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Tag: scrum master certification course

How Can You Get a Certified Scrum Master Certification?

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

In today’s world producing and delivering of market-ready products within short time cycles is imperative to maintain the competitive edge. Scrum practice is all about rapid feedback, continuous collaboration, communication, and team-contribution to readily adapt to change and thus include the best user-experiences. A CSM job role is not a technical role and is more about helping your team focus on Scrum values in achieving the Agile principles enshrined in the Sprints. It definitely needs great interpersonal skills, courage to give constructive feedback and commitment to the framework and its principles to continuously lead the team to success even though you are not authoritatively placed in the Manager’s role.
Most freshers, IT professionals and those who want to enter this field rely on a scrum master certification course for better job prospects, salary increases and job satisfaction. It definitely is a great career where you can showcase your skills in project management, team skills, knowledge of Scrum and the entire gamut of non-transferable skills without harping on them.

Here Are The Essential Steps to Get Scrum Master Certification

  • Step 1- Begin with knowledge of Scrum/Agile methods:
    Though recent, Agile and Scrum are methodologies that are constantly evolving with use. Being widely applied in the changing technological scenario of today one needs to understand the fundamentals, the pitfalls, the benefits etc of other methods to really gain from the use of this methodology. The more you read, the quicker you appreciate the simplicity and pluses of this framework.

 

  • Step 2- Experience a Scrum Course:
    Books on the subject by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber are highly recommended by experts to get the best insights into the subject as well as some practical applications to projects, organizations and team-work.
    The CSM course is normally a 16-hour session at any reputed institute like Imarticus and others. In addition to this, you may need to put in 10-12 hours of dedicated learning to practice and imbibe the concepts, methodology and techniques.

 

  • Step 3- Get certified:
    On course completion, you will be permitted to take the CSM exams online. The scrum master certification exams are generally of the objective type and test your knowledge on applying your learning to practical industry-relevant situations. You must get 24 right answers out of 35 questions. Two attempts are allowed free of cost.
    It does take around 8-10 months to gain a job-ready understanding and certification that prepares you well. Prepare well and if possible volunteer for internships to help gain more practical skills and knowledge regarding the industrial scenarios and verticals, how to function in cross-functional teams and get some mentorship regarding whatever doubts you may have.

 

  • Step 4- Gain entry to the real-time industry with certification:
    Real-time application of your knowledge can only start once you get an opportunity to apply your learning at a job or internship. The learning will help give you complete knowledge, while Scrum Certification will help set you apart and ready to demonstrate your skills.

 

  • Step 5- Begin your practice of leadership CSM role:
    The CSM role has no managerial authority. It has to do more with helping teams achieve success without being in such authority. It is your testing grounds for roles in both technical and other role types.

 

  • Step 6- Practice being an efficient SM:
    This step is all about practice and more practice until Scrum becomes second nature to you.

 

  • Step 7- Stick with Scrum framework rules to gain experience: There really should be no bending or deviations from the framework and it is your job to implement in Toto Scrum values.

Advantages of Doing a Scrum Master Certification Course

1. Your interest is a prerequisite qualification: There are no pre-requisite qualifications for the course. Your interest should lie in learning and equipping yourself in Scrum values.
2. The curriculum is global: Through Instructor-delivered16-hours of classes in the classroom, in a virtual online mode where one-to-one interaction flourishes you learn all about the Scrum framework. The CSM Course has lots of hands-on and complete learning of concepts and practical use of information.
3. Certification helps transform your resume and career: A well-accepted certification means bettering your employability. Certifications are widely accepted in the industry because it is a benchmark and establishes the fact that you have practical implementation skills of your learning. Your portfolio is enhanced by real-time industry-relevant project work.
4. Convenient time and cost factors: With a choice of modes like virtual 1-on-1 online classes, interactive classroom sessions and both weekday 3 hrs/day or weekends 2hrs/day batches even the employed can upgrade their skills. Of course, you will need to study a total of 10 to 12 hours per week. But, you can use your smartphone/ Windows computer (Dual core, 4 GB RAM, Linux/ Mac OS X/ Windows) and a good internet connection to access the vast online libraries and classes even on the go.
5. Gain experience from the aces: Your tutors, mentors and trainers are industry-experts, certified and able to teach you the best tricks, techniques and practices. Gain from their experience.
6. The comprehensive course learning: In this workshop, you imbibe information about Scrum values, roles, fundamentals and more.
7. Key takeaways and freebies: Most institutes offer you get the best value for your money. This includes
• Downloadable course materials.
• Free access to libraries.
• Boot-camps to quick-learn the fundamentals if required.
• Online support and mentoring in future projects.
• Invaluable peer interaction, hands-on practice, monitoring of progress, mentoring and real-time relevant knowledge to holistically enhance your skills.
• Scrum Certification preparation, many practice assignments and mandatory project-work.
9. Evolve job-ready from day one! If you are a fresher there is no better way to be job-prepared by doing a course. It is also the easiest way for professionals to add-on capabilities and hones practical skills in futuristic technologies.
In Conclusion
Doing your Scrum Certification through a reputed institute like Imarticus helps get you a foothold in the industry. A scrum master certification course helps in augmenting your knowledge, managing projects, delivering products on time, and improving team performances in a fast-paced business world, where the significance of your certification provides you with the right tools to excel in performing and getting others to perform as well.

