Scrum Alliance certificate program

The Scrum Alliance certification path links the gap existing between theoretical book knowledge and implementing scrum in practice.

The certificate program is a significant constituent of the Scrum methodology. It is coordinated by the Scrum Alliance that, since 2003, offers Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certificates. The courses take two days for participants to complete. Both certificate trainings have been completed by more than 25000 IT pros as of Q1 2008. So as it can be easily noticed, allocating trained personnel to all aspects of a Scrum-driven environment does not pose a great difficulty. Moreover, the Scrum Alliance has recently started launching additional certificates targeting different roles in the organization.

Scrum certification

The journey to expertise starts with a Certified Scrum Master or Certified Scrum Product Owner certificates. These courses give a firm background to help one in making the paradigm shift to managing any project with the use of Scrum methodology.

The diagram below depicts Scrum methodology certification paths:



As it can be seen in the figure, having one year of experience as a Scrum Master allows one to apply to become a Certified Scrum Practitioner (CSP). Taking an exam is needed to show one’s acquired practical knowledge. Moreover, two other certificates are offered, namely the Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) and Certified Scrum Coach (CSC).
To teach other pros to become a CSM or CSPO one has to become certified. Having done the Certified Scrum Coach certificate one is formally recognized as qualified to consult organizations with the use of Scrum.

It must be made clear that acquiring each of the certificates is connected with spending a significant sum of money. However, the certification process is very well defined. The whole process of training is focused around a “learn, apply, and duplicate” paradigm. Firstly, the applicant is given a formal training as a foundation of his/her knowledge. Secondly, the stage of applying the principles into the real world is implemented. Eventually, as a result of the training, the applicant is able to teach and coach others.

Organizations are offered great advantages by Scrum certifications. For example, when a project is launched a member of the staff is responsible for clearly laying out both the rules and responsibilities. Thanks to this, an organization can use the certification path laid out by the Scrum Alliance as an instruction for finding qualified personnel in the hiring or contracting processes.
The certification program and the roles associated with each certificate are standardized which make mapping the certificates really easy. Thanks to this, organizations and companies can link the certificates to various resources in their resource portfolio