Certifications are looked at as a benchmark of specific skills of the professionals. They show your dedication, commitment, and technical knowledge in a particular methodology. These certifications stand to be the employer’s preferred choice for gauging one’s skillset against performing job responsibilities over experience in the field. Earning certifications in your preferred domain will make your profile stand out for career opportunities.
The certifications also improve your job retention rates in the event of layoffs. With the credibility and subject matter expertise you gain through certification, you will be able to perform jobs with utmost efficiency and confidence; you will open doors for your career growth in the same organization. In the current article, we will learn about the best agile and scrum certifications that foster your career growth.
Before we explore the best certifications in agile and scrum let’s understand the basic difference between the two to be able to pick the options right as per the career demands.
Scrum Vs. Agile
Scrum is part of the Agile approach. Agile can be defined as an approach to project management, and scrum is the method used to implement it. A few parts of scrum make it sound similar to agile principles, but several things add to the differences between the two. Agile defines things at an abstract level where, whereas scrum is a concrete set of steps designed to flow for continuous delivery. Scrum offers an implementation framework to the user, while Agile does not provide any. Scrum is built on three pillars, whereas agile is built on 12 principles.
Best Agile and Scrum Certifications
1. Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
The CSM certification is for aspiring scrum team leaders across multiple industries. The professionals who are expected to work in cross-functional teams to solve complex problems can take this certification. The certification is the right blend of academic and practical knowledge about the scrum framework. It gives you a good understanding of the scrum framework, enabling you to thrive in agile project management. The knowledge you gain through certified scrum master training will increase your career prospects in the IT industry.
2. Certified Scrum Developer (CSD)
The Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) program is tailored for individuals involved in product development within a scrum setting. This course introduces participants to the concepts of scrum, within the context of product development. By obtaining this certification developers demonstrate a grasp of scrum and agile principles. Participants will learn tools and methods for creating software products using an incremental approach.
3. Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
For those in methodology the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification course is designed for scrum masters, product owners and project managers. This program confirms learners understanding of scrum principles and their application within the scrum framework. The course program has many experimental workshops to provide unmatched training about scrum basics and principles.
4. Certified Scrum Product Owner
The Certified Scrum Product Owner course targets professionals aspiring to be product owners, within the scrum framework. This certification enhances ones understanding of scrum principles and methodologies.
The program introduces you to tools and methods that enhance the value of products. If you’re a product owner interested, in delving into the business aspects of a project opting for certification would be ideal. The course includes workshops aimed at offering training on scrum fundamentals and principles.
PMI Agile Certified Practitioner
Geared towards teams and organizations embracing a framework this certified practitioner course delves into various agile methodologies ranging from scrum to lean practices. The certification signifies your understanding of principles and approaches in project management. Participants will gain an insight into practices and learn how to effectively implement them in projects through this course program. Additionally the course covers topics such, as team dynamics, project planning and management. After certification, the participants will be able to apply agile approaches in any project.
AgilePM Foundation
Agile PM foundation certification is designed for project managers. The certification course helps you develop tools to implement the right technique to the proposed scenario. The working skills you learn through the course will give you more confidence to perform the job. You will learn to assign roles and responsibilities to the people working in the cross-functional teams. It gives the course guides to stay flexible to customer requirements and deliver projects rapidly, meeting deadlines. The course teaches you about the underpinning philosophy and principles of agile. You will also learn about various roles and responsibilities within the agile framework.
SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (SAFe POPM)
SAFe POPM certification is for product owners or project managers in the SAFe environment. The certification polishes your expertise in the scaled agile framework. The key concepts covered in the course include SAFe principles and identifying stakeholder requirements. The individuals completing the SAFe POPM course master Lean-Agile principles. The comprehensive course equips you with all the skills needed to utilize the SAFe Agile framework in the organization to its full potential and enhance the productivity and efficiency of the organization by establishing effective communication methods with the teams and stakeholders. The certification helps individuals undertake various job responsibilities in the SAFe environment and improve their career prospects.
Conclusion
Organizations don’t choose between SAFe and Agile to complete the projects; the choice is always aligned with their organizational needs, and so is your certification. Few organizations prefer to use them in combination with their project requirements and corporate culture. Both the agile and scrum certifications help you improve delivery prediction and accelerate your software development journey. All these certifications pave the way for your profile to get global recognition and make it stand out from the crowd. The above-stated list might have helped you with your choice of scrum/ agile certifications and foster your career growth in the IT industry.