| Primary Focus |
Eliminating waste, maximizing value |
Iterative delivery, customer collaboration |
Up-front planning, sequential execution |
| Approach |
Continuous improvement (Kaizen) |
Incremental, adaptive, short cycles (sprints) |
Linear, phase-by-phase (requirements → design → build → test → deploy) |
| Planning Style |
Just-in-time, minimal upfront |
Adaptive planning each iteration |
Heavy upfront planning |
| Flexibility |
High |
Very high |
Low |
| Change Handling |
Changes embraced to improve value |
Changes expected and integrated frequently |
Changes costly and disruptive |
| Customer Involvement |
Continuous value feedback |
Constant collaboration throughout project |
Mainly at start (requirements) and end (delivery) |
| Delivery |
Continuous flow |
Frequent increments |
Single large release at project end |
| Team Structure |
Small, cross-functional, empowered |
Cross-functional, self-organizing |
Defined roles and hierarchical structure |
| Best For |
Processes that can benefit from efficiency gains |
Complex, uncertain, evolving requirements |
Stable, fully known requirements |
| Risk Management |
Reduced via waste removal and rapid flow |
Reduced through early and continuous delivery |
Risk often discovered late in the lifecycle |