SSM outline - SAFe 5 Scrum Master (SSM) Updated: 2024

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Scrum is a widely used Agile project management framework. As one of the most popular Agile methodologies, Scrum is commonly used by software development teams; however, it can be applied to any industry. Organizations that use the Scrum framework benefit from higher productivity, improved product quality, reduced risk and happier team members.

The Scrum framework requires three key team roles, including the Product Owner, the Scrum Master and the development team. The certified Product Owner and Scrum Master roles are often sought after by aspiring Scrum leaders who wish to lead teams to project success. And if you’re one of them, you must consider obtaining a Scrum certification.

There are many Scrum certifications out there to choose from, depending on your goals. Here, we break down some of the best certifications available to you.

Why earn a Scrum certification?

There are many benefits to earning a Scrum certification. First, certification provides the knowledge you need to lead teams through successful initiatives. In addition, many organizations looking to take advantage of Scrum are searching for certified Scrum Masters and Product Owners to fill open roles. Obtaining a certification can help you remain competitive in your job search or solidify your place in your current organization. You will also learn how to apply the Scrum techniques to project management tools such as Kanban boards.

Agile Scrum Certification by Master of Project Academy: Best for easy-paced training

The Agile Scrum Certification by Master of Project Academy is designed to teach Agile and Scrum project management foundation. The course is designed to be easy-paced, so you can complete the training even if you are working full-time.

Prerequisites

There are no specific qualifications needed; however, it is recommended that the candidates have some knowledge of and experience with Scrum and Agile methodologies.

Key skills taught

• Theoretical Agile and Scrum concepts explained in real-world examples.
• Scrum events, frameworks and artifacts.
• Agile manifesto and Scrum theory.
• Common misconceptions about Agile and Scrum.

Key differentiators

• 100% online course.
• Easy-paced training.

Duration of training and exam

The training is 10 hours long and consists of 150+ practice questions to help prepare for certification exams. There is no exam in this course, though there is a trial Agile Scrum certification exam.

Cost of training

You can choose from different types of subscriptions ranging from $67 for a monthly subscription to $527 for lifetime access.

Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) by Scrum Alliance: Best for professionals leading Scrum teams

The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification is considered to be the gold standard. This certification was developed for those new to Agile as well as the more seasoned, including software engineers and project managers.

During the certification course, you’ll learn everything there is to know about the Scrum framework, including Scrum theory and how to plan sprints. Once you complete the CSM certification, additional courses are available such as the Advanced Certified ScrumMaster certification course.

Prerequisites

CSM is an introductory course for aspiring Scrum Masters and individuals that are already leading Scrum teams. Therefore, there are no eligibility criteria or experience required for CSM certification.

Key skills taught

• Application of Scrum framework and roles for various use cases.
• Lessons on Agile principles, estimations and metrics.
• Importance of continuous improvement.
• Skills on how to facilitate discussions, events and meetings.
• Improvement of leadership and influence of organizational change.

Key differentiators

• The program is focused on the Scrum framework.
• This certification can be a prerequisite for certain Scrum Master jobs.

Duration of training and exam

The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) by Scrum Alliance training which runs for two days is estimated to be around 16 hours. The duration of the certification exam is two hours. The format of the exam is 50 multiple-choice questions.

Cost of training and exam

The cost of Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) by Scrum Alliance certification is between $405 and $695, depending on date, time, and instructor. There is also a $25 charge for each additional attempt at the exam.

Professional Scrum Master (PSM) by Scrum.org: Best for a deep understanding of Scrum principles

Scrum.org offers three levels of Professional Scrum Master: PSM I, PSM II and PSM III. The Professional Scrum Master certification solidifies your knowledge of the Scrum framework and how it’s used. While the Professional Scrum Master I certification is perfect for Scrum beginners, PSM II and PSM III are best for those with more advanced skills.

Scrum.org offers the Professional Scrum Master certification exams to professionals with or without previous Scrum training. However, they also offer training courses for those just getting started with Scrum. PSM I is required to obtain the PSM II and III certifications.

Prerequisites

There are no formal eligibility criteria or required skills to obtain the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) by Scrum.org. However, you must have completed the previous level of PSM to progress to the next. For example, to get the PSM III certification, you must have completed PSM I and PSM II.

