Australian Scrum Community

There have been a number of questions about the CSM Exam. To address these, here is an extract from a recent announcement from Dave Minor, Product Owner at the Scrum Alliance. Note that the exam will be introduced on April 1, 2009 (not January 1 as previously advised).

—-

The Scrum Alliance Board strongly believes that the value of any certification program lies in its ability to meet individuals’ diverse needs and interests for both breadth and depth of content so that it helps them improve the way they perform their job on a day-to-day basis. Meeting those needs required that we develop a body of Scrum knowledge. That body of knowledge was the framework for developing the standards and measurements for Scrum certification. This body of knowledge must be mastered by everyone who teaches, trains, coaches and practices in the use of Scrum.

In general, a profession becomes respected and its practitioners become trusted when standards are set for knowledge, skills and conduct and an assessment tool is developed to measure applicants against those standards. These standards help to define a profession, giving it the credibility that comes with the concrete evidence that its members have met certain criteria in order to practice that profession. As with other areas of expertise as diverse as law, accounting, cosmetology, medicine, SCUBA-diving, or engineering, the practice of Scrum brings with it a unique area of knowledge that can be measured through an exam at the completion of a training course.

This standard measurement not only helps to protect the integrity of Scrum as it continues to rapidly grow, but ensures that each ScrumMaster will possess a level of expertise that will enhance his or her professional endeavors. In other words, the ScrumMaster certification program with a final exam will help to ensure that the professionals practicing the Scrum framework have met a uniform standard of competency.

Launch Date

As the first step in rolling out its expanded certification program, the Scrum Alliance will launch the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification exam on April 1, 2009. Beginning April 1, ScrumMaster students worldwide will be required to take a training course and pass the CSM exam to qualify for certification.

Beta Testing

Psychometric beta testing for the CSM exam, which began during the Stockholm gathering, will continue through the end of the November. To date, more than 200 results have been captured through these beta tests. Upon completion of beta testing, the final item selection will be made to create multiple forms of the exam and set a passing standard (cut score).

Exam Process

After April 1, 2009, students who have completed a two-day CSM course will be able to take the certification exam by accessing their account on the Scrum Alliance web site created by the CST. Students who do not pass the exam on the first attempt will be able to retake it at any time. However, upon failing the exam a second or third time, students must wait one week before being allowed to retake it. Students who fail the exam a total of four times will be required to retake the CSM course before being allowed to retake the exam. Students will be required to pay a $20 exam processing fee for the third and fourth attempts.

Exam Objectives

The CSM exam will be a computer-based, non-proctored multiple-choice exam that covers objectives from four major Scrum topics. These exam objectives will be available on the Training and Certification page of the Scrum Alliance web site so that prospective candidates can prepare for the exam.

You can read more of the announcement including an FAQ over here on my new blog.

There are changes afoot in the ScrumMaster cerification process. The first step will be to introduce an exam into the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) course. Richard has the details.

The intent of the exam appears to be to encourage the course participants to do some study on Scrum before they arrive, and to raise the bar a little on who gets certified.

There seems to be some confusion over when the exams will start being part of the CSM course. Michael James suggests 1 April 2009, but an article on InfoQ appear to misquote him by stating 1 January 2009. Conclusion: Real soon now.

Update: If any Certified Scrum Trainers reading this have more information a comment would be really appreciated. Thanks.

Update 2008-11-17: Rowan Bunning has provided a lot more detail on the changes to CSM certification that will occur on 1 April 2009.

The next CSM course to be held in Australia is scheduled for November 27-28. I am offering a $200 discount on reservations made up until the end of October. That means that you will need to email me by Friday to qualify.

If you know someone who may be interested in becoming a CSM, please point them in this direction.

Way back in April 2008 there was a significant change in the Australian Scrum landscape that went largely unnoticed. Australia gained its first resident Certified Scrum Trainer when Martin Kearns received his CST credentials.

In the same month, Rowan Bunning also received his CST while he was working in London. Rowan’s now back in Australia, so that gives us two local Scrum trainers.

I’m in Melbourne this week so I caught up with Martin for lunch. That reminded me that I had done a mini interview with him months ago that I’d forgotten to post, so here it is…

ASC: What does this actually mean in the bigger picture?

MK: This will give us the ability to scale Scrum a lot better over here. We are not going to be so reliant on foreign trainers, limited to the few willing to travel to provide public training sessions, etc. If Scrum is to scale mainstream, as we all think it possible, then we need to have a better solution that just have 4-5 classes in a year.

It will also allow Australia companies to have internal classes without the additional costs of travel.

My intention is not to compete with the CST’s currently providing classes in Australia. It is more to compliment their abilities to increase the number of classes available.

ASC: What about training courses other than just CSM?

MK: I can also provide training in Agile Estimation and Planning and User Stories. Course material is from Mountain Goat Software.

This gives me the ability to complement Scrum with the techniques that are very relevant within our industry. My aim is to understand the needs of a company and develop a tailored program to assist in their transition to agile utilising my coaching and training abilities where needed.

ASC: Will we get more CSMs in Australia?

MK: Scrum has the ability to go mainstream in Australia, as it provides the answer to a lot of company’s need to manage the progress of agile projects upwards. Rather than selling Scrum as a bottom up approach only, we need to start making CIO’s etc understand the level of control and risk management Scrum offers due to the transparent nature of progress reporting, etc.

Having a domestic CST will provide the additional ability to increase the CSM levels in Australia substantially, and increase visibility to the framework. I want CEO’s and CIO’s talking about Scrum to their management boards!!

Just checked the Scrum Alliance website. There are several Certified ScrumMaster courses proposed for the east coast in the next six months. Pass the word around.

• 27-28 November 2008, Brisbane
• 1-2 December 2008, Melbourne
• 11-12 December 2008, Sydney
• 23-24 February 2009, Melbourne
• 26-27 February 2009, Sydney
• 2-3 March 2009, Brisbane

These dates are subject to change so, as always, check the Scrum Alliance website for the latest training opportunities.