Best Agile Management Certification Training Courses

Each Agile certification will have its own set of prerequisites. If you are attempting an entry level or foundation level Agile certification, there may not be any prerequisite to be fulfilled for attending the training. To get certified you may need to clear an exam or meet some learning outcomes. There are not any common prerequisites across Agile certifications. The more advanced certifications would require candidates to hold another certificate, have a certain amount of experience, or certain minimum academic credentials.  

There is Agile certifications list available for professionals who are either new or experienced. Choosing the best certification would depend on your job requirement, level of experience, area of interest and a range of other factors. 

Scrum Alliance, Scrum.org, PMI, Scaled Agile, Inc., etc. are a few accreditation bodies that offer a range of role-based certifications that have certifications for professionals at various levels starting from beginner to advanced and to trainer/coach level.

Some of the most popular Agile certifications are: 

• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)® 
• Certified Scrum Product Owner®(CSPO) Certification  
• Leading SAFe® 6.0 Certification  
• SAFe® 6.0 SSM Certification 
• PMI-ACP Certification  
• SAFe® 6.0 Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM)  
• Professional Scrum Product Owner™(PSPO)  
• Professional Scrum Master™ I (PSM I)  
• ICAgile-Agile Fundamentals (ICAgile-ICP) 
• ICP Agile Certified Coaching (ICP-ACC) 

The difficulty level of an Agile certification can vary depending on the level of the certification, the difficulty of the exam, the accreditation body etc. For some certifications completing the training is enough to get certified. There are certifications that would require you to prepare rigorously to pass the certification exam. 

Most Agile certifications do expire. This would depend on the policy set by the accreditation body that offers the certification. Some foundational certifications do not expire, other certifications come with a validity of 1 to 3 years beyond which you will need to meet some training requirement or take a recertification exam. This usually will need to be done before the certification lapses. 

Renewal of Agile certifications involve completing a few conditions set by the accreditation body. Scrum Alliance, for example requires you to earn SEUs (Scrum Education Units) which can be used to renew your certifications. PMI requires you to earn PDUs (Professional Development Units). Similarly other accreditation bodies will also have policies laid out for renewal. If your certification gets lapsed you may have to retake the exam.  

Scrum certifications are role based. There are normally three roles in a Scrum Team, the Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Developer. Scrum certifications would be based on these roles. CSM, PSM, SSM etc. are a few examples of Scrum Master certifications issued by different accreditation bodies. CSPO, PSPO, and SAFe POPM are the equivalent certifications for Product Owners. Professionals in a developer role can pursue a certification like CSD or PSD. “Developer” in the context of a Scrum team is any member of a Scrum team apart from the Scrum Master and Product Owner. Developer does not necessarily mean someone in a developer role. 

The cost of a Scrum or Agile certification may involve a few components, like the training cost, exam fees, and other expenses. The cost of these components will vary depending on the accreditation body, the location you are in, the level of the certification etc. Make sure that you understand how each component costs before deciding to pursue a certification. 

While choosing to do an Agile management training and certification, you should understand the accreditation body that is offering the course. Next, you will need to check if the educational provider you’re considering is authorized to provide the training and what level of relationship the provider has with the accreditation body. For example, KnowledgeHut is a Registered Education Ally (REA) of Scrum Alliance that offers popular certifications like CSM and CSPO.