Key skills taught

The skills taught in this certification depend on the level of the program:

• PSM 1: Basic understanding of Scrum framework, development teams and management of products.
• PSM II: Managing technical risk and developing an understanding of organizational design and culture.
• PSM III: Deep understanding and application of Scrum practices.

Key differentiators

• Three distinct levels of Scrum training and certification.
• Deep understanding of Scrum framework.

Duration of training and exam

The training lasts for two days and goes for eight hours each day for a total of 16 hours of training. The format and duration of the exam depend on the level of the program. The duration varies from 60 to 150 minutes, and the number of questions varies from 30 to 150.

Cost of training and exam

The cost of training depends on the level of the program. It varies from $150 to $500.

SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) by Scaled Agile: Best for individuals looking to coach or lead Agile teams

The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a leading framework for scaling Agile according to Gartner. SAFe is provided through Scaled Agile, which also provides the SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) certification for SAFe-specific organizations.

During the training course, you’ll learn how to lead Agile teams in a SAFe environment, how to conduct iteration planning and more. Once you complete the training program, you’ll be prepared to take the SAFe Scrum Master certification exam, which is best for those with intermediate-level skills.

Prerequisites

There is no formal requirement for the SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) by Scaled Agile; however, it is recommended that the candidate has basic Scrum and Agile experience.

Key skills taught

• Empower and lead an Agile team.
• Help teams plan and execute their work.
• Coach Agile teams.
• Implement DevOps for continuous flow
• Facilitate Agile events, discussions and meetings.

Key differentiators

• Emphasis on Lean-Agile mindset.
• Focus on Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).
• Testing of candidates on their ability to apply Scrum principles to real-world situations.

Duration of training and exam

The training takes place over the course of two days, lasting eight hours each day for a total of 16 hours of training. The exam for SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) by Scaled Agile consists of 45 multiple-choice questions, and the duration is 90 minutes.

Cost of training

The cost of training depends on several factors, including location and mode of delivery. You can expect the SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) by Scaled Agile training and certification to cost between $500 to $2000.

Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) by Scrum Alliance: Best for Agile Product Owners

The Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification is for those wanting to learn how to bring new products to life. During this course, Product Owners, project managers and other Agile team members can dive deeper into the Scrum framework as well as the principles required for success.

The CSPO certification is one of the most popular options for Product Owners simply due to its benefits. For example, according to a survey completed by Indeed, 39% of the CSPO-certified Product Owners stated that the certification helped them achieve a higher salary.

Prerequisites

The Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) by Scrum Alliance does not have specific required skills.

Key skills taught

• Hands-on training for creating product vision.
• Innovative methods to generate product value.
• Product backlog management.
• Agile planning and estimation.
• Release management.

Key differentiators

• Ideally suited for existing Product Owners.
• Does not have an exam.
• Practical and hands-on learning.

Duration of training and exam

There is no exam required to earn a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification.

Cost of training

Expect to spend around $399-$780 for training and certification for the Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) by Scrum Alliance. There is also a $100 certification fee paid upon the successful completion of the program.

Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) by Scrum.org: Best for introduction to Product Owner role in Scrum environment

The Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) certification is similar to the PSM certification as there are three distinct certifications depending on your skill level: PSPO I, PSPO II and PSPO III.

This certification is built on the professional Scrum competencies, including understanding the Scrum framework, developing teams and managing products from plan to launch. PSPO I is required to be able to obtain the PSPO II and III certifications.

Prerequisites

There is no specific eligibility criteria or required skills for the Professional Scrum Product Owner certification. However, each level of the PSPO builds on the previous level, so you will need to pass each level to proceed.

Key skills taught

• Deployment of Scrum framework.
• Value-driven deployment.
• Creation and management of product backlog.
• Collaboration with stakeholders.

Key differentiators

• Focus on the Product Owner role with emphasis on real-world application.
• Continuous learning and improvement and a clear progressive path with three levels of certification.

Duration of training and exam

The entry-level PSPO I has two days or 16 hours of live training. The duration and format of the exam depend on the level of certification. The exam for the PSPO ranges from 60 minutes to 90 minutes, depending on the certification level.

Cost of training

The Professional Scrum Product Owner certifications are typically priced between $1000 to $1500. You also have a test attempt fee in the range of $200 to $500, though the training course includes a free attempt at the exam.

