Scrum Master certification is designed to develop the skills of a person to be a facilitator of scrum, the mentor of an Agile team and the person who helps to eliminate barriers within the team. Scrum Masters act as servants of Scrum frameworks and Agile strategies to facilitate their practising within those teams and organisations. To obtain a Scrum Master certification, one should focus on understanding the roles of a scrum master and various certifications available for the same.
Scrum Master ensures that the Scrum practices are followed within the team and encourages the team to use Agile principles; they also solve any problems that may prevent progress. A basic knowledge of Scrum and Agile will assist the candidate prepare for certification.
Various Scrum Master Certifications
Certified Scrum Master ( CSM):
It is one of the most popular Scrum master certifications provided by Scrum Alliance. It is suitable for entrance level and one has to attend a CSM course after which one offers a multiple choice exam. The CSM exam centred on fundamentals of Scrum, some roles of the Scrum Master and how to help teams with scrum practices execution.
SAFe® Scrum Master (SSM):
Earning SAFe Scrum Master certification is perfect for working in the organisation to apply for SAFe. This certification course includes topics like understanding the roles of SAFe Scrum Master, facilitating scrum events and being an Agile teammate. It is open to anyone, although he or she may have worked before in a Scrum or any Agile team environment.
Professional Scrum Master (PSM) :
Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification provided by Scrum.org which also includes Scrum basics. But unlike CSM, there are no prerequisites of formal training to sit for the PSM exam, although it is suggested to read Scrum Guide and other similar materials before attempting for the exam.
SAFe Advanced Scrum Master (SASM) Certification:
This SAFe Advanced Scrum Master (SASM) certification gives pathway to upraise your career as a senior scrum master. It is aimed at professional Scrum Masters who have had prior experiences and may wish to advance to the next level of Scrum Mastery especially as it relates with the coordination of inter team relationships and the facilitation of full-scale Agile processes. This is a course that ideally must be completed after passing the SSM certification and having some experience as the Scrum Master, at least on a practical level.
Conclusion:
Anyone interested in taking up Agile project management, then it is worth pursuing the Scrum Master certifications. These certifications build more awareness of the practices of Scrum within the context of SAFe; they offer you skills that can help create more effective collaboration in teams and ensure more positive results of projects.