Agile vs Scrum: What’s the Difference?

If you’re new to software development or project management, you’ve probably heard the terms Agile and Scrum used interchangeably. While they are closely related, they are not the same thing.

Understanding the difference between Agile and Scrum is important for teams aiming to improve collaboration, speed, and quality in software delivery.

What is Agile?

Agile is a set of values and principles for software development, defined in the Agile Manifesto. It emphasizes:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan

Agile is not a method—it’s a mindset. It guides how teams think about and approach their work. There are several frameworks that follow Agile principles, including Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), and Lean.

What is Scrum?

Scrum is a framework that implements Agile principles. It provides a structured way to apply Agile through defined roles, ceremonies, and artifacts.

Scrum organizes work into sprints (time-boxed iterations) and involves:

Specific roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team
Regular events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Retrospective
Artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment

So while Agile is the philosophy, Scrum is a practical method that brings Agile to life.

Key Differences

Feature	Agile	Scrum
Type	Philosophy / Mindset	Framework / Methodology
Flexibility	Broad and adaptable	More structured
Scope	Multiple frameworks (Scrum, Kanban)	One specific framework
Roles	Not defined	Specific roles required
Process	Guidelines	Defined events and workflows

When to Use Agile vs Scrum

Use Agile when:

You want to follow flexible principles but tailor your own process
Your team prefers lightweight workflows or hybrid models
You want to experiment with different Agile frameworks

Use Scrum when:

You need a well-defined structure to manage sprints and backlog
Your team is committed to iterative delivery
You want clearly assigned roles and ceremonies

Final Thoughts

Agile and Scrum are deeply connected, but not interchangeable. Agile is the “why”—a philosophy that values collaboration, flexibility, and customer feedback. Scrum is the “how”—a concrete method for applying Agile principles in real teams.

Choosing between Agile or Scrum isn’t really a choice—you usually use Scrum as a way to become Agile. Just remember: the end goal is not to “do Scrum,” but to deliver better software more effectively.