As the Agile approach takes the globe by storm, we're seeing an increase in the number of people who call themselves "Agile practitioners." Agile practitioners, in reality, are a dime a dozen. What can you do to stand out in the Agile environment and make yourself more recognisable than your colleagues in this situation? Scrum Alliance's Certified Scrum Master certificate might be the answer.
"Is a Scrum accreditation really worth it?" is a question that most entry-level or even mid-career Scrum practitioners have. It is, without a doubt, the solution! According to the 2017-2018 Salary Survey of Scrum Workers, even entry-level professionals with only one scrum certification earn much more than their non-certified peers.
According to job website Indeed.com, Scrum credentials were also the most wanted qualifications in 2020, with the Certified Scrum Master being the most in demand. Employers are seeking qualified Scrum specialists more than ever before, according to research.
According to Indeed.com's poll, the CSM ranks higher than the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certificate. So now you know how to prepare for the future in your profession. Obtain your Scrum certification as Project managers, product owners, business analysts and a variety of other professionals who work with Scrum teams might benefit from learning Scrum ideas.
What is a Scrum master certification and do you need one?
Scrum master certification, often known as Scrum certification, is a credential that validates your understanding of Scrum project management principles. It can prepare applicants to become Scrum masters, a type of project manager who completes projects using Scrum.
Scrum certifications are regularly requested—and occasionally required—in professions that heavily stress Scrum. So, which Scrum qualifications are the most valuable?
We looked at how many times each Scrum certification was cited in job posts on LinkedIn, Indeed and Simply Hired. The data indicate the top seven certifications referenced in job postings.
Scrum Master Certification Has Many Advantages
A Scrum Master certification verifies that you have the skills and abilities that employers want in a Scrum Master. Every team needs a committed individual to manage and execute multiple Agile initiatives. To demonstrate the importance of Scrum Master certification, consider the following benefits:
1) Acquire Scrum skills and principles
Attending a Scrum Master course can help you gain information and use those abilities successfully whether you are new to the world of Scrum or any broader Agile methodology. For those with prior Scrum implementation experience, the certification helps you to expand your understanding of how to overcome problems that arise while managing large teams across many departments using the same framework.
2) Enhance team collaboration and leadership.
You may lead and encourage your peers after becoming a Certified Scrum Master. You'll be able to lead them and facilitate smooth collaboration. The Scrum Master certifications shows your staff that you have the knowledge and expertise necessary to successfully lead an Agile team. It also serves as a differentiator, demonstrating to potential employers that you are a step ahead of the competition.
3) Changes Your Attitude
In order for lean-agile methodologies to be effective in your firm, you must create an Agile mentality. Agile training gives you the tools and abilities you need to advance your Agile career. It will teach the necessary mentality required to successfully implement the framework at all levels of the company. The capacity to think in an Agile manner will aid in teamwork, conflict resolution and the creation of more effective projects.
4) Make Progress in Your Career
When you become a Certified Scrum Master, you'll notice that your employment prospects skyrocket. The certification will make you a more relevant competitor in your profession and will result in a higher compensation than your non-certified counterparts. It also equips you with the necessary abilities for contributing to organisational change and achieving corporate objectives. The certification validates your Agile mentality, which is beneficial to your company.
The Scrum Alliance is the official organisation that issues CSMs and has Scrum Masters all around the world. This community regularly participates in Scrum events, conversations, forums and other activities to keep you informed.
You may join a community of acknowledged Scrum experts, practitioners and trainers by becoming a certified Scrum Master. This worldwide network will offer you opportunities to expand your Scrum expertise, get help when needed and provide answers to other challenges.
Scrum.org, for example, has a global network of Scrum teachers and practitioners. There are few things in the Agile world that our community cannot assist you with and obtaining a Certification allows you to benefit from their expertise.
5) Ensure a Smooth Agile Transition
A Scrum Master certification can help you manage programme, portfolio and team-level risks if you want to introduce Scrum as a new technique in your workplace. Scrum's success may be attributed to its release schedules, highly empowered teams and methods. Because a qualified Scrum Master will execute the framework, management may be certain that there will be a high possibility of success in Scrum implementation with proper training.
6) Become a member of a Scrum Expert Community
You may join a community of recognised Scrum specialists that are committed to the Agile process and continuous progress after you become a qualified Scrum Master. The community has a global network of Scrum teachers and practitioners and it acts as a knowledge repository, a location to locate and offer help and a means to search for events.
Best Certifications for Scrum masters:
As of August 2021, these are the top seven most-mentioned Scrum certifications on various job search sites.
- Scrum Master certification (CSM)
The Scrum Alliance, the first organisation to offer a Scrum certification, administers the Certified Scrum Master (CSM) designation. It's for present and aspiring Scrum team leaders from a variety of industries, as well as anyone who intends to work on cross-functional teams and solve complicated problems.
Advanced Certified Scrum Master (ACSM) and Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master (CSP-SM) credentials from the Scrum Alliance are more advanced Scrum Master certifications.
Cost varies depending on the course. As of August 2021, the offerings ranged from roughly $450 to $1000. Exam fees are included in the price of the course.
