How to become a Certified Scrum Product Owner?
The market is evolving as Agile Methodology dominates in various industries such as construction, aerospace, banking, software, and finance, etc. With the advent of new methodology, people working in such industries have to familiarize themselves with the frameworks of the new methodology. The Agile Methodology has various frameworks that are adopted by various industries as per their needs. In the several frameworks offered by Agile, Scrum is one such framework that is embraced by most of the organizations of several industries. As Scrum is lightweight and easy to understand, many companies find it is easy and simple to develop and deliver their product using Scrum. As Scrum gains momentum in the market, it becomes crucial for the IT professionals to familiarise themselves with the various opportunities in Scrum to be updated with the current market trends and requirements. The professional has to be prepared for all the types of changes that may take place in the market and should have the right knowledge and skills required to fit in and survive in the industry. Also knowing about the several roles in Scrum, one also increases their job opportunities and expands their horizon in their career opportunities.
At first, we have to understand Scrum so that we get to know about the role played by a Product Owner in it. Organizations use Scrum to address complex and adaptive problems which helps them become creative and productive while product delivery and also it is seen that Scrum increases the product value to its greatest extent. Scrum is difficult to master, but easy to understand and lightweight. Scrum is not a technique or a tool but is a framework that has several techniques and tools that could be used to simplify the complex product and develop the best possible. The three primary roles of Scrum include the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the Developer. Each member of the Scrum Team may also perform various other roles such as a Business Analyst, Architect, etc. However, these are the main roles that every Scrum Team consists of and play an integral part in the success of product development. In this article, we focus more on the roles and responsibilities of a Product Owner and know in detail about the process required for becoming a Certified Scrum Product Owner.
What is a Product Owner?
The Product Owner is a professional who is responsible for creating a vision for the product and maximizing the value of the product which is produced by the Developer. Many organizations have various ways of working with the Product Owner. However, all the Product Owners have few roles that have to be completed such that the product's success in the market is guaranteed. The Product Backlog is a set of items that contains all the Product Increments that have to be added to the product to increase its value. The Product Owner is the sole person who is responsible for maintaining the Product Owner. The responsibilities of the Product Owner concerning the Product Backlog management includes:
- Expressing the items on the Product Backlog clearly
- Making sure the product achieves the best goals and mission by ordering the appropriate items in the Product Backlog.
- Looking over the work done by the Developer.
- Helping the Developer understand the items on the Product Backlog.
- Take care of the Product Backlog by ensuring it is transparent and visible to all the members of the Scrum Team.
The Product Owner remains accountable for the Product Backlog as it is their responsibility. The PO may have the development of teamwork on it or work on it themselves. The PO is one person and not a group of people or committees. This person should represent the thoughts of a committee. If the Product Owner has to succeed, the entire organization has to take the decisions of the PO seriously and respect them.
Certified Scrum Product Owner Certification
The Certified Scrum Product Owner Certification is a certification course for individuals who are enthusiastic about the business side of product development. This course teaches individuals about the importance of business in the product manufacturing market and how maximum revenue can be generated for the organization to flourish. Participants would learn various skills that are necessary for professionals to communicate and collaborate during product development. Also, the core values of Scrum, the principles, practicals, and skills about Scrum would be taught to individuals taking up this course. This course certifies that the individual is well-versed in their Scrum knowledge and knows thoroughly about handling the business operations in the product development industry. The CSPO course has no prerequisites and anyone interested in becoming a certified Product Owner can take up this course as it will give an in-depth understanding of the Scrum framework. Also one of the important reasons that people take up this course is because of the high salary package it offers. According to salary.com, an average Certified Scrum Product Owner may earn up to $128K. Hence, the CSPO certification is one of the most demanded certifications that one has to complete if they want a career in the business side of the products.
Requirements for the CSPO certification process
Few requirements have to be fulfilled so that candidate qualifies as a Certified Scrum Product Owner. They are:
- The participant has to attend a face-to-face/online course which is instructed by a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) or receive private coaching from a Certified Agile Coach (CAC). A CAC may be a Scrum Alliance Certified Team Coach (CTC) or a Scrum Alliance Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC).
