Scrum Master Certification: Everything You Need to Know
Scrum is one of the most popular agile working methodologies; especially in the world of software and digital product development. Scrum’s sprint approach – a series of short and successive iterations, each producing a workable version or part-version of an app or other technology-related output – is highly flexible, user-focused, and represents a resource-efficient way of creating complex products. But who guides the process? Who keeps a scrum development team on track? And what training and/or qualifications do they need? This article looks at the scrum master role and how it can benefit from a structured program of learning.
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In scrum, the focus is very much on continuous improvement – each iteration takes the product a step closer to achieving its goals (both for the users and the business). This, coupled with the capability to pivot, changing the direction of development in response to new or changing circumstances, leaves us with a process that benefits from some guidance and support. But not the kind you get from a project manager. As a process, scrum does not benefit from over-rigid control. After all, scrum teams are cross-functional, self-organizing, and the gatekeeping, sole accountability school of management is going to be counter-productive. What’s needed is a more facilitative approach – and that’s where the role of scrum master comes in…
What is a scrum master?
The primary role of the scrum master is to be the primary contact and source of guidance on all things scrum – the scrum expert, essentially.
That said, the scrum master is definitely not the ‘scrum police’. The scrum master is not there as an enforcer, more a facilitator. They ensure that the team understands how scrum works, including the three pillars (transparency, inspection, adaptation) and the core principles contained in the Scrum Manifesto. The scrum master’s goal is to ensure the team can get the best out of working in scrum. And that, in turn, ensures the team builds the best possible product.
A scrum master’s broad responsibilities include:
- Coaching and training in scrum matters
- Facilitate problem-solving
- Encourage and moderate discussions
- Backlog prioritization
- Ensure adequate experimentation and testing
- Minimize the impact of external constraints
- Provide (or facilitate access to) necessary information for the project
All of this is done with a consistent theme: the underlying question, how does this fit with scrum?
However, the scrum master role extends beyond the specific project team. The above list mentions dealing with “external constraints” and this puts the scrum master role in touch with a variety of stakeholders. The scrum master is required to deal with and influence managers and leaders (up to and including C-level) throughout the organization.
In many ways, scrum master is a leadership role. But a leadership role without formal, positional authority. A scrum master leads by expertise and influence, focused on serving the development team.
For more detail on scrum master responsibilities and duties, check out our article, “Is a scrum master a project manager? The role of the SM”.
Scrum master certification
To be a scrum master, you need a broad and deep understanding of scrum and agile working. You also need a range of soft skills focused on communication , feedback and facilitation. What’s more, an ability to think critically about systems and processes is important.
What you don’t need is a certificate. However, as with any certification, a scrum master certificate is a proof that an individual has acquired and demonstrated the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfil the role. We don’t insist on a certificate from our scrum masters at Boldare, but we do see it as something that is (very) nice-to-have.
A certified scrum master has undertaken a course of study, and passed an exam or other test, proving their understanding of the theory and practice of scrum. It’s worth noting, that just as scrum is a process about continuous development and improvement of a product, the role of scrum master involves continuous learning. The certificate shows that a certain minimum level has been achieved; it doesn’t mean that an individual knows all there is to know!
