Ahhh... the never-ending debate. What's the value of (Scrum) certifications? Is there any value? Why should you get certified? Is it even necessary? Hmmm...
Definitely an interesting topic and when you start "googling" it, you'll stumble upon many MANY yes, no, yes, no, maybe debates.
For this blog, I'll be focussing on Scrum.org. So let's take a step back again. What's the value of Scrum.org certifications? Is there any value? Why should you get certified?
I would say, it depends on your intentions. If your intention is only to get the Scrum certifications, then I'm sorry, there is no value there. Perhaps you should not even be doing it then Why? Because you're doing it for the wrong reasons!
Then what should be the reason?
But, if you're intrinsically motivated to help your organization become Agile by adopting Scrum, improving the profession of product delivery with Scrum and be an ambassador of change then yes, there is definitely value in getting yourself certified.
Knowing Scrum vs. Understanding Scrum
Every Scrum role, event, and artifact has an important purpose. What does empiricism truly mean? What's the power of bottom-up intelligence through self-organized cross-functional teams? How to use the Scrum Values as a compass? What's validate-learning? What do we mean by value? Know where you can bend the rules without breaking the principles. All of this, Scrum.org has a clear vision when it comes to the usage of Scrum. The fundamental distinction between knowing Scrum and understanding Scrum.
Scrum grew lighter and lighter. Less complete, less perfect in a way. Prescriptions, situational practices and techniques were gradually removed from the official definition of Scrum as it is documented in the Scrum Guide. Scrum turned into the framework that it was always designed to be. - Gunther Verheyen
Conclusion
Experience is not equal to knowledge. Having the knowledge doesn't always mean you understand it.
Scrum is a simple lightweight understandable framework, but extremely difficult to master.
Scrum.org training and exams (especially the advanced ones such as PSM III and PSPO II) consists of the case studies in essay format, where your in-depth understanding of the application and practices of Scrum (Scrum Master, Developer, Product Ownership, Scaling), the values and underlying principles in a variety of complex team and organizational situations are being challenged. In my opinion, a verification of this understanding is valuable!
It's clear that passing the exams doesn't make you an expert yet:
- First, work on understanding Scrum. A training could be a great way to kickstart this process.
- Once you have the proper understanding, you can start exploring Scrum to gain experience.
- When you have the proper understanding and start applying Scrum in real life, you'll experience the challenges and highlights. Don't walk away from challenges, but face them! Eventually, knowledge will come.
So, what were your intentions when you decided to become Scrum certified?