The saying goes… If you don’t know what to invest in, simply invest in yourself.  Another wards, invest in your education.  If your reading this, it’s probably because you have an idea of what you want to learn about but need more information on the topic.  Maybe you have a great product idea that you want to develop but don’t know how to get started or how to manage it from start to finish. If you’re interested in gaining more knowledge about project management to develop a product or deliver a service, then you have come to the right place.

Why is project management even worth pursuing?  Well, for starters it can help you become a better planner with your daily tasks and activities with your job at work.  Furthermore, there is another reason I believe it is worth learning about.  If you are the creator of your own business that delivers a product through a service, then you are going to need to wear several different hats, right?  One of those hats, is managing a project and planning out the work to be completed for whatever the product or service is, that you are offering.

In order to develop a product or service it may require just yourself or a team of skilled people to help you complete the tasks at hand.  Regardless of how many people are involved, this is where project management comes in very VALUABLE to the overall experience and result.

There are numerous certifications and courses that teach you about project management but for this article we will cover just ONE methodology for managing projects called SCRUM.

 

What is SCRUM?

Scrum is a methodology within Agile project management practices and was based on an idea that stemmed from the sport of Rugby.  Agile is often confused with an actual methodology for project management.  This is not the case, Agile is more of a (mindset) that focuses on multiple teams working on a project. The goal is to finish their tasks all within the same time frame, due to collaboration and cross training within multiple teams developing the product.

Think of Agile as the umbrella in which methodologies for project management are used.  SCRUM was created by HiroTaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka in 1986 and was originally used in work environments that originated in development of applications and software.  Sense its introduction to project management in the Corporate world, it has spread into other industries outside software development.  It is now considered a general-purpose project management Framework and can be used in any work environment, making it a HOT trending topic of interest for project managers.  

 

The SCRUM Master job description

Within the SCRUM framework there are 2 different roles for SCRUM managers.  The first is the SCRUM product owner and the second is the SCRUM master.  The Product owner plays more of a Product manager role, where they have advanced skill sets on a technical level to do numerous jobs on the team and manages and oversees the daily tasks of the team they manage.

The SCRUM master is more of a project manager role and is usually the most knowledgeable of everyone on the team about SCRUM and Agile practices.  This position usually requires an individual to play a liaison for communication between the product owner and the team.  The SCRUM master also has a duty of shielding the team from external forces such as stake holders, so they can make necessary adjustments, complete work, and meet deadlines on time.

Job Requirements for a SCRUM Master

Requirements for this position vary depending on what the company is looking for but normally will require at least a year of experience or the SCRUM master certification for entry level jobs.  Some jobs require a bachelor’s in computer science, MBA or an Associate’s degree in Applied Science as well.  It all just depends on what level of a SCRUM master they are looking for.

This brings us to the next point of discussion, which is the experience or level of expertise for SCRUM master position.  Obviously, the more experience you have the better odds you have of landing a job in this role. If you are just starting out and don’t have that college degree, then getting the SCRUM master certification is a GREAT investment into yourself.  That should at least give you enough knowledge about the role and equip you with the right approach to take when you get your first job.

If you are business owner, then you don’t have to worry so much about getting hired as you do about managing projects that deliver a product to your clients.  With being certified as a SCRUM master, it will also help you wear that project manager hat as you create value and deliver that final product to your customers.

 

How much does the SCRUM certification cost?

The Scrum master certification costs roughly 1200.00 and includes a 2-day class that you will attend for 16 PDU credit hours as a prerequisite to taking the exam for the certification.  The class will last from 8:00 A.M. to 5 P.M. both days.  The PDU hours can be applied towards the 21 PDU hours required for taking the PMI-ACP or Agile Certified Practitioner certification exam.

After completing the class hours, you can take the exam which consist of 50 questions.  The exam is timed for 60 minutes and you must pass with a score of 74% or higher in order to be certified as a SCRUM master.  Training and courses are approved by SCRUM alliance and are taught by certified SCRUM professionals.

 

Thoughts on SCRUM and certifications

I have over 5 years of combined experience in Agile work Environments in the Corporate World, for I.T. and Construction/Engineering.  I carry two different I.T. certifications, one of which is ITIL or the Information Technology Infrastructure Library certification. This is what I have come to realize with getting a certification to increase your skills and income.

First, just because you hold a certification that is high in demand, doesn’t guarantee you will make the income that everyone says you will make with that certification.  There is more to it than that.  My advice for folks looking at getting a certification, is to do some research and find out if the certification is even worth pursuing in your country.

I’ll give you an example, lets take the ITIL certification and look at the income you are supposed to be able to obtain with that certification.  The income on this varies anywhere between low 80’s to on upward of around 105k a year.  The only problem with that is…. At least with ITIL, is that this is widely used in the U.K. and for Government positions.  So, if you are living in the U.S., your choices are limited for getting the appropriate compensation, they say you will get with having this certification.  Bottom line is that you must look at the demand for holding the certification within your country first, before you look at the income levels behind it.

Don’t chase a dollar bill just because the certification supposedly will allow you to apply for jobs at a higher income.

Unless you are wanting to work just within Government agencies or move to the U.K. for positions that use ITIL, you are probably not going to make more than 55 – 60k a year with it.  At least that was my experience from being ITIL certified.  Now, lets talk about the SCRUM certification.

What is the Demand for the SCRUM master certification?

Like I mentioned in the previous paragraphs, holding a SCRUM certification is much more in demand here in the U.S., so your odds of landing a job with multiple companies at a higher income level just went up.  Over 12 million companies across the globe use SCRUM and some of the largest companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Amazon use SCRUM and are in need of SCRUM masters.  Good news, right?

Not so fast… the next thing to take into consideration is that even with the certification, companies DO NOT CARE that you are certified and have passed a test.  You need experience on top of that and let’s face it…if you want to make more money in today’s Corporate environments, you should probably go back to school as well.  If you need experience, the best advice I could give you is to look for the job that will present the opportunity to you for that experience.

The other thing you can do, is what I have done as a business owner.  I created my own opportunity rather than waiting for someone to give it to me because THEY FEEL I might be a good fit for SCRUM master.  So, look at some of the tools that are OFFERED for project management and are aligned with SCRUM and Agile practices.

I just recently picked a subscription to JIRA which is a web-based tool for managing projects and revolves around SCRUM and Agile practices.  The goal is to learn how to use JIRA as I study more about the topic of SCRUM and get certified as a SCRUM manager.

If I ever decide to use it for a job with another company, well… I can say I have the certification and some experience using it in a real-world business setting, with my own company for web development and design.  You see MY ODDS of landing a job just went up 10-fold over someone who just carries the certification but LACKS the experience.

Hopefully these tips and thoughts will help you with deciding if pursuing a SCRUM master for project management roles is for you.  Please feel free to share your thoughts on this certification and what has been your experience with trying to a land a job with a company based on SCRUM and Agile practices.

 

Leave your comments below, Thank you!