Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) Certification

Disciplined Agile (DA) is an agnostic, comprehensive library of strategies and practices, with practical guidance to help people, teams, and organizations to make process-decisions in a context-sensitive manner.

DA teaches how to effectively combine strategies from Scrum, Agile Modeling, Extreme Programming, Kanban, Agile Data, SAFe, and many other Agile frameworks in a way that can be tailored and scaled. 

The DA toolkit leverages the experiences of thousands of teams who have already struggled through the very issues that our teams currently face. By referencing these strategies, you can accelerate your journey to project delivery success.

Originally Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD), Disciplined Agile was put together within IBM Rational, an initiative of Scott Ambler and Mike Lines, based on empirical observations they made along with other IBMers and several IBM business partners. They produced a series of articles, blog posts, and eventually courseware based on their observations of what was actually occurring in practice, in what situations particular Agile frameworks were working and where they weren’t. The learnings were eventually compiled in a book, Disciplined Agile Delivery: A Practitioner's Guide to Agile Software Delivery in the Enterprise, published in June 2012. It has ever since, evolved into a comprehensive agile and lean toolkit called Disciplined Agile (DA).

DA serves as a firm foundation for business agility. By leveraging the experiences of thousands of teams across industries, DA shows how the various activities such as Solution Delivery (software development), Enterprise Architecture, Portfolio Management, Security, Finance, Vendor Management and many others work together. DA teaches what these activities should address and helps you identify a range of options that can be considered, describing the trade-offs associated with each option.

The DA toolkit is architected into four views:

1. Mindset: DA builds on the foundations of Agile and Lean
2. People: Roles, responsibilities and team structures are at the centre of DA.
3. Flow: Processes are dynamic, depicted by lifecycle and workflow diagrams
4. Practices: The small strategies and techniques count towards the overall goal. Goal diagrams are a high-level depiction of practices.

Since 01 August 2019, all Disciplined Agile intellectual property (IP) is owned by the Project Management Institute, Inc.

You can find out more about Disciplined Agile here.

You can get started with Disciplined Agile wherever you are and in whatever situation you are. The DA philosophy encourages you to do the best you can in any situation you face, and always strive to improve. It guides you to carefully choose your way of working to make small, safe improvements over time instead of making huge, and often risky changes. Such an approach is referred to as Guided Continuous Improvement (GCI).

By the end of the course, you will be equipped with the skills to:

• Lead high-profile teams for enterprise success.
• Utilize hundreds of Agile practices and strategies, with knowledge of their pros and cons
• Leverage the Disciplined Agile toolkit to guide your team in choosing and evolving your best way of working (WoW) in real-life situations.
• Solve complex challenges commonly encountered in development and operational teams, the value stream, and at the enterprise level.
• Design and implement the metrics that measure your improvements in areas where your teams are struggling.
• Nurture emotional intelligence.

You will also be eligible to take the Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) exam and be prepared to clear the exam. On clearing the exam, you earn the DASSM certification from PMI®.

The DASSM certification has been designed thoughtfully to help you in following ways:

• In your organization, you are very likely using a variety of approaches to deliver solutions to your stakeholders. If you are applying agile methods or frameworks you might be using Scrum, SAFe, Lean Kanban, or “roll your own” techniques. Regardless of what methods you are using, the Disciplined Agile (DA) tool kit can help you to be more effective.
  
• DA helps expand your knowledge and understanding of the pros and cons of hundreds of Agile strategies, principles and practices and how they fit together in an enterprise environment.
• The certification demonstrates your dedication towards improving your Agile skills
• The certification helps you stand out from the crowd and accelerates your journey to project delivery success.
• It fast-tracks your career growth and widens career opportunities across industries.

As a Disciplined Agilist, you would have completed a Disciplined Agile workshop, but may not have taken the exam. You still would have had access to Disciplined Agile resources and news from the Disciplined Agile Consortium website.

With the retiring of the Disciplined Agilist designation, PMI offered a way to adapt to the new Disciplined Agile certifications. In July 2019, PMI sent eligible DA members a limited-time email/coupon to become a PMI member; access to DA resources would continue to such members through their PMI Membership.

The Certified Disciplined Agilist certification has now been replaced with the new Disciplined Agile Scrum Master certification. Current Certified Disciplined Agilists (CDAs) will automatically become Disciplined Agile Scrum Masters. You would not need to take an exam as you will automatically migrate to the new certification.

