The Project Management Corner

With more and more projects using agile, having a certification is definitely a plus for your career. For someone who is new to agile practices, like me, the certification training course also helps to understand how the scrum framework really works. If you are thinking about becoming a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), here are 6 things that you should consider.

1. What is your objective?

First, think about your objective for getting the certification. The CSM offered by the Scrum Alliance is an entry level certification where you will learn the fundamentals of scrum. The only prerequisite for the exam is that you attend the training course. If you are new to agile / scrum, obtaining the certification is a good starting point. I found the course to be an excellent way to get an understanding of all the basics. On the other hand, if you are an experienced agile practitioner you may want to look at alternative certifications such as the Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) offered by PMI. Do some research and find out what else is out there before making a decision.

2. Finding a course

Your training experience depends largely on the instructor. Finding a good instructor is key to getting the maximum benefit out of the training. You can find the available courses through the Scrum Alliance website. However, it's best to do some research about the instructors as well before you decide which course to take.

3. What you will learn

During the course you will learn the fundamentals of scrum including the scrum roles, team compositions, scrum meetings, the product backlog, burn down charts etc. The trainer will run the course using scrum principles so you will get some insight into the environment. Personally, my training experience was excellent. I enjoyed the course and the learning I gained was very valuable.

4. What you will not learn

The training, however, will not prepare you to implement scrum from scratch if you are starting out. You will learn the scrum principles and how a scum project should be run but, if you are a newbie you will still need the help of a coach or someone who is experienced to startup a scrum project. This will be more challenging if the rest of the team is new to scrum as well. The Scum Master's role is to facilitate, coach and help to remove the impediments for the team, working as a servant leader. If you have previously worked as a project manager it may take time to adapt to the role. 

5. What are your clients looking for?

Another aspect you should think about is what your clients are asking for. Are they looking for CSM or PSM (Professional Scrum Master) certified professionals? If they favor one type of certification, it might be worth your while to do that in order to highlight your skills.

6. Career path

Scrum has taken away the need to have a project manager in the team. The responsibilities of a project manager have been divided among the scrum team roles. Some companies are retraining their project managers to be either Scrum Masters or Product Owners. If you are playing the role of Scrum Master for a particular project and plan to continue in the project management path the certification will help you to perform your role better. On the other hand if your company is moving towards scrum you should consider your long term career goals. You may even want to consider taking the Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification. Mike Cohn discusses four options for the career path of a Scrum Master in this LinkedIn article.

Take some time to consider all these aspects and do some research before making a final decision about which certification or series of certifications you want to take. Are you thinking about becoming a CSM? What other questions do you have? Or if you have completed the CSM, what other advice would you offer? Please share your thoughts in the comments.