All you need to know about a Scrum Master Requirements, Roles, Responsibilities, Career.

A scrum master is responsible for making sure that the scrum is implemented correctly in an organization. Scrum is a framework that prescribes roles, events, artifacts, and rules/guidelines to implement. It helps teams work together. Scrum encourages teams to learn through experiences, self-organize while working on a problem, and reflect on their wins and losses to continuously improve. Scrum master helps an organization set up a scrum framework, which is made up of meetings, roles, and responsibilities, techniques, and tools which are required for a smooth scrum process.

Major responsibilities of a scrum master include

1.      Offers assistance to the team to create a high-value product by removing obstacles in their scrum process.

2.      Use scrum tools to manage the team’s workload

3.      Clears the path for the team, by removing roadblocks or prioritizing user stories in the product backlog.

4.      Leads change that increases the productivity of the team while working with other scrum masters and product owners.

Scrum Master Certification

A Scrum Master certification is a credential that recognizes a person’s competency in Scrum project management concepts. It can qualify candidates to become Scrum Masters, professionals that use Scrum to complete projects.

Some of the most well-known Scrum Master certifications are mentioned below.

1.      Certified ScrumMaster (CSM):  The Certified Scrum Master (CSM) certification is controlled by the Scrum Alliance. It is the first organization to offer a Scrum certification. It’s generally recommended to current and aspiring Scrum team leaders across or to someone who expects to work on cross-functional teams and solve complex problems.

Cost:  Between 450 USD to 1000 USD as of May 2022. Courses includes the exam cost

Requirements: Taking a course of at least fourteen hours of training and passing an exam at the end.

2.      Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO):  The Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification, is also controlled by the Scrum Alliance. It validates training and knowledge in being a product owner.
Cost: Between: 299 USD to 1000 USD as of May 2022.
Requirements: Scrum Alliance-approved CSPO course.

3.      Professional Scrum Master (PSM I): The Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) is Scrum certification offered by scrum.org, an organization established by one of the co-creators of Scrum Alliance. It validates a person’s understanding of the Scrum framework and how to apply it.
Cost: 150 USD
Requirements: Need to qualify the PSM I assessment to get certified.

4.      Certified Scrum Professional (CSP): The Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) is the highest-level certification on the product development track, offered by the Scrum Alliance.
Cost: 100 USD application fee and 150 USD certification fee.
Requirements: an active CSD certification, a minimum of thirty-six months of Agile or Scrum work experience in the last five years, and seventy Scrum Education Units from the last three.

5.       SAFe Scrum Master (SSM): The certification is controlled by Scaled Agile, the organization that oversees Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). Along with getting acquainted with Scrum, you’ll learn the tools you need to work with teams that are fully remote.
Cost: Between 600 USD to 1099 USD as of May 2022. It generally include exam fees.
Requirements: The two-day course by Scaled Agile and qualifying the examination.

6.      Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I): The Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO) certification is controlled by scrum.org. It certifies a person’s ability to maximize the value of a product created by a development team.
Cost: 200 USD (exam only)
Requirements: Passing the PSPO I exam is required to earn the credential.

7.      Certified Scrum Developerr: The CSD is a prerequisite for both the Advanced Certified Scrum Developer (ACSD) and the Certified Scrum Professional (CSP).
Cost: Around 1000 USD (as of May 2022).
Requirements: Scrum Alliance-approved CSD course of at least two days.

Career opportunities as Scrum Master

The job of a Scrum Master comes with a several responsibilities. A scrum master career path will open up doors to several lucrative careers in a variety of industrial sectors. The job of a Scrum Master is quite challenging yet exciting. Once you take this journey seriously and succeed in an assignment, you would feel satisfied with the results. Many individuals that begin their career journey as Scrum Masters look for opportunities that are beyond the role. If someone wants to develop his / her skills while seeking new opportunities, then they can make progress to become Scrum coaches, project managers, and product owners to mention a few.

The Scrum Masters role is high in demand and offers amazing perks and great career growth. As more and more organizations are embracing the Agile methodology, it is predicted that employment for Scrum Master roles will increase at a rate of 24% every year by 2026. Scrum masters can develop additional skills and make progress to new roles like Agile Coaches, Product Owners, Project Managers, Mentors, and Chief Information Officer (CIO). Choosing a career path as scrum master would open new doors for several opportunities with lucrative perks. However, one must select the certification carefully in order to use their potential effectively.

Who should study Scrum?

If someone wants to develop his / her skills while seeking new opportunities, then they must enter this field.  Anyone who has the skills and talent to help teams develop sound and strong products and services can become a Certified Scrum Master. Few roles in this sector include Scrum Master, Agile Coach, Product Owner, Release Managers, Portfolio Manager, Business Analyst, Technical Architect, Testers, Departmental Leads, Product Management Leads, Project Managers and Product Managers

A Scrum Master Certification course will help you get started. A Certified Scrum Master certification is widely recognized in the industry. It must be earned through taking a two-day course from a Certified Scrum Trainer authorized by the Scrum Alliance.

Taking the course and qualifying the exam might seem like a challenging task however, it does come with its benefits. The Scrum Master Certifications add more value to an individual’s portfolio and increases his / her chances of having a high-paying job. In addition to that, these courses also help a person’s growth as he/she progresses in this field.

Salary Survey of Scrum Master

After carefully observing and analyzing the survey data, the follow conclusions were reached in regards to the salary of Scrum Master.

1.      The salary increases with the number and sophistication of the certificates a person obtains. The PSM I earns as much as 15,000 USD annually. Advanced certificates, for example, the PSM II, and additional qualifications such as SCM, ICP-ACC, and PMI-ACP add up to another $19,000 annually to a person’s paycheck

2.      Continuing education in the form of earning industry-acknowledged certificates pays well.

3.      The average salary of the participants in the survey is 83687 USD, with a standard deviation of about 48700 USD.

4.      A person’s previous work experience impacts your remuneration as Scrum Master or agile coach.

5.      All these figures are based on the data collected from the participants that took part in the process. These figure may vary with time and if the survey is conducted on different subjects in some different time periods and location.

Scope of Scrum Master

A certified Scrum Master is a future-proof career that offers lucrative opportunities for a very long time. the Scrum Master job role often includes project management, identifying and implementing technical skills besides facilitation and teaching. Scrum masters will continue to be an in-demand role in future. Scrum Masters who have started out on their careers can acquire advanced skills and make progress to expert job roles like Scrum coaches, product owners, project managers to mention a few.