For most Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) teams, a Kanban board is generally more suitable than Scrum. Kanban’s flexibility helps manage the dynamic, interrupt-driven nature of SRE work, which often involves urgent incidents, on-call rotations, and unpredictable tasks. Scrum is typically better for projects with predictable, time-boxed work—less common for SREs.
- Focuses on continuous flow and visualizing work in progress, making it easier to respond to real-time issues.
- Allows real-time task prioritization, accommodating urgent operational demands and interruptions.
- Supports ongoing maintenance and improvement work rather than fixed-length sprints.
- Emphasizes fixed sprints, planning, and review cycles, which suit teams with predictable workloads and iterative deliverables.
- Can present challenges for SRE teams, as unplanned work (incidents, emergencies) frequently disrupts sprint commitments.
| Approach | Key Features | Pros for SRE | Cons for SRE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanban | Continuous flow, flexible WIP limits | Handles unplanned work, real-time prioritization | Less structure for project-based work |
| Scrum | Fixed sprints, time-boxed planning | Useful for planned projects, regular retrospectives | Can be disrupted by urgent issues |
For SRE teams with high levels of interruption and ongoing operations, Kanban provides pragmatic advantages. Scrum can work for more project-focused reliability efforts, but is less common for general SRE operations.