Cheap Certified Scrum Master Training
In tough economic times with a lot of people out of work and employers cutting back on training budgets few can afford the kind of big-budget, fancy hotel courses which were the staple of corporate training even just a short while ago. So Tobias Mayer has started a no-frills way to get “certified scrum master” status and spread the agile/scrum way of working. He calls it WelfareCSM.
The cost is essentially $50 (to the Scrum Alliance for the certificate) plus a voluntary contribution to cover any room costs etc. Sort out your own food and transport. Even for those of us who regard agile certification as a dubious concept this is pretty tempting.
Reading between the lines, though. It appears that the different agile “camps” may be slipping into a battle for mind-share. If Scrum certification becomes more widely available and understood, then alternative approaches (particularly XP, but also all the other adapted, customized and home-brewed agile working practices) may seem to have less value to employers and clients.
Hmm…
Tobias Mayer wrote:
Hi Frank,
Thanks for mentioning WelfareCSM. I don’t feel Scrum (i.e. the Scrum Alliance) is battling with anyone for mind-share. I know I am not. Good Scrum implementations use most of the XP practices, and all good Scrum trainers will recommend those practices. But then, apart from Scrum and XP what other implementable ideas are out there in the Agile world? That’s a serious question.
Posted on 18-May-09 at 9:07 am | Permalink
Frank wrote:
I guess my point was not really to contrast Scrum and XP – I’m happy that they address different issues. The main difference for me is the emphasis on certification and the potential limiting effects this may have on teams’ freedom to adapt, customise and experiment.
In my exprience, other forms of project management certification (such as PRINCE 2) have certainly had such an effect.
The “other implementable ideas” from this point of view are the myriad of subtly different but broadly agile processes adapted (and continuing to adapt) to suit particular situations.
All of this doesn’t stop me being tempted to go for the cert myself, though
The tough bit for me would be finding someone not in the software business who would consider the expense and time of travel to Brighton worthwhile.
Posted on 18-May-09 at 9:49 am | Permalink
Tobias Mayer wrote:
For me, Scrum certification is simply a starting point for a personal journey towards better ways of working. I encourage people to adapt the ideas to suit context /while respecting the core principles and practices/. Scrum is like chess, many strategies but bound by some very simple rules. Create your own strategies, for sure, but you can’t break the rules, or there is no game.
Hope to see you in Brighton
Posted on 18-May-09 at 11:16 am | Permalink