Scrum certification for Release manager managing agile releases

Question

I have a query on Agile certification - which one is best for me or would none be best?

Basically I'm into release management, driving the day to day activities of a software release from end-to-end.

My primary role and responsibility includes coordinating with interfaces to set up test environments, coordinating test cases/users and production deployment/planning/risk assessment from the process perspective/ITIL.

Our team follows the Agile/Scrum approach so we are familiar with user stories, sprints and JIRA. However, I am not a Scrum Master, Product Owner, nor am I a member of the development team.

Will doing EXIN agile foundation/advanced or CSM or PSM help in any way? Will it help me to qualify for Scrum Master roles?

Answer 1

Basically I'm into release management, driving the day to day activities of a software release from end-to-end. My primary role and responsibility includes coordinating with interfaces to set up test environments, coordinating test cases/users and production deployment/planning/risk assessment from the process perspective/ITIL.

Looking at your current role, PSD (Professional Scrum Developer) is probably the most compatible with your profile. It focuses on every day developer good practices in an Agile environment. Most of this is not part of the canonical Scrum guide, but is considered good practice and referenced in other Agile methodologies like Extreme Programming (XP) and GROWS™. For instance:

• Continuous integration
• Version control
• Test driven development
• Types of testing (unit, integration, functional, smoke, etc.)

You can do the PSD test assesment to get a feel for the material.

Will doing EXIN agile foundation/advanced or CSM or PSM help in any way? Will it help me to qualify for Scrum Master roles?

If you want a certification to help qualify you for a role as Scrum Master, PSM I is indeed the best fit. It contains all the essentials and is the 'default' certification for Scrum Masters. It will likely help you qualify. For actually doing a good job at it, experience heavily outweighs the certification.

Answer 2

The CSM Certification is a good start for just about anyone involved in Scrum/Agile -- its goal is to give everyone a solid foundation in the principles of the framework. I think that would probably get you the most ROI.

That said, I'll give the caveat here that I always give with recommending Scrum certifications: the cert itself is fairly valueless. The value in the certification comes from having a talented and experienced trainer running your course. The right person can make the course hugely useful, while the wrong person won't tell you anything that you can't get out of a book. Make sure to find a good Scrum trainer if you pursue your CSM or any other Scrum certs.

Answer 3

Scrum.org focuses more on delivery of software and the material reflects this. In the interests of fairness I should point out that I am a licenced PST, and that the Scrum Alliance also have similar courses in name.

• For the theory I would recommend the Scaled Professional Scrum (SPS) as it focuses not only on release, but release at scale. It covers many of the DevOps practices that you need to deliver and automation is a big focus.
• For practical experience coupled with theory I would recommend the Professional Scrum Developer (PSD) course as it focuses on the mechanics of delivery. The practical nature of the course, working on brownfield buggy code in class, gives it quite a bit of oomph.
• The Professional Scrum Master (PSM) is more geared towards coaching and facilitation for those advocates and advanced practitioners, so a good place for experienced Scrum Masters trying to up their game.
• For the basics I would recommend the Professional Scrum Foundations (PSF), same level as the CSM, for getting to know Scrum fundamentals.

You can check out http://scrum.org.