What is next after CSM ?

Be it in a career counseling or a mentoring session; this is a frequently asked question. Now that I am a Scrum Master, what certification should I pursue next? The doubt usually comes up not because of the clarity in the role but of how to proceed further. People search in multiple places for seeking an answer, and many a time end up getting pieces of advice on what the advisors think. So, what's the right solution for it?

The certified Scrum Master certification by Scrum Alliance is the entry-level certification for someone who wants to learn Scrum and the roles & responsibilities of a Scrum Master. Those who learned Scrum and the role of a Scrum Master in a two-day CSM workshop need practice on the role. Read the blog to understand more about how to proceed or watch the video below.

What's next after CSM?

In the certified Scrum Master workshop, one would have learned about the role of Scrum Master and how they work closely with the development team, the product owner, and the organization as a system. As a practicing Scrum Master, one will help the teams and organizations get agile awareness through teaching. They guide their team towards adopting agility as part of their day-to-day activities. After practicing as a Scrum Master for a year, they will understand that they need to have something more to face new organizational challenges. 

If you are already a practicing Scrum Master and are interested in knowing what you need to up your sleeves with, you should explore Advanced Scrum Master (A-CSM) certification by Scrum Alliance. It's a two-day workshop facilitated by a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST). A-CSM is an advanced certification for practicing Scrum Masters and has topics that help them facilitate and assess better. 

A-CSM workshop helps you take away advanced knowledge on Lean Thinking, Value Stream, Kanban method, Facilitation, Coaching, Training, Team dynamics, Scaling Scrum to multiple teams, bringing in self-organization, facilitating impactful conversations with Product Owner, designing team coaching alliance, and understanding of engineering practices that helps development teams. This Advanced Scrum Master workshop helps Scrum Masters equip themselves with the knowledge to facilitate better. 

Holding a CSM certificate and one year of Scrum Master experience is a must for getting A-CSM certification.

What's next after A-CSM?

After twenty-four months of experience as a Scrum Master and holding an Advanced Scrum Master (A-CSM) certification, one can go for Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master (CSP-SM) certification. It is not just an advance for an advanced but a pinnacle course for a Scrum Master. 

As a Scrum Professionals, the scrum masters will learn more about working with complex systems, and system structures, designing a system, applying lean thinking, identifying and addressing team dysfunctions, group facilitation techniques, coaching the product owner on splitting and prioritizing user stories and concepts related to building a lean enterprise.

Scrum Alliance has designed the learning and growth path of Scrum Masters in CSM -> A-CSM and CSP-SM. Become a CSM, gain one year of experience, and take up A-CSM. After becoming an A-CSM, spend one more year practicing and take up CSP-SM. 

After CSP-SM, the Scrum Master can choose to apply and become a Team Coach(CTC) or an Enterprise Coach (CEC). The CTC and CEC certifications are experience-based, and one needs to submit proofs of practice and credible experience as a Scrum Master to acquire them. 

Already a CSM? You now know what's next. Join one of Leanpitch's Advanced Scrum Master workshop to become an Advanced Scrum Master (A-CSM) and then a Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master (CSP-SM).