Requirements: To become a CSM, you must complete a fourteen-hour training course and pass a test at the conclusion
- Scrum Product Owner Certification (CSPO)
The Scrum Alliance now offers the Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification, which verifies your product owner training and knowledge. Product owners are one of the nine rising roles in product development for 2020, according to research by the World Economic Forum. In the CSPO, you'll study the fundamentals of Scrum as well as product-specific training, such as how to balance multiple stakeholders' needs and develop a product vision. Product owners and project managers, as well as business analysts and data analysts, should take the CSPO.
You can advance on the product owner track by becoming an Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (ACSPO) or a Certified Scrum Professional Product Owner (CSP-PO).
Cost varies depending on the course. As of August 2021, the offerings ranged from roughly $450 to $1000.
To become certified, you'll need to take a Scrum Alliance-approved CSPO course.
- Scrum Master with experience (PSM I)
Scrum.org, an organisation formed by Ken Schwaber, one of the co-creators of Scrum Alliance, offers the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) credential. The PSM I certifies your knowledge of the Scrum framework and how to implement it.
Scrum.org offers the PSM I as the first level of Scrum certification. After that, you can take the PSM II or PSM III, which will put you through your paces with more complicated Scrum processes.
Price: $150
To become certified, you must first pass the PSM I evaluation. Courses are offered, although they are not necessary.
- Scrum Master Certification (CSP)
The Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) is the Scrum Alliance's highest-level credential in the product development track. The CSP is unique to developers and is designed to help you become a professional who improves the way Scrum and Agile principles are implemented on your team. It differs from the CSP-PO and CSP-SM in that it is designed to help you become a professional who improves the way Scrum and Agile principles are implemented on your team.
You can begin your journey toward becoming a CSP by first becoming a Certified Scrum Developer (CSD).
The application fee is $100, plus a $150 certification charge.
To become a CSP, you must have an active CSD certification, a minimum of 36 months of Agile or Scrum work experience in the previous five years and seventy Scrum Education Units in the previous three. After that, you'll need to fill out an application, which will need to be authorised.
- Scrum Master in SAFe (SSM)
SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) certification may be what you're searching for if you want to be a Scrum master in a company where Agile, Lean, or DevOps ideas are used on a wide scale. Scaled Agile, the organisation that governs the Scaled Agile Framework, administers the certification (SAFe). You'll discover the tools you'll need to operate with fully remote teams in addition to getting to know Scrum.
Cost varies depending on the course. In August 2021, a sample of courses cost between $600 and $800. Exam fees are usually included in course fees.
Requirements: In addition to passing an exam, you'll need to undergo a two-day course certified by Scaled Agile.
- Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO I)
Scrum.org's Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO) certification verifies your ability to optimise the value of a development team's product. The certification assesses your knowledge of Scrum.org's Product Owner Learning Path, as well as your ability to apply and interpret the Scrum Guide.
You can download the PSPO II and PSPO III from Scrum.org if you wish to progress your credentials.
Price: $200 (exam only)
The PSPO I exam must be passed in order to acquire the credential. A course is not required, however it is strongly suggested.
- Certified Scrum Developer (CSD)
The Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) programme from the Scrum Alliance is for product developers who work in Scrum settings. You'll gain familiarity with the key ideas of Scrum and Agile in the context of product development as part of the training required to become a CSD.
Both the Advanced Certified Scrum Developer (ACSD) and the Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) require the CSD (CSP). Scrum.org also offers a Professional Scrum Developer (PSD) course.
Cost varies depending on the course. As of August 2021, the average offering was over $1000.
Requirements: To become a CSD, you must complete a two-day Scrum Alliance-approved CSD course.
- Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM)
Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM) is an advanced course offered by the Scrum Alliance for people who already have a CSM certification (see below) and have one or more years of experience as a Scrum master. According to Scrum Alliance, A-CSMs attend training sessions to learn methods and skills that go beyond the foundations and introduction mechanics of Scrum, such as engagement, facilitation, coaching and team dynamics.
Candidates must accept the A-CSM licensing agreement and complete their Scrum Alliance membership profile once all educational programmes have been completed and validated by a Scrum Alliance-certified educator. They must also prove that they have worked as a Scrum master for at least 12 months in the last five years.
The cost of a course ranges from $600 to $1,500, depending on where you live and whether you take an online, in-person, hybrid, or self-paced course.
A-CSM certification must be renewed every two years for $175 and applicants must obtain 30 SEUs during that period. (Use the "Combined Certified Scrum Master and Certified Scrum Product Owner and/or Certified Scrum Developer" option to renew multiple Scrum Alliance certifications.)
- Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master (CSP-SM)
Scrum Alliance's Certified Scrum Professional – Scrum Master (CSP-SM) credential is meant to validate your Scrum experience, training and expertise. The certification focuses on Lean, agile and Scrum, as well as fundamental Scrum master abilities and service to the development team, product owner and company. To sit for the test, you'll need to complete accredited CSP-SM training and demonstrate that you've worked as a Scrum master for at least 24 months in the last five years.
