Scrum is a simple yet incredibly powerful framework that helps teams demonstrate and deliver value to customers in short cycles, enabling transparency of progress, frequent feedback and inspection, and immediate adaptation to change. Scrum is simple to understand, but difficult to master.
Since scrum is simple to understand and difficult to master, formal training is one key factor to provide a solid foundation on the journey to mastery. For instance, Scrum Alliance is the largest, most established and influential professional membership and certification organization in the agile community. Certified Scrum Trainers (CST), vetted by Scrum Alliance to demonstrate significant scrum experience and effective training methods, provide Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) training to help practitioners learn the scrum framework and experience how scrum works.
Here are the benefits of scrum master training and certification:
Learn scrum by doing scrum
When selecting a training provider, select one who will not only provide knowledge, but will provide it through doing. A hands-on learning approach increases the likelihood that your scrum training will stick.
Know the agile values and principles
Whether you are newly starting on your scrum journey or you already have a working scrum team, it is very important to know what it means to be agile by applying agile values and principles to help you achieve maximum value from scrum adoption. An experienced certified scrum trainer is absolutely essential for facilitating discussions and activities to apply agile values and principles in reality. Tools and techniques may change, but values and principles stay constant. When whole teams and organizations have a solid and shared experience with understanding agile values and principles, chances of scrum adoption success drastically increase.
Change mindsets
Because everybody will have varied prior scrum knowledge and experience, having a common scrum training experience for all leaders and team members, and especially your scrum master(s), can significantly reduce the onboarding time and help the organization achieve optimal performance sooner. Further, for someone experienced in traditional project management, it is even more important to unlearn old habits to clear the way for learning a more modern way of thinking with scrum.
Work better within your team and with peers
Whether you are a product owner, development team member or scrum master, everyone is expected to follow the rules of scrum and embody agile values and principles. Having a trained scrum team and leadership also empowers the scrum master with confidence and organizational clout to facilitate effective interactions and progress for the customer’s benefit.
Access to community
Most training and certification bodies provide follow up support to training. For instance, Scrum Alliance is a global network of hundreds of thousands of scrum practitioners and experts, offering online, global, regional and local resources, including in-person events, for networking, learning, mentoring and collaborating. From the Silicon Valley to Miami, these networks can help with clearing any hurdles you face in your professional work environment as a scrum master.
Win projects with qualified employees
For IT services-based organizations, contracts can be won or lost on the basis of available and qualified talent to execute the project and deliver value. For instance, Scrum Alliance’s CSM (as well as other certifications, including Certified Scrum Professional (CSP)) are industry-recognized standards that carry talent-vetting clout globally.
Get trained as a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM). Training is available in your area.