- The duration of the course depends on the mode of instruction. The candidates who preferred the online classes would have to attend 14 hours of lecture and the in-person lecture with the CST is for 16 hours. Lastly, the private face-to-face interaction with the CAC is for about 25 hours.
- The candidate has to accept the license agreement after completing the course successfully. They also have to complete the Scrum Alliance profile after which they will be Certified Scrum Product Owners. (Note that there is currently no test for the CSPO certification).
- The CSPO certification has to be renewed every once in two years by submitting SEUs and $100.
Process to get CSPO Certification to become CSPO certified
Let us understand the steps involved in becoming a Certified Scrum Product Owner. Here is a thorough and detailed description of how to become a Product Owner.
The steps of becoming a Certified Scrum Product Owner is one of the easiest certification processes that are out in the market. After understanding the roles and responsibilities of the Product Owner and making sure that this may be the kind of job that is right, candidates have to start the journey of becoming a Certified Scrum Product Owner by registering themselves in the right institution that offers the CSPO certification. Picking the right institute is the crucial step in the CSPO certification process as the right institute will help the candidate to understand all the concepts of Scrum clearly and would prove to be a value for the money given for the certification. After registering with the institute which is affiliated with Scrum Alliance, the person has to prepare themselves with the basics of the Scrum concepts so that they understand even better during the two-day course. A preparation about the Scrum concepts and terminology from the Agile Manifesto and Scrum Guide would help the candidate to grasp the concept thoroughly and help make the best use of their time.
The candidate has to attend the 2-day CSPO course and get instructed by the Certified Scrum Trainers (CSTs). After the course is completed, the Certified Scrum Trainer updates the details to the Scrum Alliance website. The candidates have to make the best use and get all the details that are essential for becoming a great Product Owner. The CSTs are the best persons to address any doubts so that they are clear with the Scrum concepts. After the details are updated by the CST to the Scrum Alliance website, SA will send a welcome email to log in to the Scrum Alliance account. The candidate has to log in to the account and accept the CSPO license. The participant can reset their login credentials and accept the license for the CSPO certification and download their certificate. This certification does not have any test currently that has to be given to qualifying. Hence, by completing the course and accepting the license, the participant becomes a Certified Scrum Product Owner.
How to Renew the CSPO certification?
- Log in to the Scrum Alliance certification account
- Click on the certification dashboard and click on settings.
- Pay the renewal fee by clicking on the actions window and clicking on the renewal link.
The CSPO certification has to be renewed once every two years and requires 20 SEUs and $100. SEUs are Scrum Educational Units that have to be collected by the participants by performing various activities such as volunteering in the Agile community, participating in local user groups, and watching webinars. The SEUs represent certain points that would reflect on how much the candidate is learning from various Agile platforms. The main aim of SEUs is to make sure that that candidate's learning experience is constantly renewed and they keep learning and keep updating themselves in the Agile field. The following are the steps that have to be followed to renew the CSPO certification:
Conclusion
CSPO certification is an excellent course for people who are comfortable with the business side of the projects. While Scrum Master helps the Scrum team to collaborate, it is the Product Owner's job to create a vision for the product which would give direction to the Scrum Team. The Product Owner makes sure that the best possible hob is done and the customer is delighted by the product. Also, they maintain the product backlog and communicate with the customer and the developer. The CSPO certification is the first step for professionals to start their journey as a Product Owner. It will expand their opportunities across several industries that use Scrum for their product development. Also, their value in the market would increase as their career opportunities increase. Hence, the professionals learn the foundation of Scrum and engage with the global community and grow in their career ladder.
References:
- https://www.Scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-product-owner
- https://Scrumguides.org/Scrum-guide.html
- https://www.Scrumalliance.org/get-certified/product-owner-track/certified-Scrum-product-owner
