PSM or Professional Scrum Master is the certification offered by Scrum.org for successfully passing the test which establishes you as a scrum master. Scrum is a proven framework for success in software development and other processes. It is a complex framework that allows teams to approach their tasks in an adaptive manner to deliver desired outputs.
A scrum master ensures that everyone in the team understands the values, theories, and rules of the Scrum over the course of the project. As Agile goes on to become the standard practice implemented by the companies, the demand for scrum masters is also increasing. Under the Scrum framework, the tasks are divided into short iterations of work called sprint. The three important roles within scrum are:
- Scrum master
- Product owner
- Scrum team members
A scrum master is responsible for promoting and supporting scrum by helping everyone understand the idea of the scrum and its implementation in the software development project. He/she is the leader of a Scrum team and serves the business, product owners, team, and individuals. A scrum master ensures that Agile methodologies are implemented and provides guidance to the team and product owners and facilitates communication and collaboration among them. While many organizations assign the duties of a scrum master to the project manager, but there are significant differences between the roles of the two. A project manager takes the lead role in all project phases including planning, leading, managing, monitoring, and closing the project whereas a scrum master facilitates and is a coach for the agile development team and ensures that the desired quality is met. A scrum master is also the organization’s Agile coach. His/her responsibilities differ based on the various business needs and team demands. A scrum master encourages continuous feedback which allows a team to fulfil the customer’s needs more accurately. The roles and responsibilities of a scrum master are as follows:
- Scrum Master’s Service to the product owner
- Ensure that the values, ideals, goals, and the methodology of the Scrum are understood by every individual of the team.
- Finding tools and techniques to manage the product backlogs effectively and convey the same to the scrum team.
- Understanding product planning in an empirical environment.
- Works on management tools like Kanban board and reporting features to keep the Scrum team on track.
- Practice agility.
- Set up meetings or events as needed to direct or pass on information about the process.
- Helping the scrum team understand the need for concise and clear product backlog items.
- Scrum master service to the development team
- Scrum master acts as a coach to the scrum team and helps the team to self-organize and work cross-functionally.
- Creating high-value products by removing obstacles in their process.
- Coaching the development team through meetings and other venues when help is needed.
- Coaching the development team in an organizational setup in which Scrum is not fully adopted.
- Facilitating Scrum events.
Scrum master service to the organization
- Leading and coaching the organization to transition into the Scrum framework.
- Help the employees and stakeholders work in an empirical product development mode.
- Planning and implementation of Scrum within the organization.
- Causing and leading the change that increases the productivity of the Scrum team.
- Dispense information to project stakeholders about the current progress of the sprint and development process.
Scrum.org offers three levels of Professional Scrum Master certification:
- PSM I: The first level is awarded to individuals who “prove they understand Scrum as described in the Scrum Guide and the concepts of applying Scrum”.
- PSM II: PSM II certificate holders are the ones who “prove that they have an understanding of the underlying principles of Scrum and can effectively apply Scrum in real-time and complex situations”.
- PSM III: The highest level of the PSM certification is awarded to individuals who have a deep understanding of the applications and practices of the Scrum in a variety of complex teams and organizational situations.
The PSM certification exam consists of 80 questions of the format true/false, multiple-choice, and multiple answers to be attempted within 60 minutes. The passing marks to secure the certification is 85/5, which means you need to get 68 questions correct. The certification has lifetime validity and need not be renewed. The difficulty level is intermediate, and the assessment is difficult to pass so it is recommended that one must attend a PSM training. It is not mandatory to attend a training class. The first attempt is free for those who attend PSM training. The rest of the fee details are as follows:
- PSM I: $150
- PSM II: $250
- PSM III: $500
Project management Offices (PMOs) within many different sectors like healthcare, software, aviation, technology, construction, engineering, real estate, marketing, education, and government are hiring Scrum masters to streamline their software development process. Since the application of Scrum has extended beyond software development, there are many job opportunities for a scrum master.
The average annual salary of a PSM I certified Scrum master in India is INR 1,300,425. The different job roles offered are as follows:
- Scrum master
- Certified scrum master
- Agile coach
- Information technology consultant
- Technical project manager
- Project manager
- Business Analyst (IT)
The popular companies in India recruiting Professional Scrum master are as follows:
- Tata Consultancy Services Limited
- Capgemini
- Capgemini consulting
- Accenture Technology Solutions
- Infosys Limited
A professional Scrum Master is a certified professional who uses Scrum to optimize value, productivity, and the total cost of ownership of the software products. They use tools and techniques to relate to behavioural changes, work with teams, coach and facilitate techniques, and address the organization. Therefore, the Scrum master is an asset to the company.
Having a PSM certification on top of work experience will allow the Scrum Master to expand their career across many industries. A certification demonstrates a core knowledge and understanding of the Scrum process and how to engage the team and other Scrum practitioners to deliver the desired quality within the specified time limit.