Scrum.org workshops carry titles like "Professional Scrum Master", and "Professional Scrum Product Owner." But what does the word "Professional" actually signify in this context? Let me share my understanding of this term and how it shapes my approach to teaching and coaching organizations.
What Makes Someone a Professional?
In our diverse world, we have many professions—doctors, engineers, teachers, plumbers, carpenters, and countless others. When someone performs their role with excellence and integrity, we call them a professional in their field: a professional plumber, a professional teacher, a professional engineer, or a professional doctor.
But what truly makes someone a professional?
Let's consider a medical doctor. A professional doctor empathizes with patients, understands their problems, and provides appropriate treatment because their primary responsibility is ensuring patient wellbeing.
When Professionalism Is Compromised
To understand professionalism better, let's examine when it breaks down.
Imagine a scenario: A patient visits a doctor with symptoms of a common cold that would naturally resolve in a few days without medication. A professional doctor would provide this honest assessment and perhaps offer comfort measures.
However, if this doctor sees the patient as a source of profit rather than a person needing care, they might order unnecessary tests, collaborate with a laboratory to manipulate results, and recommend an unneeded surgery—all while falsely reassuring the patient they're "in good hands."
This represents profoundly unprofessional behavior. The patient who needed nothing more than reassurance is now subjected to unnecessary procedures because the doctor prioritized personal gain over professional ethics.
In the medical field, such unprofessional conduct has serious consequences. If discovered, the medical governing body would likely revoke this doctor's license. They would lose not only their right to practice medicine but even the right to call themselves a doctor.
Professionalism in Software Development
Let's apply this to the software world. Can an engineer be unprofessional or unethical? Absolutely.
Consider a developer who runs only 50 of the required 100 test cases but marks all as "passed." This unethical practice means untested code reaches customers. The consequences could be financial loss, compromised security, or in critical applications, even risk to human life.
However, there's a striking difference in accountability. If caught, the unprofessional doctor loses their license and cannot practice medicine anywhere. The unprofessional engineer might be fired but can easily find another position or even start their own company. The engineering profession lacks the same formal accountability mechanisms.
Professionalism in Scrum
This brings us back to "Professional" in Scrum.org certifications. In Scrum, professionalism is about mutual accountability within the team. When something inappropriate occurs, team members hold each other accountable—that's what professionalism means in the Scrum context.
The Scrum Master keeps the Scrum team honest. Developers ensure their work meets the Definition of Done. Product Owners maintain integrity in representing stakeholder and user needs.
This system of mutual accountability creates a professional environment where ethical standards are maintained not through external licensing bodies but through the commitment of each team member to uphold professional standards.
The Professional Commitment: A Higher Calling
Being a Professional Scrum Master or Professional Scrum Product Owner demands more than technical knowledge—it requires an unwavering commitment to integrity that transcends organizational politics and short-term pressures. This is not optional; it is the foundation upon which effective Scrum stands.
This commitment means:
Courage to confront dysfunction - Professionals don't look away when they see process manipulation, corner-cutting, or ethical compromises. They address issues directly, even when uncomfortable.
Relentless truth-telling - When a Sprint is at risk, when quality is being sacrificed, or when stakeholder expectations cannot be met, professionals deliver the hard truth rather than comfortable fiction.
Accountability before convenience - Professionals hold themselves and others to the highest standards, refusing to accept "good enough" when excellence is possible, and never allowing deadlines to justify ethical compromises.
Continuous self-examination - True professionals regularly reflect on their own actions and decisions, asking not just "Did we follow the framework?" but "Did we honor the values it represents?"
In Scrum.org workshops, we Professional Scrum Trainers (PSTs) make it clear that the "Professional" in these certifications isn't decorative—it's a binding covenant with your team, your organization, and yourself. It's what separates those who merely practice Scrum from those who embody its values.
When we fully embrace this understanding of professionalism in Scrum, we create not just better product but fundamentally transform how organizations deliver value. We become agents of positive change rather than merely process facilitators.
The professional commitment in Scrum isn't just about doing things right—it's about doing the right things, every day, regardless of the challenges. This is the true meaning of being a Professional in Scrum.org certifications.