SAFe Product Owner/Manager (POPM) by Scaled Agile: Best for a combination of Product Manager and Product Owner training

The SAFe Product Owner/Manager (POPM) certification is specifically for Product Owners who wish to learn how to build products using the Scaled Agile Framework. Inside the course, you’ll learn how to thrive in your role as a Product Owner, how to test projects and how to collaborate with others on your Scrum team.

Prerequisites

Candidates for the SAFe Product Owner/Manager must have attended a SAFe PO/PM or LEADIng SAFe course. If they don’t fulfill this requirement, then they must have a minimum of one year of experience in a PO/PM role in a SAFe environment.

Key skills taught

• Comprehensive understanding of product development process.
• Preparation for the roles of POs and PMs.
• Training on how to design, build, test and deliver products with high quality and maximum productivity.
• Lessons on how to prepare for and lead PI Planning.
• Collaboration and communication with cross-functional teams.

Key differentiators

• Combination of two key roles: Product Manager and Product Owner.
• Focus on a Lean-Agile mindset.

Duration of training and exam

The training duration for this certification is two days. The duration of the SAFe Product Owner/Manager (POPM) exam is 90 minutes. It consists of 45 multiple-choice questions.

Cost of training

The cost of the SAFe Product Owner/Manager (POPM) ranges from $1000 to $1500 depending on the instructor, location, study materials and other factors.

Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM): Best for advanced training for Scrum professionals

The Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM) is an advanced and immersive course for the Scrum Master role. The program is designed to use real-world examples and encourage a collaborative learning experience. The course teaches attendees practical tools and techniques that can be applied to their work.

Prerequisites

The candidate must meet all the following requirements for the Advanced Certified ScrumMaster:

• Active CSM certification.
• At least one year of experience as a Scrum Master.
• Completion of all pre-course work as deemed necessary by the instructor.

Key skills taught

• Learn how to explain Agile and Lean methods to your team.
• Help your organization adopt Scrum and Lean frameworks.
• Facilitate dialogue between Product Owner, customers, executives and other stakeholders.

Key differentiators

• Focus on advanced skills for Scrum Masters.
• Practical application with real-world examples.
• Customized learning with a variety of Scrum topics.

Duration of training and exam

The training takes place over the course of two days, lasting eight hours each day for a total of 16 hours of training. There is no exam for the Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM).

Cost of training

The cost of training for the Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM) varies from $1000 to $2000 depending on availability, location, instructor and other factors.

Scrum Master by Scrum Inc. (RSM) Certification: Best for learning practical Scrum skills

The Scrum Master by Scrum Inc. (RSM) is developed by the co-creator of Dr. Jeff Sutherland. The course is designed to be highly interactive and includes a variety of exercises and games. Attendees will get to experience the Scrum Master role first-hand. This includes how to create a product backlog and manage a burndown chart.

Required skills

There are no prerequisites or specific eligibility criteria for the Scrum Master by Scrum Inc (RSM).

Key skills taught

• How to lead teams in any industry and environment as a Scrum Master.
• Experience with Serum frame and Agile principles.
• How to facilitate, coach and build a Scrum team.
• Training on organizational design.
• Preparation for Lean thinking.

Key differentiators

• Focus on practical skills.
• Customized learning experience.
• Real-world experience.

Duration of training and exam

The Scrum Master by Scrum Inc. (RSM) is a two-day course including training and certification. There is no separate exam for this certification. However, the attendees must demonstrate their understanding and knowledge of Scrum and their ability to apply their learning to their work.

Cost of training

The Scrum Master by Scrum Inc. (RSM) certification costs range from $1200 to $2000.

Key benefits of scrum certifications in project management

Scrum certifications provide attendees with the knowledge, hands-on experience and confidence to apply Scrum techniques and frameworks to their work. Here are some of the key benefits of scrum certifications in project management:

Solid knowledge base

With Scrum certification, you get a solid knowledge base of core Scrum principles and best practices. This helps you to guide teams and remove impediments in various situations. This can help you boost your team’s effectiveness.

Improved risk-assessment skills

One of the major goals in project management is to anticipate problems and events before they occur. With Scrum certification, you will strengthen your risk-assessment skills. This will help you eliminate any impediments or bottlenecks that threaten to stall your project.

Career advancement

Whether you are a project manager, IT professional or business executive, you can prepare yourself for more career opportunities with Scrum certifications. It can also increase your earning potential and make your résumé stand out.

Better project outcomes

Scrum certifications teach you skills and tools that enable you to Strengthen project outcomes by applying Scrum learning. This is achieved through better management of processes, enhanced collaboration and communication, and increased productivity.