The Certified Disciplined Agile Practitioner (CDAP) certification has now been retired. Current Certified Disciplined Agile Practitioners will automatically become Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Masters. You would not need to take an exam as you will automatically migrate to the new certification.

The Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master certification will replace the Disciplined Agile Lean Scrum Master certification. All current Disciplined Agile Lean Scrum Masters (DALSMs) will automatically become Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Masters. You would not need to take an exam as you will automatically migrate to the new certification.

Yes, the following designations can automatically migrate to new certifications without having to clear any exams:

1. Certified Disciplined Agilists (CDAs) will automatically become Disciplined Agile Scrum Masters (DASMs).
2. Certified Disciplined Agile Practitioner (CDAP) will automatically become Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Masters (DASSMs). 
3. Disciplined Agile Lean Scrum Masters (DALSMs) will automatically become Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Masters (DASSMs).

New Disciplined Agile certification holders (CDAs, DASMs and DASSMs) will have new digital badges to correlate with their new certifications, but these are not yet finalized by PMI®. Once the new digital badges are finalized, PMI will distribute them to the appropriate certification holders.

Not at all. Professionals in IT industries or non-IT industries can take up this course. The DASM course is designed for those individuals who:

• Familiar with the basics of Agile and Lean
• Interested in learning Agile methodology
• Experienced with Agile and wish to accelerate their career
• Wish to build a career in Agile
• Are stakeholders and interact with Agile projects in their business environment

Below are the prerequisites for this course:

• Two years of working experience on an Agile team in a leadership role, like Disciplined Agile scrum master, scrum master, product owner, architecture owner, etc.
• 2-day training from a Disciplined Agile partner will make you eligible for the DASSM exam which will help you get DASSM certification

Once you have mastered DASSM, you can further enhance your Agile skills by considering the certifications below:

• Disciplined Agile Coach (DAC)
• Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC)
• PMI-ACP certification
• ICP-ACC certification

You earn 16 PDUs by participating in KnowledgeHut’s DASSM certification training program.

Yes. Currently, the Disciplined Agile certifications require professionals to earn 7 PDUs per year

Yes, you can count your DASSM training hours with KnowledgeHut as PDUs toward your PMP, PgMP, or PMI-ACP PDU requirements.

Your DASSM certification is valid for one year after which you would need to renew it.

The Accelerated DASSM Career Track is a leadership bundle that KnowledgeHut brings to you in an exclusive collaboration with PMI, which includes Self-Paced DASM E-Learning worth US $350, free of cost along with the 16-Hour Instructor-Led Training and a free DASSM Exam Retake Worth US $180. 

No. You need to attend the course in order to be eligible for the DASSM certification exam.

No, to be eligible for any Disciplined Agile certification exam, individuals must complete their instructor-led or on-demand training workshop from an authorized Disciplined Agile Consortium training partner and REP of PMI. Once you have completed the workshop, you will receive the eligibility code from PMI; this is required to schedule your exam.

Here are the steps to get the DASSM certification:

1. Get trained by an authorized training partner of Disciplined Agile Consortium and REP of PMI, like KnowledgeHut, by attending the two-day training.
2. Schedule your certification exam at a Pearson VUE test centre or via the online proctored testing solution, using the eligibility code you receive from PMI.  
3. Take the online closed-book multi-choice 90-min exam and get at least 35 out of 50 questions right.
4. On clearing the exam, you are officially a Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master.

Yes, you will receive a course completion certificate from KnowledgeHut on successfully passing the exam.

You will have to attend two days of training from a Representative Education Provider of PMI®, following which you will be required to take an exam to demonstrate your Agile skills in order to get certified. Once you pass the exam, you are declared a Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM).

KnowledgeHut is a Representative Education Provider of PMI®.

No, your certificate will not mention the mode you have attended the course. It will look the same as the in-person certificates.

As a result of the engagement and contributions of those who share their ideas and practical experiences in the workplace, frameworks and best practices continue to evolve. PMI® places an emphasis on the learning journey and requires you to take measures to keep yourself abreast of the latest best practices, tools and techniques in Disciplined Agile.

Renewal of your certification validates your proficiency and demonstrates your interest in the growth and evolution of Disciplined Agile.

