How to Become a Scrum Master?

Scrum masters are in huge demand across the world. Linkedin named Scrum Master as one of top 10 promising jobs of 2019. If you are looking to change your career and become a scrum professional, this guide on ‘How to Become a Scrum Master?’ will help you land a meaningful position.

So, What is Scrum?

Scrum is a lightweight agile project management framework. It works by breaking down large products and services into small pieces that can be completed by a cross-functional team in a short timeframe.

The scrum framework executes agile methodology cornerstones, e.g. interactions over processes, individuals over tools, customer over contract, collaboration over negotiation, software over documentation, and adaptability. It is a highly successful and beneficial framework. According to the 14th Annual State of Agile Report by Version One, companies that have adopted the Scrum framework have stated lot of the benefits such as:

• Increased ability to manage changing priorities or user requirements
• Better visibility into projects
• Increased quality of products
• Faster delivery time to market
• More alignment between business and IT
• Faster return on investment
• Reduced project cost and many others

Though Scrum has its roots in the technology and software industries, there are no limits as to in which field of work it can be used. Scrum is used extensively, worldwide. There are three key roles defined in the Scrum framework: Scrum master, product owner, and the development team.

Who is a Scrum Master?

According to the Scrum Guide, a Scrum Master is “accountable for promoting and supporting Scrum. He/she does this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values.”

Scrum masters are true leaders who serve the entire team and organization. They protect the team from both internal and external distractions.They ensure that the team is not distracted and is focussed on the progress of their work. They enable collaboration and effective communication between the product owner, the development tram, and other individuals involved in the project. In simple words, a scrum master acts as a coach, facilitator, mentor, and a teacher. 

But the question is, why should you be interested in becoming a scrum master?

Why Should You Become A Scrum Master?

With more and more companies focusing on agile transformation, the demand for scrum masters is skyrocketing. In fact, Glassdoor continues to include Scrum Master in their list of best jobs in the United States 2020, - ranking at Number 29 with a median salary of $100,000 USD.

With relevant skills, certifications, and job experience, organizations are willing to pay generously for professionals who can prove their knowledge and skills involving Agile and Scrum practices. Sounds appealing right? So, how do you become a scrum master?

How to Become a Scrum Master

Contradictory to what most of the people think, the pathway to becoming a scrum master is actually not that difficult. Here’s an overview of how to become a scrum master in few simple steps:

1. Learn the Basics of Scrum Framework

It is always important to keep your foundation strong. Familiarize yourself with the fundamental concepts of Scrum framework and develop a through understanding of what the thinking behind the agile framework is. There are a multitude of resources that you can refer to such as Agile Manifesto, and eLearning series by ScrumAlliance to get your basics straight. You can also refer to the resources from Invensis Learning blog site.

2. Get a Scrum Master Certification

Your journey to become a scrum master is even more useful when you get a relevant certification. A certification demonstrates two things: your core knowledge in the domain and willingness to learn and invest in oneself. Earning a certification has significant benefits such as professional growth, job security, new opportunities, and higher pay compared to untrained, non-certified counterparts. According to the 2019 Scrum Master Trends Report, 44% of participants with certification earn more $100, 000 US dollars. Only 18% of non certified counterparts were in this bracket.

There are several accreditation bodies that offer Scrum Master Training and Certification programs, most of which are widely accepted and globally recognized. Some of them are:

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) by Scrum Alliance
• Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) by Scrum.org
• SAFe Scrum Master Certification by Scaled Agile Academy 

With more and more organizations offering Scrum Certification programs, you need to make wise call on what you are looking for. To get certified from these governing bodies, there are a certain set of steps that you need to follow such as:

• Attend a scrum master training course from accredited training providers such as Invensis Learning
• Register for certification exam
• Study for your exam 
• Attempt and pass the test
• Renew your scrum master certification to remain a scrum master

Please note that while these set of steps are similar for most of the scrum master certifications, they might vary for others.

3. Build on Your Experience

If you are already a working professional, and are considering becoming a scrum master, you need to sharpen your leadership qualities, coaching abilities, ability to handle conflicts, and effective communication skills. If you are working on a project that is not fully ready for agile yet, my best suggestion would be to practice small parts of agility within your current organization. A certification plus a real-world experience will help you expand your career across many industries.

Apart from these, listed below are some tips that might increase the chances of you securing a scrum master job.

• Try to implement agile practices in your current organization
• Get creative and look for volunteering opportunities
• Make sure you are personally read for the scrum master role
• Make sure to add all relevant variations of words and phrases in your resume (often resumes are computer screened first)
• Interact with others who are interested in scrum, participate in local agile groups
• Increase your networking as much as you can in local interest or user groups.
• Lastly, dedicate time to learning more about Scrum framework and stay up to date with any important changes

So folks, the future of the scrum master role remains bright. It means that, if you are a suitable candidate, there are plenty of options for you out there. If all this talk has piqued your interest to become a Scrum Master, Invensis Learning can help.

Scrum Master Certification Training at Invensis Learning

Like I mentioned earlier, earning a scrum master certification opens up new possibilities and can increase your paycheck. At Invensis Learning, we offer certification training for different scrum master certifications such as CSM, PSM, PMI-ACP, ASM, and SAFe Scrum Master. Through these programs, you will learn to think in terms of Scrum values and principles and learn how to help your Scrum team perform at the optimum level. They will also accelerate your journey in pursuing a career in the scrum.