Agile certification: Is it worth it and which one to pick

Jan 15, 2018

I recently obtained two Agile, Scrum to be specific, certifications: Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I) and Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I). Today, I want to share why I decided to take these certifications.

Why certificate

Is it worth getting Agile certified? That is the first question that comes to mind when someone first hears about the different certifications in the marketplace. In my opinion, anyone who is serious about agile project/process management should get certified. This certainty comes from doing a simple cost-benefit analysis between getting certified and not – there are numerous reasons to seek an Agile certification and few reasons not to get one.

Benefits of Agile certification

The main advantages of all agile certifications are providing a learning goal, providing a sense of accomplishment, signaling mastering of Agile concepts and showing commitment to continuous learning.

A goal to learn Agile concepts: Big and loosely defined goals like “Learn Agile” are more likely to end up in disappointment than a concrete goal such as passing a test and obtaining certification. After all, with the ever-expanding body of knowledge on Agile can someone ever say they “know” Agile? On the other hand, a certification has a clearly defined area of study and a finish line.
An accomplishment: Another advantage of setting up smaller goals is that of creating a sense of momentum. Thus, obtaining a certification feels like you have accomplished another step and motivates you to keep working hard.
A proof of mastery of Agile concepts: An Agile certification shows to your boss, collaborators and internal and external (job hunting) human resource personnel that you understand the Agile framework and are ready to operate in an Agile environment. Even more, if you are job hunting the certification might help you pass an automatic resume screening.
A demonstration of commitment to continuous improvement: Personal drive to keep building your skill and knowledge base is one of the most sought-after traits in an employee. Even if some certifications are a matter of a couple of days, the fact that you obtained one means that you consciously decided to invest your time in learning something instead of watching TV or playing video games. Employers see that and understand that you are willing to make an extra effort to be the best, therefore increasing your odds of being hired or receiving a promotion.

Costs of Agile certification

The main drawbacks of an Agile certification are, as you would expect, time and money. Depending on the certification type and level, the time and money you must invest will increase, but luckily there are a few certifications that allow you to only pay for the test. If you already have a working knowledge of Agile, you can get certified quickly and relatively cheap.

In my case, the total time and money investment came up to 6 hours of reading/practicing and around $350 for both the PSPO I and PSM I.

What certificate to get

The decision of what certificate to get depends on what is your objective, current knowledge/experience of agile, budget and ability to learn on your own.

If you only want an entry-level certificate Scrum Alliance has you covered: its Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) are excellent choices to learn Scrum and get certified. While you will have to pay a substantial amount for a training course, the course covers all the basics of Scrum, and the certificate is practically guaranteed – No test for CSPO and a straightforward one for CSM.

A newer player in the Scrum arena, Scrum.org has an excellent pedigree, as the child of Ken Schwaber, the co-creator of Scrum. The Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) and Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I) certificates are roughly like CSM and CSPO respectively but are considerably more difficult to obtain – both the PSM and PSPO have a passing grade of 85% on a 60 minutes / 80 question test. A significant advantage for people who know Scrum is that they can take the test without needing to pay for a course.

Both Scrum Alliance and Scrum.org have more advanced certifications, however if you are shooting for an expert level certification consider the Project Management Institute’s Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP). Not only is the certification authority the highly regarded Project Management Institute, but it actually requires a substantial amount of agile experience.

A different option is the Scaled Agile Framework Agilist (SAFe SA), this certification is for Scrum practitioners at the enterprise level. In a sense, the other certifications cover agile at the tactical level, while SAFe SA is agile at the strategy level.

Category	CSM	CSPO	PSM I	PSPO I	SAFe SA	PMI-ACP
Content	Scrum, as a Scrum Master	Scrum, as a Product Owner	Scrum, as a Scrum Master	Scrum, as a Product Owner	Scaled agile/Scrum	Multiple agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, XP, etc)
Provider	Scrum Alliance	Scrum Alliance	Scrum.org	Scrum.org	Scaled agile	Project Management Institute
Course required	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Other prerequisites	No	No	No	No	5+ years experience working in software development, product or project management, as well as functional experience in Scrum	At least 2,000 hours of project experience, 1,500 hours working with agile methodologies and 21 hours of PMI accepted training
Total cost	Training course cost varies, between $1000 - $2000	Training course cost varies, between $1000 - $2000	Test $150, Optional course around $1000	Test $200, Optional course around $1000	Training course cost is around $1000, first test is included with course	$435 (PMI members) or $495
Renewal	Every 2 years. $100, no training hours required	Every 2 years. $100, no training hours required	Certification never expires	Certification never expires	Every year. $100 and 10 hours of continuing education	Every 3 years. $60 and 30 hours of PMI accepted training
Difficulty	Low	None	Medium	Medium	Medium to Low	High
Best for	Certificate with no fuss	Certificate with no fuss	Learning agile framework	Learning agile framework	Implement agile in big teams or across a company	Professional recognition

I personally went for Scrum.org PSM and PSPO due to my familiarity with Scrum and desire to have a certification that won’t be devalued by easy access – I worry that Scrum Alliance’s low bar of entry will eventually devalue the worth of both CSM and CSPO. I was able to save considerable time and money by taking the PSM and PSPO without a course.

I encourage anyone interested in game production to take both the scrum master and product owner certifications. As a game producer, you will likely work in one of those two roles if your studio is agile. I recommend you check Keith Clinton’s excellent “Agile Game Development With Scrum” book to read how producers fit within Scrum.

What the certification doesn’t give you

Almost all agile certifications, and definitely all entry and intermediate level certifications, are a test of an individual’s knowledge of agile concepts/frameworks. However, anyone that has worked in an agile team will know that team dynamics and interpersonal skills are a huge part of what makes agile work.

Most opponents of certifications, including some of the original founders of Agile, point out that previous work experience is a better indicator of proficiency. I agree, however, on average I am sure that certified agile practitioners are better equipped than non-certified ones. In other words, having a certificate does not make you an expert, but knowing agile concepts makes it more likely that you can be an expert.