Project Management Terms Explained: Agile, Scrum, Kanban, Sprint

Tap a term to see what it means.

Agile

A flexible project management approach that repeats short cycles of plan-execute-review rather than completing one large plan all at once.

Scrum

The most widely used Agile framework, in which a team sets goals in short cycles called sprints and shares progress through brief daily meetings.

Sprint

A short, fixed work cycle in Scrum, typically one to four weeks, set to complete a specific goal.

Kanban

A visual work-management method that moves task cards across columns like "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done" on a board to track progress at a glance.

Backlog

A prioritized list of tasks or requirements that haven't been completed yet but need to be addressed in the future.

Milestone

A significant point or marker in a project indicating that a particular stage has been completed.

Gantt Chart

A project schedule that visualizes each task's start and end dates as horizontal bars, showing the overall timeline at a glance.

Standup Meeting

A short daily meeting, held standing up, where team members briefly share what they did yesterday, what they'll do today, and any blockers.

Why So Many Tech Companies Have Adopted Agile

In a market that changes quickly, teams increasingly favor checking results in short cycles and adjusting direction along the way, rather than rigidly following an initial plan to the end β€” and this is what has made Agile so widely adopted. Scrum and Kanban are the two most common ways this Agile philosophy gets put into practice.

These Terms Show Up Across Every Team

Whether you work in software, marketing, or product design, terms like sprint, backlog, and milestone tend to show up in some form β€” which is why they're worth knowing even outside a strictly technical role.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Scrum different from Kanban?

Scrum completes goals within a fixed period of time called a sprint, while Kanban manages the flow of work continuously on a board without a fixed time period.

Why are standup meetings held standing up?

The custom of standing developed specifically to keep the meeting short and to the point, since a seated meeting tends to run longer than intended.