How do I choose the best scrum certification?

As mentioned above, getting Scrum certifications in project management offers several benefits. However, you need to choose the right program to fully benefit from Scrum certification. Fortunately, there is a variety of certifications to choose from. To pick the best Scrum certification for project management, you need to evaluate your current needs, experience level and future goals.

If you are new to the Scrum methodology and want an introduction to the framework, you will be better suited to choose a basic certification program. On the other hand, if you already have experience with Scrum, you can choose a more advanced certification program. There are some certifications that offer multiple levels of training, providing a clear progressive path from basic to advanced level.

Review methodology

This list of best Scrum certifications was compiled through extensive research and analysis of several certifications. We looked at the different parameters, including the usefulness of the certification and skills taught in the program.

When your organization begins using Agile methodology for projects in the development pipeline, success hinges of many things, but none more important than the team members themselves — their success and their buy-in. And in an Agile environment, if your software engineers are the players, then the Scrum Master is the team manager and is instrumental to achieve the results you want from your newly streamlined pipeline. With that in mind, let’s explore some of the skills and traits that make a world- class Scrum Master.

What Makes a Great Scrum Master?  
A great way to think of a Scrum Master is as the coach of the Scrum team. They are there to help the players succeed and to help the team win — where winning is understood to be achieving the business goals for whatever software development is underway while helping the individual team members get better. In a well-designed team, the two go hand-in-hand: individual and team success. Team cohesion and empowerment are the core of what great Agile teams do.

Scrum Master Skills
A Scrum Master needs to have many of the core skills expected in technical and leadership roles:  communication, adaptability, technical capability, and flexibility. These are important, but they are not what differentiates a good Scrum Master from a great one. What does differentiate a great Scrum Master is a strong analytical mindset and superb facilitation skills.

Facilitation skills are the close cousin of communication skills, but they are different in important ways. The Scrum Master should lead the Scrum process and offer ideas on how to Strengthen the effectiveness of meetings, discussions and Scrum events. They should also increase the transparency of the processes within the team. The Scrum Master advises teams on which techniques are helpful and which aren’t. Sometimes, the Scrum Master must take on the role of psychologist to manage the stress level of the team or to resolve conflicts.  Conflict resolution expertise is an added benefit in these situations.

The Scrum master provides support and coaching to team members. Scrum Masters help their dev teams, product owners and the entire organization understand what Scrum is and when (and how) it works best. Remember, the Scrum Master is not a manager. A Scrum Master is a servant-leader and should be an example of persuasion, the right approach, and process discipline (though with a firm grounding in the real world). Scrum Masters should push the team to maximize their efforts as a part of the team, through persuasion, and not using authority or ‘because I said so’ mentality.

Scrum Masters are typically not the technical mentor for software developers. This should be done by either a technical lead or software architect who is part of the team.  If an organization has a separate architect group or innovation team, these groups can also provide technical mentorship. Technical mentorship is something that every developer wants and eventually aspires to provide. The Scrum Master does not need to provide it, but if they know there is a vacuum, they should be helping to address it for the sake of the individual, team, and success of the business.

How to Acquire Scrum Master Skills
With all this expertise, you might be wondering how to acquire this unique skill set. Part of this is about practice and experience, where you can see first-hand how to become a more intuitive facilitator and leader. When it comes to Scrum specifics, the best ways to gain this expertise are continuous education (reading, classes, certifications, blogs, etc.) and practice. The best way to completely digest the Scrum Master’s roles and responsibilities is to read the “Scrum Guide” from the authors of the Scrum framework, Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland.

If possible, you should also seek the advice of experienced Scrum Masters within your organization. Large organizations may find it beneficial to employ not just one but multiple Scrum Masters. Seeking the mentorship of those more experienced than you can provide valuable insights. It can be advised to run training classes for aspiring Scrum Masters that teach both theory and practical insights from those doing the job day-to-day in a consulting setting.

Some of the more experienced Scrum Masters might have a certification attached to their title. The question is if certification is necessary to be a good Scrum Master or to acquire a Scrum Master position. In short, the answer is no, but it is highly recommended. Even the best self-taught or highly experienced individuals can benefit from certification.

The primary benefits of certification are a comprehensive understanding of fundamentals and fully articulating the ‘why’ of something. Knowing the ‘why’ is particularly important when you begin working with an individual or organization who is new to Scrum.

