Introduction of Agile Frameworks
Before identifying any framework a common sensical question is ‘why whatever we are doing doesn’t work for us?’ and ‘what is that problem we want to get solved which will take us where we are supposed to reach?’. To implement Agile practically, several frameworks have emerged, each suited to different team sizes, industries, and business needs. Agile adoption begins with problem clarity, not framework selection.
This blog explains seven prominent types of Agile frameworks, comparing their features, roles, and use cases to help you decide the best fit for your team. Just a disclaimer there are many more frameworks and we will love to know if you want us to talk about those too. Frameworks act as enablers, not silver bullets likewise exploration is a sign of maturity, not indecision.
If you have ever been part of a software or product team, you’ve probably heard the term “Agile.” But Agile isn’t one thing, it’s many. It’s a mindset that guides teams to work smarter and faster, but how that happens can differ dramatically depending on the framework you pick. Agile defines how teams think before it defines how teams work.
The truth is, there are quite a few types of agile frameworks, and each has its own flavor and strengths. And it is quite important to choose the right one otherwise it might create unnecessary stress. Framework choice often determines whether Agile feels enabling or exhausting.
Let us explore top 7 types of agile frameworks which have made a mark in the industry in helping teams and organizations to bring agility and at the same time we should mention that there are many other frameworks also which may be suitable based on your context. Context, not popularity, should drive framework selection.
Key Highlights: Types of Agile Frameworks
‘Agile’ has become a buzzword from the past 2 decades but before that also there were frameworks which were popularly used by teams and organizations to improve agility. You might have heard that Kanban was applied to the Toyota Production system in the 1940s and the other frameworks like Scrum and XP were already there before the Agile manifesto popularised ‘Agile’ ways of working through 4 values and 12 principles. Agility existed long before it was formally named.
The most widely recognized is Scrum, known for its sprint based delivery and clear roles. But frameworks like Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), SAFe, Lean Software Development, Crystal, and Disciplined Agile (DA) bring unique approaches suited to various environments. Knowing these frameworks makes it easier for teams to pick the right fit and succeed long term. Each framework solves a different problem, there is no universal best. Awareness of options prevents dogmatic Agile adoption.
Comparison Table: 7 Types of Agile Frameworks
The table below highlights how frameworks differ in structure, flexibility, and intent.
| Framework | Iteration Style | Flexibility | Key Roles | Best Use Case |
| Scrum | Time boxed sprints | Medium | Scrum Master, Product Owner | Small to medium product teams |
| Kanban | Continuous flow | High | Service Delivery Manager | Operations, support teams |
| Extreme Programming (XP) | Short iterations | Medium | Coach, Customer | Software development requiring high quality and frequent releases |
| SAFe | Program increments | Lower (structured) | RTE, Agile Teams, Product Managers | Large enterprises scaling Agile |
| Lean Software Development | Flow based | High | Team Leads | Teams emphasizing waste reduction |
| Crystal | Varies (family of methods) | High | Sponsor, Team Members | Small teams with specific project sizes |
| Disciplined Agile (DA) | Hybrid, tailored | High | Process Owners | Organizations requiring hybrid agility |
These distinctions help teams avoid force fitting Agile practices.
Top 7 Types of Agile Frameworks with Examples
1. Scrum – Scrum is an iterative and incremental framework, the most widely adopted Agile framework, primarily used by development teams, focusing on iterative delivery through fixed length sprints. It is applicable when the requirements are quite uncertain and in sprint or iteration you develop a just enough working software to inspect if we are on the right track of fulfilling customer or business expectations else we may need to pivot based on feedback. This way we fail faster by shortening the feedback loop.
Scrum framework contains roles, events and artifacts which revolves around the sprints which are sacrosanct. The emphasis is on collaboration, incremental delivery, and continuous improvement via ceremonies like daily standups and retrospectives. Scrum thrives on inspection, adaptation, and short feedback cycles.
Example: A software development team uses Scrum to deliver a new web application by breaking work into 2-week sprints with prioritized backlogs and they might not need to wait for complete application to finish and based on feedback could launch the application with just enough MVP features and then build it incrementally. Value is delivered early, not deferred to the end.
2. Kanban – Kanban is a visual workflow management method. It is very popular in an operations environment where there is a continuous inflow of demands and the supply also needs to be efficient. Kanban is run based on principles of visualising the work to bring transparency, limiting work in progress to increase the focus time, and maximising flow efficiency without prescriptive roles or iterations.
It also promotes the pull culture over push i.e. the work is not supposed to be assigned to people but the flow expects work to be picked as and when there is capacity at downstream columns. Flow efficiency becomes more important than timeboxing.