You'll also get access to special CSP events where you can network with other Scrum and agile leaders, as well as a free premium membership to Comparative Agility, an agile assessment and continuous improvement platform, along with your certification.
The cost of a course varies based on the location and instructor, but it usually ranges from $1,400 to $2,000 dollars.
The CSP-SM must be renewed every two years for a fee of $250 and applicants must acquire 40 SEUs during that period.
- Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM)
The PMI Disciplined Agile Scrum (DASM) certification focuses on the Disciplined Agile Scrum (DASM) mentality and its underlying principles, which include ideas like "pragmatism, the power of choice and reacting to circumstances." The certification covers the principles of agile and Lean, including Scrum, Kanban, SAFe and other approaches. You'll learn how to put these principles into practice in real-world scenarios and how to use the Disciplined Agile toolset to find the most successful approaches for your team and organisation.
You may also take the Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) or Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC) certification tests once you've acquired your DASM certification.
Nonmembers pay $499, while members pay $399; the test fee is included in the course registration fee and retakes are $150 each. Every year, the DASM certification must be renewed.
- PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
Although the Project Management Institute (PMI) does not provide particular Scrum credentials, Scrum masters prefer the PMI-ACP certification since it includes numerous agile and Scrum techniques and concepts. The certification validates applicants' understanding of agile principles and ability to use agile practises. It includes Scrum, Lean, Kanban, extreme programming (XP) and test-driven development, among other agile methodologies (TDD).
A secondary degree, 21 contract hours of agile practice training, 12 months of general project experience during the last five years and eight months of agile project experience within the last three years are all required for the PMI-ACP. The prerequisite for 12 months of general project experience within the last five years can be satisfied by a current Project Management Professional (PMP) or Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification, but neither will suffice.
PMI members pay $435; nonmembers pay $495.
Renewal: To keep their PMI-ACP certification, holders must obtain 30 professional development units (PDUs) on agile subjects every three years.
- Professional Scrum Developer
The Scrum.org Professional Scrum Developer certification is meant to verify your understanding of utilising Scrum to develop complex software solutions. The certification will demonstrate to companies that you have the necessary abilities to work as a Scrum developer using the Scrum Guide's best practises.
The evaluation is "exhaustive and demanding," according to Scrum.org, with questions that will evaluate your understanding of the Scrum Guide, as well as your ability to comprehend its meaning and apply it in real-world situations. You'll also be tested on the Software Developer Learning Path's material, as well as questions that challenge you to use your own real-world Scrum developer expertise.
Attempts to Professional Scrum Developer certification cost $200 each and the PSD does not have an expiration date.
- Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
Scrum.org offers three certifications to confirm your Scrum abilities and expertise. The Professional Scrum Master (PSM) I certification is the first of three. The test covers various priority areas indicated in the Professional Scrum Competencies and you'll be required to derive meaning from the Scrum Guide and implement Scrum in a Scrum team.
Although there are no explicit test prerequisites, applicants should be aware that the content presented is high-level and complicated and only those who are well-versed in Scrum concepts should expect to pass. After passing the PSM I test, you can advance to the PSM II and PSM III levels of certification.
The cost of the PSM I exam is $150, the PSM II test is $250 and the PSM III exam is $500. The PSM does not have an expiration period.
- SAFe Advanced Scrum Master
Scaled Agile's SAFe Advanced Scrum Master certification is a two-day training that prepares existing Scrum Masters for leadership roles that need them to work in a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) environment. Identifying and resolving team anti-patterns, optimising value flow using Kanban and other engineering approaches, supporting program-level execution and employing problem-solving and advanced coaching techniques to promote change are all covered in the test.
Although it is an advanced certification, there are no requirements for those interested in obtaining it. However, Scaled Agile highly advises that you have at least one of the following certifications: Certifications include SAFe Scrum Master (SSM), Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Professional Scrum Master (PSM).
Course rates vary depending on location, however the first test fee is included in the registration fee. Each try at a retake costs $50. SAFe Scrum Master certification holders must renew their certification every year for $100 and complete at least 10 hours of ongoing education.
Conclusion:
The need for qualified and experienced Scrum masters is increasing as more firms implement Agile and Scrum methodologies for project management. Scrum masters give skills beyond that of traditional project managers due to their training in certain proven procedures.
Although no amount of training can replace hands-on experience, certification adds a layer of authenticity and professionalism to a Scrum master's resume, making him or her more appealing to future employers. Scrum is a project management paradigm that helps businesses and organisations manage complex projects, improve team responsibility and save costs.
A Scrum master is a certified professional who assists in the organisation and scaling of Scrum teams of any size. Scrum master certifications not only adds credibility, but it also makes them more sought-after and boosts their earning potential.
If any of your coworkers are certified Agile practitioners, a certification can assist you strengthen your working connection with them. The core concepts do not alter, even if your peers have learned or implemented a different Agile technique. You'll be able to talk to them and exchange ideas with them, strengthening your company's Agile culture in the process. The working atmosphere is enhanced since you have a better understanding of how your coworkers function and even think.
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