Often, people are attached to the benefits of earlier development methodologies. For these individuals, it is very helpful and important to articulate ‘why’ the Scrum Master (or product owner or team members) do what they do and why the Scrum Master recommends things be done a certain way.

However, if you decide to take the self-education route, you need to strategically select your educational resources in the appropriate way. Today, there is a bounty of Scrum courses, but not all of them are of high quality.

If you would like to save time, take a look at the courses from the founders of Scrum, found here. However, if you would like to save money, you can study independently and read “The Scrum Guide,” complete the  Scrum open assessments and read “Scrum and XP from the Trenches.” The quickest way to get up to speed is to read the books and to take a certification course of your own.

Scrum Master Skills are Every-Role Skills
Once you have acquired the skills and the certification, there may be concerns about pigeon-holing yourself into the Scrum Master role. However, the skills that are necessary to be a great Scrum Master are highly transferable to other roles. In fact, they are directly transferable in the sense that even non-software projects can be run with Scrum. They are also indirectly transferable, in that encouraging participation, commitment and buy-in are at the core of any team, regardless of the nature of the work.

Core principles, such as ownership or inspect and adapt, have universal value, as does the concept of servant-leadership, which has been espoused by many organizations, methodologies and leaders across the world in many different industries and pursuits.

However, don’t worry about needing to look for new positions any time soon, as the long-term outlook for a Scrum Master role looks promising. Software and technology are essential to nearly every business and Agile is at the core of most companies that develop software (whether that is a by-product of what they do). As a result, enterprises need Scrum Masters, many medium-sized businesses need Scrum Masters, and high-tech companies of all sizes need Scrum Masters.

Thus, experienced Scrum Masters with good knowledge and practice in Scrum should consider learning various Scaled Scrum approaches, such as SAFe, less, Nexus and Scrum@Scale. This will allow them to work and apply their knowledge on much bigger projects.

Once you’ve mastered Scrum, it can also be worthwhile to study other alternatives. By knowing about multiple Agile methodologies, you can easily try alternative strategies as needed for a project or support effort when the situation itself does not lend itself to Scrum.

Being a Scrum Master tends to attract a specific type of employee, but in studying the methodologies of Scrum and learning the tactics for facilitating and leading an Agile organization, anyone up to the challenge can take advantage of all the benefits that Scrum has to offer.

As a Scrum Master, you will help teams from our clients with their Agile way of working, more specifically help Scrum teams to thrive. This key position will put you in a central and challenging position, which offers a great opportunity to be highly visible within the client organization, create impact, further develop facilitation and coaching skills, and accelerate your professional growth.

We are looking for someone who:

• Is a natural listener and can work with several types of people in- and outside the team,
• Can coach one or more teams to Strengthen their collaboration and Agile way of working,
• Will challenge existing ways of working, and (help) implement improvements where necessary,
• Can explain why certain behavior or processes help or block the team,
• Knows how to collaborate with and challenge the Product Owner and other stakeholders,
• Is comfortable with organizing meetings, training or workshops and has good facilitation skills,
• Wants to play an active role in our internal Agile community,
• Will play an active part in developing and coaching colleagues to become a Scrum Master,
• Wants to play an active role in our internal Agile community,
• Will play an active part in developing and coaching colleagues to become a Scrum Master,
• Knows how to motivate a team to be at their best every day!

Your team

Accenture Technology leverages design thinking, industry insights and the latest digital and Security methodologies to help clients innovate, grow and Strengthen their businesses. Our expertise, capabilities and experience mean that our clients (including some of the biggest brands in the world) trust us to find the right solutions for their needs.

Together with our talented international colleagues, we focus on connecting the needs of businesses with the new possibilities that come with technological progress. Because that’s where the real challenges are: inventing and testing things that have never been tried before, getting new applications ready for roll-out, and ultimately guiding clients to select and implement the right technologies – including state of the art Security solutions – to transform their businesses.

Qualifications

• 4+ years professional experience as a Scrum Master;
• Certified (e.g. PSM1, SAFe 5.0 Scrum Master);
• Preferably some experience with Agile tooling (e.g. Jira, TargetProcess).

Learn more/Apply for this position

Agile scrum methodology is used by companies of all sizes for its ability to provide high-end collaboration and efficiency for project-based work. Agile and scrum are two different methods and can be used separately; however, their combined benefits make the agile scrum methodology the most popular use of agile. Here’s the complete guide to agile scrum methodology.

