What is CSM

The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification is an entry-level credential offered by the Scrum Alliance that aims to educate professionals about the Scrum methodologies and values, which include team performance, accountability, and iterative progress. People involved in product delivery who employ the Scrum framework or those in charge of maximizing Scrum, including Scrum masters and their teams, can benefit from this certification. Individuals can gain a number of beneficial advantages from becoming a CSM, such as better leadership recognition and credibility, more opportunities within organizations that use agile practices, and proof of Scrum proficiency.

What is CSM - Table of Content

What is CSM?

If you want to become a top-tier certified Scrum Master, you must have the CSM Certification. It's an important leadership position that will benefit your career greatly, giving you more credibility and recognition. The idea is simple to understand. In many industries, agile practices are currently being adopted for project and product management, and the Scrum Master plays a crucial leadership role in agile development. With the Certified Scrum Master credential, professionals can demonstrate knowledge of the Scrum methodologies and values, including team accountability and performance.

Responsibilities of CSM:

A certified Scrum master, despite the title's use of the word "master," is not in charge of the project or the development team. Instead, where it makes sense, a Scrum master collaborates with the product manager and the Scrum team to improve processes. The following duties are possible but not required for a certified Scrum master:

1. Coach the team members:
   The Scrum master makes sure that team members have received the necessary instruction in and understanding of Agile methodologies. In addition, the Scrum master ensures that team members understand their roles, have a sense of ownership, adhere to rules, and lead their own teams.
2. Host regular meetings:
   Daily Scrum, or stand-up, meetings are 15 minutes long and give each team member the chance to respond to the following questions:
   • What did you do the day before?
   • How are you spending today?
   • What is preventing you from advancing?
     It may be necessary to ask team members to estimate how long it will take them to finish a particular task. This meeting is facilitated by the scrum master, who also keeps tabs on team progress and records any roadblocks to task completion. All team members, including those who work remotely, must be able to attend and participate in the daily meeting, according to the Scrum master. They also guarantee that the gathering stays on topic and concludes on schedule.
3. Guide the product manager with product backlogs:
   The product owner is responsible for creating and maintaining the product backlog. The product backlog contains the team's to-do list. The Scrum master assists the responsible person in maintaining and enhancing the product backlog by using the information collected from the daily stand-up meetings. The product roadmap is an evolving document that adapts to the needs and progress of the development process. The scrum master can schedule meetings and write user stories to assist with the product backlog.
4. Get rid of roadblocks:
   The Scrum master searches for distractions and potential barriers to progress in order to assist the team in staying concentrated on the tasks that need to be completed during each iteration. For instance, the Scrum master can collaborate with meeting planners to determine who actually needs to attend meetings if team members are being dragged into numerous unimportant meetings. Or, the Scrum master can collaborate with product owners as well as other stakeholders to reallocate the workload if a team member is being overworked and given tasks on multiple teams.

Characteristics of a CSM:

While there are some aspects of leadership that can be learned, it's frequently said that certain personalities are more naturally gifted at leadership. It comes as no surprise that some individuals make better servant leaders and Scrum Masters. Let's examine some qualities that will enable you to succeed in your CSM role:

1. Help in communication: In every role, this is a given. But as a scrum master, you simultaneously listen, understand, repeat, summarize, energize, observe, write, simplify, criticize, suggest, assert, chat, and present. Every conversation deserves its own unique synergy and talent.
   
2. Taking responsibility: You serve as the team's ambassador. Whether they have experienced greater or lesser success, if you can win their trust, you should be able to speak up for them and be happy to represent them.
3. Appreciating good work: Humans are capable of passing judgment, but showing real leadership by going above and beyond to recognize the efforts of your team members and to enable them to advance and succeed will earn you the respect of your colleagues.
4. Consider neutrality: Being diplomatic is different from being neutral. Decisions should be made for any challenge based on validity and merit rather than who you are friends with. Making difficult decisions may result from this.
5. Should be a multitasker: You are in charge of running a machine today, planning for tomorrow, and evaluating events from yesterday, assuming an ideal team of 7 plus minus 2. You'll need to be skilled at juggling tasks and time management when you add regulatory and managerial catch-ups, as well as planning for the upcoming sprint and release.

