scrum Master is a servant leader to the Development Team. They help remove barriers and get the resources needed to enable the team to deliver value. Importantly, the Scrum Master ensures that the entire Scrum team is practicing good Scrum and helps them adjust when needed. They are also a Scrum advocate and educate others throughout the organization about Scrum, helping them navigate the culture and organizational changes that Scrum introduces.
• The Development Team includes anyone involved in building the product. (In Scrum, it is common for everyone on the Development Team to be called a “developer,” even if they aren’t developing.) In Scrum, Development Team members are cross-functional, allowing more than one person to complete a task, which mitigates bottlenecks and facilitates agility. Importantly, Scrum Development Team members share ownership of the work they do, which has a powerful impact on creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

As with all Agile approaches, Scrum is both iterative and incremental to accelerate delivery of solutions. Instead of delivering a completed project all at once – like a website, for example – teams deliver portions of a project (increments), adding to the functionality and features of the previous version with each Sprint (or iteration in other Agile approaches).

The Scrum framework fosters cross-functional teams that collaborate with minimal oversight and enjoy access to regular feedback from their customers and end-users. Practicing Scrum minimizes waste, is customer-driven, and ultimately contributes to high-value results getting into the hands of the customer quickly. Scrum is designed to create high-performance teams that are fun to be part of and deliver high-value results more efficiently.

History of Agile and Scrum

While the Agile Manifesto in 2001 gave Agile its name, the ideas behind it stretch back decades. As early as 1957, teams at IBM and Motorola used incremental development—now seen as a core Agile principle—even before “Agile” existed as a concept. The term “Scrum” was first introduced in 1986 by Takeuchi and Nonaka, inspired by the teamwork of rugby, and later implemented by Jeff Sutherland in 1993 with the first Scrum team. By 1995, Sutherland and Ken Schwaber formalized the Scrum framework, helping set the stage for what was to come.

Key milestones include:

• 1957: Incremental development used at IBM and Motorola
• 1986: Scrum term coined in Harvard Business Review
• 1993: First Scrum team formed at Easel Corporation
• 1995: Scrum framework formalized and presented at OOPSLA
• 1995–1996: Early enterprise Scrum implementations at VMARK, Individual Inc., and IDX Systems
• 2001: Agile Manifesto created by 17 developers at Snowbird, Utah
• 2010: First official Scrum Guide published by Schwaber and Sutherland
• Today: Scrum is the most widely adopted Agile framework, used well beyond software

Agile began as a set of “lightweight” alternatives to rigid project methods like Waterfall. After the 2001 meeting, Agile became a global movement centered on collaboration, working solutions, and adaptability. Scrum, XP, and other frameworks aligned with Agile principles, helping teams deliver better results through continuous feedback, iteration, and customer focus.

What You Should Know About Agile Certification

Certifications exist for both Agile and Scrum. The most common Agile certification is the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)^®. If you have project experience or you would like to explore using Agile in your environment, the PMI-ACP is a good certification to earn. This certification is not specific to any particular Agile approach, and the exam covers concepts and practices that are used in any Agile environment. Not only will this improve the way you manage projects, but it will also improve your resume and open up doors to new professional opportunities.

So, how can you earn your PMI-ACP certification? Like earning the Project Management Professional (PMP)^® certification, there are a few requirements you have to meet before you are eligible to take the exam. Below are the requirements for taking the PMI-ACP exam:

• Pay your exam fee, which is $495 for Non-PMI members, or $435 if you are a member.
• Earn 2,000 hours of general project experience. If you already have your PMP^® certification, the hours you already earned would satisfy this requirement.
• Spend 1,500 hours working on Agile teams or using Agile Methodologies. (These hours are in addition to the 2,000 hours of general project management experience you must earn.)
• Earn 21 contact hours of training in Agile practices. Make sure you choose a PMI-approved training provider to help you fulfill these requirements.

Once you have earned the PMI-ACP certification, you will need to renew your certification every three years by earning 30 Professional Development Units (PDUs) focused on Agile topics. Once the three years is up, you start the cycle over again. Because Agile and Scrum are so interconnected, it’s wise to find a training provider that offers thorough courses on both.

Final Thoughts: Agile vs Scrum

Agile isn’t just a process—it’s a mindset grounded in trust, collaboration, and adaptability. Scrum gives that mindset structure, but success ultimately comes down to people: the Product Owner who drives value, the Developers who self-organize around shared goals, and the Scrum Master who supports growth without micromanagement. These roles aren’t about hierarchy—they’re about accountability, transparency, and continuous learning.

If your team is ready to go beyond the buzzwords and build real agility, the right training can make all the difference. Whether you’re exploring the basics or preparing for certification, we offer a wide range of courses to help you and your team lead with clarity and confidence:

• Intro to Agile
• Agile Fundamentals
• PMI-ACP® Certification Training
• Agile in Action
• Scrum Methodology Training
• Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM)

Explore our Agile and Scrum courses and take the next step toward building a more empowered, adaptable, and effective team.

---

---

---