Companies today cannot afford to ideate, research, and develop a new product over a long period. The risk is that by the time the product is ready for launch, someone nimbler, faster, more agile, who is able to identify an opportunity and quickly bring a solution to life, has already taken the top spot in the market.

Are you a professional working in a project management role and curious about Agile Scrum? Or maybe you are already using Agile project management with Scrum training but want to get a refresher or expand your knowledge. Whether you are new to Agile or have been running sprints, Drexel’s Goodwin College of Professional Studies offers paths and courses to get up to speed about Agile Scrum:

• Professional Skill Tracks  – Be prepared for the hybrid job economy that demands professionals to have a blend of technical and essential “soft” skills. PSTs deliver you the flexibility to choose a foundational or advanced tracks to advance your career in project management. Visit The Skills Hub for more information>
• Agile Scrum Courses (below) – These two-day workshops are designed for novice to experienced project management professionals who have limited to advanced knowledge and/or experience levels in Agile Scrum

Experience Levels

1. No prior knowledge, some knowledge and/or experience with Agile
   Recommended courses: Agile Team and User Stories
2. Moderate to advanced knowledge and/or experience with Agile 
   Recommended courses: Agile Team and User Stories
3. Moderate to advanced knowledge and/or experience with Agile
   Recommended courses: Product Owner, Scrum Master, Business Analyst and Agile Tester

Drexel's Agile courses are aligned with the goals of the Project Management Institute's Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® credential. By enrolling in these courses, you can prepare for the certification exam and earn the PDUs needed to maintain your status as an Agile pro. Along with the courses listed below, we also offer training in related areas like Lean Six Sigma, information technology and business analysis.

What is Agile? What is Scrum?

According to the State of Agile Survey, approximately 60 percent of projects are Agile—a project management approach based on delivering requirements iteratively and incrementally throughout the life cycle. Scrum is an Agile methodology that includes a simple set of principles and practices that help teams deliver products in short cycles, enabling fast feedback, continual improvement and rapid adaptation to change.

Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry and every business. By using Scrum, you become more Agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that is associated with projects.

When companies become Agile, they have a greater chance of project success. If your company is using waterfall and exploring adopting Agile, consider about Agile project management with Scrum training for your employees. Talk to us about getting a complimentary training skills gap analysis and our multiple employee discount.

Agile Scrum Course Offerings

For further details upcoming course dates and information, please contact: goodwin.ce@drexel.edu or call 215.895.2154

Agile Scrum career pathways:

There are many job opportunities for professionals with experience and certification in Agile Scrum. When you start as a Certified Product Owner, Certified Scrum Master or Certified Scrum Developer, you can then move on to Certified Scrum Professional. Once you are that level, you then have teaching and coaching capabilities as a Certified Scrum Trainer, Certified Enterprise Coach or a Certified Team Coach.

Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

Despite Agile’s wide adoption, businesses are still struggling to adopt the mindset, structure and practice of the software development approach. Agile Transformation and the Business Agility Institute announced the first Business Agility Report at the Agile 2018 conference in San Diego this week, which found a majority of organizations still rate their business agility maturity as low, and are struggling with culture and processes.  However, despite the challenges, businesses noted they are experiencing tangible benefits from business agility such as speed to market, customer satisfaction, collaboration, and increased employee and customer satisfaction.

The report looked at business agility fluency to understand what organizations are doing and how they are performing, top competencies, lowest competencies, how company size correlates to business agility, and perception of business agility.

Other announcements from the conference included:

Scrum.org latest Scrum training course
Scrum.org announced the Professional Scrum Master II training course at the conference, its latest and more advanced Scrum Master Course. The 2-day course is designed for Scrum Master with at least a year of experience and the understanding how of to use Scrum for value, quality, productivity and user satisfaction.

The course is meant to Strengthen knowledge, skill and ability to support teams with new experiences and capabilities.

“Taking on the role of the Scrum Master is a challenging one,” said Ken Schwaber, Scrum co-creator and Scrum.org founder. “We have spent years training people to become better Scrum Masters, and now it’s time to take what we’ve learned to help them continue improving. We are always inspecting and adapting with Scrum, and Scrum Masters do the same, gaining new techniques, insights and ideas. There is always room to grow as both individuals and Scrum Masters, and it is part of our mission to help them do so successfully.”

