# Kanban, Scrum, and capacity

> Capacity in Scrum (sprint commitment) and Kanban (work-in-progress limits): comparison, limits, and how they relate to team capacity.

- HTML: https://www.simpleworkload.com/en/methods/kanban-scrum-capacity
- Markdown: https://www.simpleworkload.com/en/methods/kanban-scrum-capacity.md

## How do Scrum and Kanban manage team capacity?

Scrum caps workload through the sprint commitment: the team commits to what its iteration capacity allows, accounting for absences. Kanban caps it through work-in-progress (WIP) limits: the team starts nothing new once the limit is reached. In both cases, realistic capacity is still needed to size the commitment or the limit.

## Scrum: capacity per iteration

- Sprint capacity is computed from available days and velocity.

- The team commits to a scope compatible with that capacity.

- Absences, leave, and events are deducted before committing.

## Kanban: capacity per flow

- WIP limits prevent opening too many items at once.

- Throughput (items completed per period) replaces velocity.

- Capacity helps set limits consistent with team size.

## What they have in common

- Both avoid overload by refusing to start more than the team can absorb.

- Neither says how to share a person across several teams: that is the role of a consolidated capacity view.

## FAQ

### Do you need a capacity tool with Kanban?

For a single team, no. As soon as people are shared across teams or projects, a consolidated capacity view prevents double assignments.

### What is the difference between velocity and throughput?

Velocity measures points completed per iteration; throughput counts items completed per unit of time.

### Do WIP limits replace capacity?

No, they protect it: capacity helps size them.

## Sitemap

- [Markdown sitemap](https://www.simpleworkload.com/sitemap.md)
- [XML sitemap](https://www.simpleworkload.com/sitemap.xml)
- [llms.txt](https://www.simpleworkload.com/llms.txt)
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