How Can I Become Scrum Master in India?

Scrum

Scrum is a framework that helps different teams to work in a cohesive manner. Scrum helps teams to remain self-organized while dealing with a problem. Using the Scrum framework, teams learn from their experiences. Scrum enables effective use of all the available resources and makes the deliverables available with high efficiency. Scrum helps in dividing the overall projects into various sub-projects referred to as sprints.

The use of scrum empowers all the team members to have visibility of everything happening in the project. The use of scrum makes it possible to have a 3600 feedback system regularly. Along with the performance and efficiency of the entire team, Scrum also focuses on the individual performers in the team.

Scrum Master

The scrum team leader, also referred to as the scrum master is a person who takes care of to and for communication between the product owner and the entire team members, communication within the team, without actually being included in the strategy flow of the product. Along with smooth communication, scrum master also ensure that all the team members follow astute values.

Roles and Responsibilities of Scrum Master

While plugging the communication gap between the product owner and the team members enables all the team members to get an understanding of everything related to tech and organizational dynamics, simultaneously handling all the perplexities.

Scrum Master ensures that all the team members subsume astute values and practices in their work

Scrum master takes charge of day-to-day work. With regular meetings and follow-ups, Scrum master must understand, how much work is done, what needs to be done, what are the challenges, if any further training is required to achieve the targets on time, henceforth, making the execution of the work smoother.

Scrum master also holds the responsibility of developing healthy work relationships between the product owner and the entire team, within the individuals of the team.

Keeping a continuous check, whether the team is progressing smoothly on the set roadmap or not is the key responsibility of the scrum master. Finding out the hurdles and providing the team members with the strategies to solve the problems, along with safeguarding themselves from distractions is ensured by the scrum master.

Scrum Master and the Product Owner

Scrum Master ensures an in-depth understanding of the product, the Aims, and the Objectives of the project to the entire team, thereby acting as a strong connector between the Project Owner and the entire team working to achieve the goal.

Considering the Scrum master is accountable for day-to-day workflow, maintaining any backlogs and communicating same to the product owner, with simultaneous solutions to manage the same, is also the responsibility of the scrum master.

Scrum Master and the Product Development team

Considering the Scrum Master understands the strength and weaknesses of the Product team members and the requirement of the projects, it’s the core responsibility of the Scrum Master to guide the team members to be organized, to speak out the problems, and arrange the pieces of training and other such sessions as and when required.

Scrum master and the Organization as a whole

Scrum Master training and facilitates the inclusion of the Scrum methodologies to ensure smoother execution of the project plan.

How the transition will take place when the team enters a scrum framework is also the responsibility of the Scrum Master.

How to Become a Scrum Master?

 Must-Have Qualities

  •  Technical Know-how
  • Leadership Qualities
  • Ability to Coach
  • Conflict solving nature

Scrum training

A certification course in Scrum Master training helps an individual to understand better the Scrum Practices that need to be followed

Certified Scrum Master (CSM) Test

This certificate highlights the core understanding of an individual about different processes and principles which are integral parts of the Scrum Process. The certificate can be earned by taking proper training from a certified Scrum trainer (CST) followed by qualifying for an online examination.

Online CSM Test

Duration One-Hour
Nature of Questions Multiple-Choice Questions
Number of questions 50
Cost ~ 29 USD (For first two attempts)

~ 25 USD (After first two attempts)

Pass Percentage 74%
Number of attempts Two
Medium of Instruction English

French

Italian

Danish

Russian

Spanish

Validity Two years

Also Read: What is the Future of Scrum Master

What Is The Basic Difference Between Scrum And Agile?

It doesn’t matter if you are new to the field of software development, enrolling in a business analyst course online, just getting familiar with it, or already have some experience in it, Scrum and Agile are the two terms you must have heard.

business analyst online courseWhile both process management practices share identical approaches, the key differences between them are what you must learn about if you want to pursue a career in project management, software development, or both.

This will help you in choosing among various business analyst certification courses online. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

What is Agile?

Agile methodology basically helps with the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) process and you can learn about it in a business analyst course online. It helps in reiterating the development and testing in the SDLC process. In the Agile process, development activities run simultaneously with testing activities.

This is something very different from other software development methodologies. Developers, stakeholders, businesses, and the client here work together on strategy analysis which encourages teamwork and better communication.

What is Scrum?

Scrum is a process in Agile (Scrum in Agile) that lets the software development team solely focus on providing the business values to customers in a brief amount of time by repeatedly and rapidly reviewing the actual working software and doing a strategy analysis.

The Scrum framework acknowledges the fact that the requirements of the project are not known at the inception of the project and likely to change. Scrum in Agile focuses on teamwork, accountability, and iteration to reach well-defined targets.

What is the difference between the two?

