The Scrum methodology of agile software development marks a dramatic departure from waterfall management. In fact, Scrum and other agile processes were inspired by its shortcomings. The Scrum methodology emphasizes communication and collaboration, functioning software, and the flexibility to adapt to emerging business realities — all attributes that suffer in the rigidly ordered waterfall paradigm.

17th
SEP

The CSM Exam

Posted by admin under Agile and Scrum, Scrum Discussion

Very soon, the Scrum Alliance will introduce a new process to certify ScrumMasters. Previously, certification has been awarded to anyone who attends a two-day, Scrum Alliance-certified ScrumMaster Certification course. But beginning October 1, course participants will also be required to pass an exam within 90 days of attending training. Certification will be good for two years. At the end of two years, individuals will need to re-certify for CSM status. This costs $150, including Scrum Alliance membership fees, and lasts two years.

In some ways, this marks an improvement because it endeavors to ensure that a CSM fully understands the tenets of Scrum. Certainly, this is better than simply awarding an individual ScrumMaster certification based on sitting through a two-day class. That is, while CSM courses are incredibly beneficial for most participants, they do not guarantee that an attendee will necessarily absorb or apply everything he or she has learned. Of course, the flipside is that an exam will only test attendees on certain aspects of the Scrum framework in a format that does not necessarily promote a deep understanding of Scrum’s values.

What do you think? Is this an improvement over the existing certification process or an unhelpful amendment to a process that was working fine? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • DZone
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Technorati
  • Sphinn
  • Mixx
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • Blogsvine
  • Blue Dot
  • Fark
  • Furl
  • Linkter
  • Ma.gnolia
  • Netvouz
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • TwitThis
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Bumpzee
  • HealthRanker
  • MisterWong
  • Reddit
  • Fleck
  • Gwar
  • Kirtsy
  • LinkedIn
  • NewsVine
Comments Feed

Reader's Comments

  1. Christine Eckert | September 26th, 2009 at 6:51 am

    Over the years, I have resisted getting my PMP certification for 2 reasons: (1) the annual cost to maintain it was too high for an independent consultant to afford and (2) it was never demonstrated, to my satisfaction, that getting the certification actually made a difference in a person’s ability to successfully manage a project.

    Today’s method of SM certification is affordable but it also has the problem noted in #2 above. So the movement to change the certification is definitely warranted. I must admit that it was surprising to me that I was “certified” after taking the 2 day course. I kind of chuckled when I described myself as a “certified” ScrumMaster to my friends after completing the course.

    Certifications appear to be what is needed in today’s marketplace so I agree with the direction of trying to give the certification more meaning. And like all the other certifications, there is the problem of needing to test for both the basic knowledge components of Scrum, as well as for the knowledge gained through experience. To me, the essence of a ScrumMaster is their ability to facilitate and good facilitation is a way of being not what a person does. The problem becomes how does one design a test for a “way of being”. The questions would be more subjective and not suitable for an e-learning module. To me, they would be like an essay questions that would require a person to review it and pass their subjective opinion on (no clear right or wrong answer).

    A ScrumMaster is an agent of change – a role that is not prescriptive. Each situation and scenario has some common components but how the components are combined and prioritized is unique to each. This is the true measure of a successful ScrumMaster. I hope the certification exam can somehow capture this critical aspect.

  2. txras | November 17th, 2009 at 12:07 pm

    I think we should be able to take a test to be certified without having to take a class. I’ve been using Scrum for years and have perform as both Scrum Master and Product Owner roles. With out a test but with forced classes, certification becomes “write us a check and your certified.”

  3. Lakshmi S | January 4th, 2011 at 9:23 am

    Can someone provide website of where we can register for the SCRUM Exam?

  4. Dele Oluwole, MBCS | October 10th, 2011 at 4:32 am

    “A ScrumMaster is an agent of change – a role that is not prescriptive.” This is the best all encompassing definition of ScrumMaster. Christine Eckert, thanks for this.

  5. admin | November 10th, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    You’ve got to attend a certification class before you can sit for the exam (at least for the ScrumAlliance certification). Check here for a list of public classes.

  6. Neil Murphy | December 14th, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    Certifications are a waste of space and prove virtually nothing. They just add to one’s CV and makes it less likely you will be excluded on the first pass of a buzzword-driven recruitment agent’s search.

    The notion that in two days you will be certified as a scrum master, without having to have any actual experience is a joke.

  7. admin | December 16th, 2011 at 1:58 pm

    Certainly there is a lot of controversy and discussion about this. We saw it in spades at Agile 2011 in Salt Lake. I think/hope you’d agree that a CSM course done well is at least a reasonable introduction to Scrum. I think the Certified Scrum Practitioner class is more meaty. At the end of the day, its all about the experience of the individual, not the list of certifications. Having a CSM under your belt will put you in position to get that experience.

Leave a Reply

| Scrum Methodology | Scrum Training | Scrum Software | Scrum Tools | Scrum Master Certification | About Us |