Example: A customer support team employs Kanban boards to track open tickets and prioritize urgent customer issues dynamically. Visibility enables faster prioritization and decision making.
3. Extreme Programming (XP) – XP as the name suggests is applied in an environment where the changes are continuous and so are the delivery expectations. XP focuses on software engineering best practices including pair programming, test driven development, and continuous integration to increase software quality and responsiveness. Here the customer sits besides the development and through extensive collaboration they attain continuous everything planning, development, integration & deployment. Technical excellence is treated as a business enabler, not a luxury.
Example: A startup implements XP to ensure rapid feature releases while maintaining high code quality and automated testing. Quality is built in continuously rather than tested in later.
4. SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) – SAFe is one of the most popular scaled agile approaches (other approaches include Scrum of Scrums, LeSS, LeSS Huge etc) and extends Agile practices to large organizations. It is explained in terms of configurations which organizations may abide by based on their need like Essential SAFe, Large Solution, Portfolio & Organizational.
By structuring teams into Agile Release Trains and aligning portfolio strategy with execution through Program Increments, SAFe brings harmony between a large group of people working under a common rhythm harmoniously through seamless delivery of value. It is comparatively less flexible but you could surely configure it based on needs and it is recommended to seek help from experts to drive your transformation. Alignment across scale is SAFe’s primary objective.
Example: A multinational corporation coordinates 50+ Agile teams across departments using SAFe to deliver integrated product solutions. Predictability improves when strategy and execution operate in sync.
5. Lean Software Development (LSD) – Lean Software Development is principle driven. Primarily based on 7 principles (Eliminate waste, Amplify learning, Empower the team, Defer Decision, Deliver it fast, Build quality in and Optimize the whole) which are flow based practices. Waste reduction accelerates value delivery.
Example: An engineering team applies Lean principles to optimize deployment times and reduce non value adding activities. Flow improvements often reveal hidden bottlenecks.
6. Crystal – The Crystal approach is a family of lightweight Agile methodologies that prioritize people and communication over processes and tools. Key criteria to implement is based on the scale of the target group. It has different color coding which denotes the size of the team or group (Crystal Clear, Crystal Yellow, Crystal Orange, Crystal Red, Crystal Maroon, Crystal Diamond or Sapphire etc.) tailored to a project’s team size and criticality.
Crystal primarily drives on principles of frequent delivery, teamwork & communication and continuous improvement. The core idea is that every project is unique, so the best process emerges from the interactions of the people involved. Human interaction is treated as the primary driver of success.
Example: a small team of six co-located developers working on a non critical web application would likely use Crystal Clear. This method emphasizes frequent, face to face communication, and a simple feedback loop to deliver the product efficiently. Simplicity enables speed when risk is low.
7. Disciplined Agile (DA) – DA offers a hybrid approach integrating various Agile and Lean methods according to enterprise needs, focusing on process decision frameworks and driven by core principles like Delight Customers, Be Awesome, Enterprise Awareness, Pragmatism, Optimize Flow, Content Counts, Choice is Good.
It also offers various configurations for DevOps, IT operations & Enterprise. It provides a toolkit of practices and strategies. Teams can select the most appropriate options for their project and that’s why it’s based on context. Choice replaces prescription as the governing principle.
Example: A consulting firm uses DA to customize Agile adoption according to client specific regulatory and compliance requirements. Governance and agility coexist through informed decision making.
Conclusion
Now you are aware that there are a lot of frameworks and we have only provided a few in the above blog. Each framework has its context and knowing it is very important. Misalignment, not Agile itself, is often the root cause of failure.
Most of the clients that we consulted as an agile consulting company have accepted that the agile approach that they have applied isn’t working and when we do our interventions they start seeing the change. Choosing the right Agile framework depends on your team size, project complexity, industry needs, and organizational culture. Scrum’s usually fits well with small to medium teams seeking iterative delivery, while SAFe is ideal for scaling Agile in large enterprises who want to balance structure and flexibility. Kanban suits operational teams needing flow based work management. Fit for purpose Agile sustains momentum over time.
Combining Agile frameworks with organizational goals leads to sustained success and we have a lot of testimonials about that. Successful Agile adoption is evolutionary, not mechanical. We strongly recommend you to go through our case studies to learn more about our interventions addressing client problems. Real world outcomes matter more than theoretical compliance.
If your organisation is facing agile transformation challenges or you are struggling to figure out the best agile framework as per your context, NextAgile consulting can help you co‑create a practical agile transformation roadmap. Do reach out to us at consult@nextagile.ai and we would be happy to explore more.