Both Scrum and Agile include iterative processes, cooperative decision-making, and client interaction. To choose which business analytics certification is best, knowing the difference between Scrum and Agile is important as they may seem similar on the surface.

The key difference is that Agile is a project management methodology that makes use of a core set of principles and values, while Scrum is a particular Agile approach that facilitates the project. Therefore, if you learn Agile, then you will most probably also learn Scrum if you choose a good Agile business analyst course with placement.

The other key differences between Agile and Scrum are:

  • Scrum can be broken down into smaller sprints and shorter deliverables whereas in Agile everything that needs to be delivered is done at the end of the project.
  • Agile includes team members from various cross-functional departments whereas, in Scrum, the project team has specific roles to play like product owner and Scrum master.
  • In Agile, the process design and its execution are kept as simple as possible whereas, in Scrum, the process design and execution are mostly experimental and innovative.

Business Analyst online courseAn important thing to note is that Agile does not necessarily mean Scrum even though Scrum is an approach in Agile. Notably, they are quite different approaches and processes that take the Agile approach towards project management.

It can be concluded that both Agile and Scrum while somewhat similar cannot be substituted with each other, because they have quite major differences. Agile is a more aggressive and preferred approach than Scrum. You can choose a business analyst course with placement to get to know them better.

What is the Future of Scrum Master?

What is the Future of Scrum Master?

Someone who facilitates the functioning of an agile development team is a scrum master. Scrum is a technique that enables a team to organize themselves and make necessary changes rapidly, all in compliance with agile principles; essentially the exchange of important data through an agile medium.

Post completion of a scrum master certification course, this is exactly where a scrum master fits in, by managing the process of exchanging data seamlessly. Both the front and centre function of growth is handled by a scrum master, who also ensures the team is at the peak of its performance.

He also performs various roles such as a coach, motivational speaker, mentor or manager, to solve and manage the problems that occur during the development stage of a product.

While most skills are learned on the job, a scrum master certification course always helps in paving the way for a bright future. Here are the future career prospects for a scrum master:

● Take the role of a mentor- This is the perfect role for a scrum master who has learned that his ultimate passion lies in the creation and development of a product, often regardless of what kind of a product it is. A scrum master who enjoys the process of product development more than the actual creation of the product is a good fit into the role of a mentor or an agile coach to train other aspiring scrum masters.

Not only does he get the opportunity to impart the knowledge he has gathered from his experiences so far, but also gets to tackle newer challenges as well. It also helps the team he is leading, to become more self-sufficient to improve their organising capabilities.

● Become a product owner- Some scrum masters realize that they are more interested in their team’s collective effort of creating a product rather than the process that goes into creating it. These scrum masters are becoming excellent candidates for taking up the responsibility of product ownership.

Often most of them learn so much about the product, it’s market, target customer base, and other requisites in the process of building it, that this alone leads them to become excellent product owners. Most product ownership roles require a certification, hence a scrum master certification course may come in really handy.

● Become a development manager- Without exerting too much authority on their teams, scrum masters become skilled in leading teams and providing guidance. While most scrum masters work closely with team managers, if a scrum master’s skills are on point, in terms of both technology and management, he would definitely be a good fit for a development manager or in fact with relevant experience even a team director.

● Consultant in a financial services firm- An experienced scrum master is a good fit for a consultant role at a financial firm. Along with enabling agility, his job would also include self-management in his team, while bringing up the quality of work delivered and increasing productivity.

He could also increase cooperation among teams and the management while also putting his coaching abilities to use to guide the software product, development teams.

● Consultant in a marketing firm- A scrum master can move to a marketing firm as a consultant and structure teams to develop planning and budgeting, release and execution of plans, managing issues and resolving them, work-related project controls.

He would also be responsible for monitoring their status and providing them with hands-on guidance while sticking to schedules, budgets, and scope of work. An experienced professional who has completed a scrum master certification course also facilitates the creation of the key product of the company. Often he is the one held responsible for guiding the team to create and maintain backlogs, as well.
A scrum master can follow multiple paths by either choosing to become a mentor, manager, product owner or just work with more difficult teams. The abilities learned in becoming an excellent scrum master will definitely come in use while always leaving enough room for improvement.

What Would Be The Career Path For an Agile Coach?

