Advanced Certified Scrum Master

Advanced Certified Scrum Master is a role very related to the classical understating of the certified Scrum Master but some organizations offer Advanced ScrumMaster certification programs. Before introducing you the Advanced Scrum Master Certification program lets first discuss the role in detail.

Scrum project development process is led by the so-called Scrum Master, who is responsible for removing barriers to the team’s ability to meet its production goals and tasks. The Certified Advanced Scrum Master just like the classical one, is not a traditional team manager or project manager but acts as a buffer between the team and the distracting attention of developers to external influences.

The Certified Advanced Scrum Master ensures that Scrum is followed. Ensures that the team follows the agreed processes within the Scrum framework, often facilitates key sessions and encourages the team to improve processes and development.

The Certified Advanced Scrum Master helps the Product Owner

The Certified Advanced Scrum Master helps the Product Owner of the project and maintains work on the product in a way that ensures that the necessary work and tasks are well understood so that the team can continually progress in their development.

Advanced Scrum Masters help teams understand the definition of done and help with communication with key stakeholders. The Scrum Master trains the team in Scrum’s principles to ensure high-quality product results. Encourages self-organization within the team.

The Advanced Scrum Master removes obstacles

The Certified Advanced Scrum Master helps the team to avoid or remove obstacles to its progress, whether internal or external. Participates in team meetings to ensure steady progress.
This role educates and advises the main stakeholders of the product to the Scrum principles. Trains and motivates the team to self-organization.

The differences between the Certified Advanced Scrum Master and Certified Project manager

One way Scrum master differs from the project manager is that the Project Manager may have responsibilities for managing people and teams while Scrum master does not have any. Scrum does not officially recognize the role of the project manager.

When developing products, Scrum members gather each morning for a meeting in which they review their progress. During the daily meetings, which are sometimes called “scrums,” Advanced Scrum Master asks the team members the following three questions:

• What did you do yesterday?
• What are you doing today?
• Are there any problems and obstacles related to your work?

Responsibilities

Although Scrum Master sounds loud, they are not project leaders and they are not responsible for the results. The team and managers are generally responsible for the results. However, this does not mean that work is easy. The Advanced Scrum Master is responsible for:

• Assisting the team to reach consensus on what can be achieved over a certain period of time (Sprint).
• Helping team members to reach consensus during their meetings.
• Supports the team remain focused and adhere to the agreed rules for everyday tasks.
• Remove all possible obstacles that hinder the progress of the team.
• Protecting the team from distraction.

Yes, Scrum Master sounds a bit like a fantastic hero, but it’s actually a real dweller in the corporate world. You will most often encounter it in IT and technology companies that develop sophisticated products with many tests and sequential versions.

You will hear them be called Scrum leader or “serving leader” because they have a leadership role, but their job is not to manage people and give orders but rather to ease and facilitate the processes of work in a particular team. Imagine the Certified Advanced Scrum Master a person whose mission is to smooth all the obstacles on his colleagues’ path towards achieving the goals.

Scrum in the title of that Master role

Where does a “scrum” come from in their title? Scrum is actually called the methodology that advanced Scrum Master needs to know and apply in their daily work. Scrum is something like a project management framework that allows you to develop software products in a flexible way.

Work processes are divided into so-called sprints that can last between one and four weeks. The idea is at the end of every sprint teams show a working version of the product or part of it, make presentations to the client and pass the acceptance test. Unlike traditional management based on monitoring and control, the Scrum method focuses on the feedback. Communication and the empowerment of colleagues involved in software creation is another important approach.

And perhaps you have already figured out what skills a person in such a position should have – leadership, sociability, responsibility, result orientation, teamwork, wits and, of course, technical knowledge. For this purpose, some advanced Scrum masters have previous experience as programmers or quality engineers.

But this is not necessarily. The important for the Scrum Master is to be ready to help the team to solve problems, protect them from external interference and irritation, help them improve their performance and leap over each other’s tasks.

How to get an Advanced Scrum Master certificate?

If you think this is the job for you, do not dig in the sites of the universities simply because they do not offer such training. In order to obtain a Scrum master certificate, you should look for a company that offers Scrum Master Certification programs. The preparation usually needs lot of time, after which you have to take an exam, the successful passing of which will provide you with the certificate. Courses are expensive. For more details and advice read the Advanced Scrum Master Certification training course article to understand how this course may be free for you.

The good news is that not all companies will ask you for a Scrum Master certificate for applying on a job offer. Since there are still not enough experienced specialists, some companies are willing to hire Scrum masters without certification and subsequently fund their training.

A real story

Samantha shares about her:

I work as a Scrum Master. In this role, I take care of two software development teams. Generally speaking, the responsibility of the Scrum Master is to assist everyone in following Scrum practices and values. The role is defined as follows: The Scrum master does everything he can to help the team succeed.

This means that the specialist who is involved in this activity is the “master” of the process. It is important to specify that they manage the process, not the people in it. The role is leadership but different from traditional understanding. The Certified Advanced Scrum Master is the leader who serves his people.

This definition of the role provided freedom but there re also great difficulties for its understanding. The difficulty comes from the lack of a detailed description of how to perform the role well. Scrum Master removes obstacles to the team, facilitates teamwork, educates the team in understanding Scrum. Organize, motivate, help teams stay focused on their goal and protect them from external interference.

Scrum roles in the future

The Advanced Scrum Master profession is promising globally. According to a study based on LinkedIn data, Scrum Master ranks on 10th out of a total of 20 careers total. Rankings are based on parameters such as:

• Highest average salary.
• Open jobs and growth over previous years.
• Opportunities for career development.