Requirements to Become a Certified Scrum Master

Earlier software development processes were based on the waterfall approach and used to take several years to deliver a product. In the traditional approach, project scope, budget, and schedule were usually fixed at the start, allowing limited flexibility to customers’ changing needs. Often, the team working on the projects needed to put extra effort to meet project deadlines causing massive employee burnout. In case of a substantial change in scope, the complete process had to be repeated.

Agile and Scrum were born out of a desire to improve or move away from traditional approaches that lack speed and flexibility. Agile can be defined as a set of methods or practices sharing common values and principles expressed in the agile manifesto. It can be thought of as a mindset that enables individuals to respond quickly to varying demands. The Agile methodology has proven time and again to effectively respond to changing business needs for companies. Scrum is a widely popular Agile framework that allows teams to focus on delivering products quickly.

More companies adopt agile practices at higher levels and use the scrum framework to respond to competition. This has compelled companies to seek professionals who are skilled in agile principles and can utilize the scrum framework effectively. Scrum teams contain roles such as the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the Scrum team members. 

The current article emphasizes the Scrum framework and the renowned certification –  Certified Scrum Master. Scrum Master is responsible for maintaining the Scrum board, ensuring smooth working of the Scrum team, improving collaboration with Product Owners, and guiding the team to focus on goals. Scrum masters are experienced and possess an in-depth understanding of the Scrum framework.

What is Scrum?

The term Scrum was first introduced in a 1986 Harvard Business Review study wherein authors Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka made an analogy for comparing scrum formation used by rugby teams to high-performing, cross-functional software development teams. Scrum is the highly acclaimed and widely approved agile framework based on a set of principles, values, and best practices. Scrum allows individuals to address complex issues while maintaining productivity and creativity. Originally intended for software development, the Scrum framework can now be applied to almost every industry. The Scrum framework allows companies to deliver complex products or services and achieve greater customer satisfaction.

Scrum works on the basic principle of breaking down large requirements from customers into smaller deliverables, allowing cross-functional teams to complete the smaller parts in strict timeframes and release them. Scrum enables teams to inspect each deliverable and its functionality once completed. Subsequently, gathering customer feedback to adapt to the next deliverable helps minimize risk and prevent waste. It is an iterative and cyclic process that is repeated until the entire product or service is delivered.

Benefits of Scrum

• Scrum is exceptionally flexible and allows us to respond quickly to changing requirements.
• Fosters cross-functional teams and enables continuous improvement.
• Speed up the innovation, i.e., helps to move from idea to delivery in a short time.
• Results in greater customer satisfaction.

The CSM Certification

The Certified Scrum Master (CSM) credential helps individuals enhance their understanding of the Scrum Framework and provide better skills. It enables Scrum masters to improve scrum teams’ performance to the highest possible level.  It allows individuals to learn about the framework along with team roles, artifacts, and events. The CSM enables individuals to use scrum values, principles, and best practices as ScrumMaster to prevent teams from distractions, both internal and external.

To achieve CSM certifications, individuals need to fulfill specific requirements as listed below:

• Individuals need to receive a face-to-face training course delivered by a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) or attend private tutoring from a Certified Agile Coach (CAC).
• Individuals need to attend 14 hours of live online training or need to go through 16 hours of in-person sessions from CST. When opted for training from CAC,  face-to-face interaction of 25 hours is required.
• Once the course is completed successfully, individuals need to accept the License Agreement and go through the CSM certification exam.
• The CSM exam contains 50 questions with a time limit of 60 minutes. Individuals need to answer  37 out of 50 questions correctly within the specified time limit to pass the exam.
• Individuals can take the CST exam in languages preferred from 13 different languages available.

Individuals seeking a career as a Scrum master are ideal candidates for The CSM certification. However, Software architects, Scrum team managers, Developers, and Product owners may also pursue CSM credentials to take their careers to the next level. Ensure to have a minimum of 1-2 years of work experience in Scrum before applying for the certification.

CSM Training

The requirements to achieve the Certified Scrum Master status is relatively straightforward, especially the first two points. Individuals need to undergo mandatory training before appearing for certification exams. Individuals don’t need to worry about finding a training provider; there are plenty of training providers. In fact, individuals can find a training provider on the Scrum Alliance website by entering details such as certification name, location, training date, and some other info to avail the list of training providers. Individuals may find plenty of options and need to study the program features and offerings. One needs to base their final decision to opt for a training provider on various factors such as accessibility, resources, support, and value. One should further look for complete details of training providers such as training experience, faculty expertise, etc. 

Final Words

Scrum Alliance, a nonprofit certifying body, is a member-driven institute. It has been working in the agile space since 2001. Over 10 lakh professionals have achieved a variety of certifications by this institute, including the CSM certification. Certified Scrum Masters are highly valuable resources in organizations, and individuals with CSM have stable, high-paying careers. The average annual salary of CSM is of the order of Rs. 1,273,924.

Companies rely on CSM to achieve their business goals. Individuals should immediately opt for CSM certification and add it to their skill portfolio to leverage the opportunity. The credential helps significantly to expand career opportunities and improve earning potential.