CollabNet VersionOne announced 13th annual State of Agile Survey
CollabNet VersionOne is officially opening up withs State of Agile survey, designed to gain insight on agile software development and adoption. The survey will be open until December 1, 2018.

“Technology professionals world round look to the State of Agile Report each year for insights and perspective on software development, methodologies and practices surrounding agile as well as understanding of the challenges faced by organizations,” said Flint Brenton, CEO at CollabNet VersionOne. “This resource adds incredible value to the industry. We invite individuals to share their experiences and by doing so, help contribute to the software development community.”

The Scrum@Scale Guide
Scrum@Scale showcased its guide to transforming every aspect of an organization. Scrum@Scale is a new framework that is meant to scale the core of the originally Scrum framework and extend it to tens of teams, hundreds of teams to even thousands of teams.

“Scrum@Scale is really designed for business agility. It is designed to go across the entire organization. It is the way the venture group I work with builds scaling into their business and into every investment that they work in,” Jeff Sutherland, co-creator of Scrum, in a video.

Zoho highlights Zoho Sprints
Zoho revealed the latest addition to its platform, Zoho Sprints. This addition is meant to be a agile project management tool for Scrum teams to plan work, track progress and build products.

Features include a backlog, board, epics, timesheets, dashboard, reports, meetings and feed. “Create new sprints and backlog items with a fluid drag-and-drop planning center. Break down the nuances of each user story through epics, estimation points, priority listing, and user assignments. Set durations and timely reminders make releasing after every sprint that much easier,” the company wrote on its website.

Scrum Master

Location: Johannesburg/ Cape Town, Country

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance public services-creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent and innovation led company with 738,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability.

We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes through our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients succeed and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit [Email Address Removed]ining the feel of a start-up and the advantages of being a global player, Accenture Song truly has a diverse and multi-talented team. We are now strengthening our highly skilled team and are looking for people with management and technical expertise, and eagerness to develop and deliver digital solutions and transformation.

SCRUM MASTER

A leading Pan-African telecommunications company is launching a groundbreaking Software Engineering Centre of Excellence (COE); dedicated to building future-focused digital products designed to empower and revolutionize the continent. This is your opportunity to join an innovative team and grow your career at the forefront of technological advancement, as we accelerate towards a brighter, more connected future for Africa.

Role Summary

Guides and coaches the team on the agile framework, methodology and ceremonies. Helps to manage and optimise a continuous flow of work across the team

Responsibilities

• Develop and coach an agile team on agile values & practices
• Facilitate team ceremonies
• Identify and remove impediments, prevent distractions; help the team continuously improve

• Facilitate discussion and conflict resolution
• Empower teams to self-organize
• Where required, set up and mobilise new teams and work with the client and other Accenture leads to set up lean-agile governance processes
• Where required, coach a struggling agileteam;tailoring methods in a complex context as necessary
• Collaborate with other Agile Practitioners to Strengthen the agile maturity of all agile teams

• Foster a growth mindset within the practise, contributing to learning materials, personal and team development

Why join us?

• We are a top employer in South Africa with certified excellence in employee conditions
• We offer a transparent, fast paced approach career progression, with a focus on your strengths and continuous coaching from senior colleagues
• You will benefit from working alongside Accenture experts who are solving some of the biggest industry challenges with innovative thinking and pioneering tools
• Flexible work arrangements and a range of benefits including competitive rewards
• You will have access to state-of-the-art technology that will deliver you the opportunity to deepen your existing skills even as you help create the latest business trends
• You will also have opportunities to make a difference to the communities in which we work and live

Next Steps

If this sounds like the ideal role, career and company for you, click below to apply.

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Qualifications

Qualification & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) in Computer Science, Information Systems or related field preferred

• At least 4-7 years of experience working in software development teams
• Relevant Agile and Scrum Master Certifications

Preferred Skills

• Coaching/mentoring
• Talent for driving change
• Organizational development
• Negotiation
• Conflict Resolution

• Process/continuous improvement
• Facilitation
• Proven ability to work independently and as a team member
• Good communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills
• Good organizational, multi-tasking, and time-management skills

The team will be based in Johannesburg, Gauteng-South Africa; following a hybrid working model.

Should you not receive a response from us within two weeks of your application, your application has unfortunately not been successful

Locations

Capetown, Midrand

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