Advantages of having a CSM certificate:

Following are some advantages of holding a CSM certificate

• Keeps you marketable and relevant across all industry sectors, assisting you in developing your career.
  
• A CSM program aims to impart improved abilities for better Scrum implementation.
  
• Additionally, CSM certification offers the chance to stand out in the international Scrum community.
  
• A person can learn about the workplace through this training, which is beneficial for the development of the business.
  
• The professional can interact with a Scrum expert with the aid of the CSM certification.
  
• With this certification, the individual will have two years of Scrum Alliance membership as well as access to local groups and networks.
  

How to get a CSM certificate?

You must register for and attend a live class taught by a Certified Scrum Trainer, though you can also work with a Certified Agile Coach (CAC). You will typically spend fourteen hours working online and about sixteen working with your Certified Scrum Trainer in a classroom setting. Therefore, the best place to start your search for a CSM Certification training provider is online. Before choosing your CST or CAC, it is always advisable to ask for recommendations from coworkers or to read reviews and customer testimonials.

Career graph after becoming a CSM:

CSMs have a lot of responsibility in their position. A career as a scrum master will give you access to many lucrative companies, fields, and industries. Many people who start out as Certified Scrum Masters look for opportunities outside of the position. You can advance to become a project manager, a Scrum coach, a product owner, etc. if you are eager to grow your abilities while seeking out fresh perspectives and opportunities. The job roles one can take up after doing the CSM course are:

1. As a product owner: After being a scrum master, you might be a good candidate for the position of product owner if you're interested in the business side of the product. A product owner collaborates with a team to create a better product that meets user needs. The product owner will be responsible for tasks like budget management and product release planning, among others.
   Salary: The average annual pay for a Scrum Product Owner in the United States is $101,821 and in India, it is 14,78,881.
2. As a senior scrum master: If you are dedicated to providing the best value, assisting your company in achieving its business objectives, and managing numerous teams through significant resource-intensive projects, this job title is appropriate for you.
   Description - Work diligently to advance to the senior scrum master level in your career as a scrum master. The position comes with generous pay and benefits. Monitoring subordinate scrum masters, creating a variety of product types, and removing obstacles are among the principal responsibilities.
   Salary - The average annual pay for a Senior Scrum Master in the United States is $117,062 and in India, it is 19,04,824.
3. As an agile coach: An agile coach is able to guide a business through the many obstacles it encounters. Through the many facets of enterprise coaching, the coach also aids in maximizing ROI. Consider becoming an Agile Coach if you are skilled at encouraging, imparting, and nurturing Agile adoption in a company.
   Salary - The average annual pay for an Agile Coach in the United States is $112,632 and in India, it is 24,16,634.
4. As a project manager: Although a scrum master differs from a project manager, he or she can serve in that capacity for non-Agile projects. A skilled project manager can inspire the entire team to work hard toward a specific objective. A manager who is knowledgeable about scrum can effectively lead and support their team.
   Salary - In the United States, the average yearly wage for a project manager/scrum master is $96,452; in India, it is 16,83,801.
5. As a chief information officer: An effective Scrum Master can bring out the best in the team, the project, and the company. Experienced Scrum Masters make excellent CIOs because they are committed to and passionate about succeeding, improving constantly, and inspiring others to do their best work.
   Salary - The average annual wage for a chief information officer in the United States is $106766, while it is $13,77,253 in India.

Why is the role of CSM tough?

First off, managing sizable self-organizing teams is a difficult task. A lot of willpower is required. Conflicts between the project manager and the team must frequently be handled by the scrum master. Even though he continues to lead the entire Scrum management project, he has no authority. The scrum master must devote a lot of time away from his job to learning about social science, including behavioral economics, motivation, and communication.

Conclusion:

Scrum is an agile framework for overseeing the creation of products. The Scrum master is an individual who facilitates the understanding of Scrum among others and supports the team by removing roadblocks. You must pass the Certified Scrum Master (CSM) exam in order to become a qualified Scrum Master. This certificate offers a level of knowledge and expertise and aids the candidate in understanding the values of the scrum, its practices, and applications.