A variety of certifications are available, including:
Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
One of three complementary certifications from scrum.org (the other two are Professional Scrum Developer (PSD) and Professional Scrum Product Owner Level 1 (PSPO-1). The scrum master certification focuses on key scrum competencies, interpretation of the Scrum Guide, and practical application of scrum in team and project scenarios. The material is high level and complex and the first level examination (PSM-I) is challenging. Following the PSM-I, candidates have the option of two further levels of certification: PSM-II and PSM-III. (Source: scrum.org)
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
An entry-level qualification with no experience requirement. Covers the essentials of the role: scrum events and artifacts, team accountability, and scrum best practices. (Source: Scrum Alliance)
Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM)
An advanced certification for scrum masters with a year or more’s experience in the role, plus the previously-mentioned CSM certificate. A strong focus on facilitation and coaching skills, with a greater awareness of team dynamics. (Source: Scrum Alliance)
Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master (CSP-SM)
The next level in that a minimum of two years of experience is necessary. A focus on lean, scrum and agile working methods, plus the idea of servant leadership in respect of the development team, product owner, and wider organization. (Source: Scrum Alliance)
Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM)
Disciplined Agile is a tool kit of various agile, lean and traditional strategies, a collection of best practices. This certification focuses on the DA mindset (a statement of DA’s principles, promises and guidelines). The material includes scrum alongside other agile frameworks, including Kanban and SAFe. (Source: Disciplined Agile)
PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
This isn’t a certification specifically for scrum masters, but it is popular with people filling that role; the material covers a range of agile practices and principles, including scrum, Kanban, lean, extreme programming, test-driven development, etc. (Source: Project Management Institute)
SAFe Scrum Master (SSM)
Taking a more organizational approach, this certification focuses on applying and integrating scrum practices (specifically, the Scaled Agile Framework or SAFe), especially at the team level (Source: Scaled Agile)
SAFe Advanced Scrum Master
A course for established scrum masters, focused on scrum master as a leadership role, specifically in the SAFe environment. There are no qualifying certifications necessary but SSM, CSM or PSM are recommended. (Source: Scaled Agile)
Scrum@Scale Practitioner
With an emphasis on scrum’s inherent flexibility and adaptability, this certification focuses on how best to scale scrum implementations, including cross-team collaboration, transformation backlogs, metrics, and team efficiency. (Source: Scrum Inc.)
The learning elements of these certifications are largely flexible, with material delivered either in-person, online, or by hybrid methods. The costs depend on the specific certificate and level, and can be anywhere between $400 – $2000 for the course of study plus examination. Furthermore, some certificates require an annual ‘membership/subscription’ fee to retain the accreditation and certified title.
Benefits of a scrum master certification
Gaining any certification requires time and work. And given that there is nothing to stop anybody working in scrum master role without a scrum master certificate, we need a strong reason to do it. Check out the following benefits to using certified scrum masters.
- Credibility – A scrum master is an expert, called on to apply their expertise in the form of advice, guidance and influence. To put it bluntly, a certificate can be reassuring to others that the scrum master knows their onions.
- Improved teamworking – The focus on teams and servant leadership, together with the use of soft skills such as communication and problem-solving, has a beneficial impact on how a team functions.
- Greater efficiency and better results – A scrum master should enable the development team to use scrum more effectively. This can translate into shorter and/or more productive sprints, a tighter focus on the product’s objectives and target market and ultimately, a better quality of final product.
- Part of a wider community – By the end of a process of study and certification, most scrum masters have developed contacts with other scrum masters in other organizations. Some certificating bodies (such as Scrum Alliance) actively manage this network of contacts. Such access to a community of expert, qualified peers provides additional support to individual scrum masters in their organizations.
For the individual scrum master, a certification represents recognition of their skills and experience and can be a milestone in their career progression.
Scrum masters at Boldare
We are committed to using scrum masters at Boldare, and have been for some years. Yes, you can work in scrum without a scrum master. And you can be an awesome scrum master without a certificate. Experience plays a huge role in scrum master competence and when we’re recruiting to a scrum master position, we focus on the candidates’ past use of frameworks and methodologies like Kanban, Nexus, LeSS, XP, lean, even design sprints.
However, scrum master is a key role at Boldare, in all our product and development teams. While we rate experience, we also see certification as very desirable (for all the benefits listed above) and our scrum masters are usually certified, or working towards a certificate.
Another benefit for Boldare is that the ‘soft’ guidance approach of a scrum master and servant leadership, in contrast to the more rigid controlling function of a project manager means that scrum (and scrum masters) fit well with our use of holacracy as an organization.
(For more on Boldare and holacracy, read the interview with Boldare Co-Founder Piotr Majchrzak, “1500 days of holacracy”.)
Ultimately, at the conclusion of any Boldare scrum project, we aim for a quality digital product that meets user and business needs, and a development team that has grown and enhanced its skills, knowledge, and capacity for teamwork. The achievement of that aim is greatly influenced by the scrum master.
Summary
A scrum master is a leader who stands outside of traditional organizational hierarchies. A leader of a team but not the manager of that team. A leader that supports, guides and facilitates the process of product development with scrum principles and pillars in mind. A source of expert knowledge and experience, potentially for their whole organization. While not obligatory, scrum master certification confirms and boosts the skillset of any scrum master, encouraging and enabling a professional level of application.
Are you curious how it feels to join Boldare team as a Scrum Master? Visit our career page and check the current vacancies!
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