The job role for an Agile coach originated from IT but is now in demand by various industries across the globe. If you’re a project manager and are looking to take the next step in your career, becoming an Agile coach might just be the perfect role for you. More prominent organizations and companies are now looking to increase the efficiency rate and delivery rate while making software and hence adopt agile methods to be able to do this. As an Agile Coach, you’re required to create and motivate high-performing teams by imparting Agile methodologies via open communication and collaboration of team.
An Agile Coach ensures that the team is working together in the most effective way possible. The role is different from the program/project manager whose task is to ensure that everyone is clear about the functionality of their roles. An Agile Coach needs a combination of experience in project management and high leadership skills.
Project management experience: can be in IT, software development or other domains where one has been involved in overviewing the delivery of a plan right from its conception to its completion.
Leadership skills: Agile Coaches have high leadership, advisory and consultancy skills, and they are also skilled communicators, facilitators and great at identifying various solutions and approaches to problems by understanding organisational development.
Good Agile coaches can generally easily transition from being Business Analysts, Scrum Masters, Developers, etc. It doesn’t matter where a person is currently, what matters is having the perfect skill set for the job role.
Tips on becoming an Agile Coach:

If you start adopting Agile practices in your current job role, you will impress the recruiters as they look for people who have practical experiences.
Get involved in Agile training and consider doing a certified course. Being certified in Agile is not enough on its own to secure a position as an Agile coach, but it shows recruiters a willingness to learn, and it will ensure you’re up to date with the very best practices in the industry. Go to Agile or Scrum Meet-Ups and meet others in the field. There are always conferences and group seminars one can attend to gain more knowledge of this filed.
There are certain required capabilities that recruiters look for while considering a person for the role of an Agile coach.

They are,
Required skills:
Experience in Project Management.
Practical and hands-on Agile delivery experience.
Expert knowledge of Agile principles and practices, and being able to transfer that understanding at all levels of the organisation process.
We are consulting and facilitating skills in leading a team in the adoption and improvement of agile methodologies.
Excellent training and presentation skills.
Ability to adapt to a fast paced environment and produce quality results.
Skilled in leading meetings, decision making, and negotiating win-win solutions/approaches to problems.
Strong interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to work independently.
Excellent listener and amazing non-verbal and verbal communication skills.
A willingness to instruct and mentor without biasedness and with enthusiasm.

Following are the responsibilities that one needs to undertake as an Agile coach:
Supervise, analyse and identify problems or communication gaps in knowledge and understanding of how Agile works and lead the teams through training or mentoring sessions.
Work with the Agile teams to identify and manage interactive dependencies.
Work with the teams to identify and then implement process improvements.
Be there for the team and resolve conflicts within the team or outside of it.
Closely work with respective Project Managers to ensure the timely execution and delivery of the feedback received by the customer/user.
Undertake the project manager’s responsibilities when necessary.
Keep the Agile team motivated.

How valuable is Scrum master certification for Business Analyst?

 

In the life cycle of Software Development, the role of Business Analyst is pretty essential. A business analyst is the one who gives the team a clear understanding of what the software needs to do. The other teams work on the specification provided by the business analyst. As the IT industry is adapting the agile framework, the demand for the Scrum master has increased folds.

To explain in simple words, a scrum master is the one who tracks the progress of the project and helps in removing the obstacles that the team is facing. Even though the scrum framework does not have any place for the business analyst, the BA’s are an excellent choice as scrum master. But how can a business analyst take the role of a scrum master?

The role of the scrum master is to make sure that the project is running smoothly and on time. They conduct day to day meeting and take the inputs from the team members about their previous day’s work and understand what their current day’s agenda is. This may sound similar to the role of a business analyst whose job is to keep the track project’s progress and solve the obstacles that make come in the way.

In an organisation, the experience of the business analyst to handle the stakeholders plays a very crucial role in the scrum environment. The BA knows precisely when to approach the customer, the sponsor or the executive in the right time which as a scrum master is the key role in the team.

The Scrum environment is very collaborative. The job that the business analyst used to do alone is done with the help of the entire team in the scrum network. The Scrum master as the BA can be taken as the one who takes the lead in case of any issue and helps solve resolve the issue. In a Scrum environment, the responsibility to manage the backlogs in the product is on the product owner. In general, it is the responsibility of the BA to handle the backlogs. Hence, BA as scrum master can help guide the product owner in resolving the issue of backlogs.

Scrum is based on the agile methodology and just having the basic knowledge of it will not help. The certification course will help you understand the minor things as well as the overall idea behind the agile framework. There are certain ‘terms’, or you can call them as ‘vocabularies’ that the agile framework uses and can only be understood with the help of certification and certification. With a certification in the scrum, you will be an indispensable asset to the company that are adopting the framework.

With the organisations showing more willingness to adapt the agile framework, the business analyst alone will not help. A certification for scrum master is going to not only help you raise the career graph but also help the organisation with a skilled scrum person. The scrum master certification will help them become an important part of the team.

Before that also should have a look on the eligibility criteria for Agile Scrum master certification.The skills of a business analyst are very much required in the scrum master, and the certification will help you and the organisation both. The certification can help you make your organisation understand that you not only understand the agile framework but are also capable of using it to help the company.

For people who are willing to learn the scrum methodology, Imarticus learning is the leading institute that provides the certification for the same and helps grow the individual in their career with the Scrum certification and broaden their career opportunities.