What Jobs I Can Get With Scrum Master Certification

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

With competitions running on an all time high, it is extremely important to update your skills and knowledge to essentially climb that ladder of success. Gone are the days when you would have to sign up for evening or night classes to master that additional skill; the advent of online certification courses and programs have made it easier for working professionals to master an additional degree or certificate in spite of having full time jobs.

Scrum master courses have been consistently gaining popularity across companies, with certain organisations actually giving more preference to candidates who have completed a course in scrum master certification. Not only does this add more value to your resume, but a formal certification also can help you work more efficiently and successfully.

At the end of a scrum master certification course, you will have the opportunity to work at some of the best career positions across multiple industries. Here is a lowdown of the jobs you can look out for post completion of a scrum master certification course:

  • Entry level scrum master– If you have an experience of less than a year, an entry level job as a scrum master is perfect for you. You can learn all about agile practices while having your own, smaller set of responsibilities to deal with.

 

  • Scrum master- Post completion of a year of working at an entry level position, you are eligible to be promoted to the designation of a scrum master. This will give you a headlong entry at the operational level and along with your designated role you might have to double up as a motivator, mentor, coach as well as a facilitator of all troubles your team might be facing at operational or production level.

 

  • Senior scrum master– At a more senior level, you shall be entitled to additional responsibilities. From handling multiple teams at once to maintaining workflow and harmony amongst departments, a senior scrum master will have to do it all. You will also have to bring about processes, put frameworks into place and demonstrate knowledge that you have gained during your previous experiences.

 

  • Coach scrum master– The main responsibility of a coach scrum master is to train individuals, departments and teams on a regular basis on scrum practices. You will not only be required to polish your own knowledge and skills, but also keep your team (s) informed about all the latest developments in the field of scrum master. You would also require to teach your team on how to bring about faster results.

 

  • Product manager– All your previous experiences and in-depth knowledge can finally lead you to the position of a product manager. The designation of a product manager would require you to perform under more stringent deadlines while also taking responsibility for the performance and deadline adherence of your team. Your main responsibility would be to uphold the aims and objectives of the organisation along with the goals set for the product, while also motivating your team to walk along the path of success. This position would need good leadership tactics and your managerial abilities as well.

If you are still considering whether you should go for a formal scrum master certification course or not, always remember, hiring managers actually look for certifications on the resume; something that not only proves your worth but also your mettle.

It also means that there is no second thought about your performance graph while hiring you for a company. A certification also improves your future career prospects, and while organizations are looking for better ways to bring about more processes, implement feedback from users and customers, a CSM fits in right like the missing piece of the puzzle. Certified scrum master professionals are always in constant demand, with evolving job roles and never a scarcity in the job market.

In an industry that pays really well, the job and scope of work for either an emerging scrum master professional or an experienced one never faces a dearth of opportunities. Use of agile practices in leading a team as a certified scrum master is actually far beyond what a usual team leader or project manager could contribute. A great career choice already, a scrum master certification just paves the way to a brilliant career ahead.

Can You Be Agile Without Doing Scrum If So How

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

This is not a frequent question that many encounters in their Agile career, but, have you ever wondered, ‘Is Agile possible without Scrum?’
The answer to that is, yes, absolutely.
There are many instances of real-world projects and corporate projects that sometimes do not make use of any of your Scrum sensibilities. Knowing and being an Agile practitioner is more than sufficient. Let us understand further. Scrum as a framework is used to enable teams, enterprises, and organizations on their Agility pathway. It is not the only proven way to be Agile. But Agile works well without Scrum under certain circumstances only. Let us understand what these are –
1. When your project is small in size – Agile without Scrum works best only if the project size is small and the team members are also small in number. This is because the time used for Agile scaling will be shorter and will have not many disadvantages affecting the project directly.
2. Clear, simple and direct requirements – Under Agile without Scrum is applicable best to requirements from the project that are really simple, crystal clear and direct.
3. Periodical planning and requirements – The projects that you undertake must have and experience periodical planning and must be upgraded with periodical requirements, so as to not pressure the project processes. This can be used to a large extent with Agile and there is no requirement for Scrum, whatsoever.
4. Regular improvements – open communication with your team members which is quite easy to do since it is already a small team, can help you figure out already existing solutions and gain feedback regarding your work, weekly developments and progress, crosscheck these with the developer, and before you know it, you would have increased your efficiency through such regular improvements.
5. Small teams mean no hierarchies/better transparency – Small teams where everybody is an equal leads to transparent knowledge sharing, coping strategies and mutual help/support. Also since smaller teams lack a head, or rather is not hierarchy conducive, it becomes easier to be a self-organizing team which is driven by equal participation from the team members.
6. Quality output – All team members are equally held responsible for their contribution and quality output, which is responsible to keep the team going. This helps deliver success and efficient output in small scale but the quality remains very high. Each and every member ensures that their work meets a standard parameter to test quality.
7. Regular/periodical releases – It is most important to have working software in place instead of comprehensive documentation.
Sometimes you will have no release team and may have to work around this aspect of the project by yourselves. You will need to put your work into production periodically, ideally, weekly, and get the approval of the Product Manager to ensure you can move on smoothly to the next tasks at hand. You may also need to segregate tasks and assign them according to each team member’s unique capacities, to see quality output from your team’s final project work. There is an excellent way to learn Agile and go under Agile training. You can try Agile training in Mumbai. You can eventually upgrade to Agile development certification.

How valuable is Scrum master certification for Business Analyst?

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

 

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.