Certified in Scrum? Now What?

Mike Griffiths is an experienced project manager, author and consultant who works for PMI as a subject matter expert. Before joining PMI, Mike consulted and managed innovation and technology projects throughout Europe, North and South America for 30+ years. He was co-lead for the PMBOK Guide—Seventh Edition, lead for the Agile Practice Guide, and contributor to the PMI-ACP and PMP exam content outlines. Outside of PMI, Mike maintains the websites www.LeadingAnswers.com about leading teams and www.PMillustrated.com, which teaches project management for visual learners.

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Topics: Agile, Career Development, Scrum, Using PMI Standards

Perhaps—like 500,000-plus other people—you have some form of Certified ScrumMaster^® (CSM) credential and are looking to distinguish yourself and continue your learning journey. Of course, learning is not tied to credentials; many people are anti-certification, and that is an understandable choice. I encourage lifelong learning separate from credentials. However, for credential seekers, this article explores some common credential pathways beyond the CSM.  

I want to disclose up front that I have been involved with the development of the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)^®, the ICAgile Certified Professional (ICP) and the DSDM Leadership (Dynamic Systems Development Method) credentials, so I likely have some bias and preferences. However, my goal here is not to recommend specific credentials, but instead to explain options and environmental factors to consider—helping people make their own choice based on their own situation.  

Also, because there are so many credentials available, I will undoubtedly miss many in this discussion, maybe including your favorite. This is not meant to be an exhaustive catalogue of agile credentials, rather a thinking or discussion tool for getting the research process started.  

How Did You Get Here?
When people ask me what credentials to get next, I ask how they got where they are now. Did …

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