The DASSM certification is valid for 1 year. After that, you need to renew it with a $50 USD annual renewal fee. Along with the fee, 7 hours of professional development (minimum 5 Disciplined Agile hours) are required each year; these could be in the form of workshops, webinars or any conferences or events related to Disciplined Agile.

For any further questions on your Disciplined Agile Certification, please refer the Agile Certification Journey (ACJ) prepared by PMI®. The ACJ has been created to incorporate Disciplined Agile into PMI’s portfolio of certifications and to provide practitioners with options and opportunities to dive deeper into agile approaches, regardless of where they are in their career paths. If you still have questions, you can write to DACertifications@pmi.org.

The DASSM exam has the following format:

• Exam type: Closed book, online
• Type: Multiple-choice questions
• Number of questions: 50
• Minimum pass mark: 70% or 35 correct answers out of 50.
• Duration: 90 minutes

After you successfully complete your two-day Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master course at KnowledgeHut, you will receive an eligibility code from PMI. Using this eligibility code, you can schedule your certification exam at a Pearson VUE test center or via the online proctored testing solution.

You have the option of taking the exam at a Pearson VUE test center or from the comfort and safety of your home via the online proctored testing solution.

Your application is valid for one (1) year from the date of approval. If you allow your eligibility to lapse, you must re-apply.

Once started, you will not be able to pause the test. We recommend a reliable internet connection, not a public location.

No, your DASSM certification course fee includes your exam fee.

Your course fee includes the exam fee, but only covers one exam attempt. If you fails your first attempt, you will need to retake the exam by paying US$150.

You can reattempt the DASSM exam any number of times. Your first attempt is covered in the course fee. All attempts thereafter are charged at US$150 per attempt.

The DASSM workshop at KnowledgeHut is delivered through KnowledgeHut’s immersive learning experience platform, via live and interactive instructor-led training sessions. Get your all doubts cleared from the Disciplined Agile (DA) trainer, who is an experienced practitioner.

The conventional in-person DASSM training from PMI® will be delivered for two-days. The online course is divided into several classes of shorter hours, unlike the in-person class that consists of 2 classes with 7 to 8 hours long sessions. The size of the class is capped to about 30 so that students gain a better learning experience.

The trainers are professionals experienced in Disciplined Agile across industries. They will share practical use cases in application of DA from their extensive experience leading, applying, coaching, and teaching DA.

Our dedicated team of coaches deliver training on par with the standard of excellence as set out by PMI. Every candidate receives the same high-quality content irrespective of the trainer and the location. They help you further develop the competencies and skills you need to make a difference in your organization.

Our DASSM course focuses on engaging interaction. Most class time is dedicated to fun exercises, lively discussions and team collaboration, all facilitated by the trainer who is an experienced Agile practitioner. The focus is on practical solutions to real-world, leading high-performing team, and guiding the teams for improving their working ways in Agile environments.  

Software Requirements

• Internet browser
• MS Word or Notepad 

System Requirements

• Windows or equivalent environment with Internet browser and high-speed Internet connectivity

Yes, your course material will be provided in advance. You will receive an email with a link to set your password a few days in advance of the scheduled course. Once you log in to PRISM, you will have access to the study plan and all the course material.

The course material comprises of the course schedule or study plan, workbooks and all relevant assignments, assessments, or case studies.

The sessions would be auto recorded on PRISM, subject to permission by PMI® and the DA Trainer. Based on the permissions, you would have lifetime access to the video recordings of the sessions as well.

No, you will not yet be able to join the training through phone or tab. Please be prepared to join the training on your laptop or desktop.

If you get disconnected during the training, you will have the option to re-join within about half an hour subject to accreditation body guidelines and the instructor’s preference.

Our workshops are currently held online and anyone with a stable internet, from any location across the world can benefit from this to get DASSM certification. You can check out the schedules here.

You will receive a registration link from KnowledgeHut to your e-mail id. You will have to set your password, log in to our platform, and start your learning journey.

If you miss a class, you can access the class recordings at any time. At the beginning of every session, there will also be a 10-12-minute recapitulation of the previous class.

This is a live instructor-led training where you will be coached by the Agile experts.

We currently use the Zoom platform for video conferencing and will soon be adding more integrations with Webex and Microsoft Teams. However, all the sessions and the recordings will be available right from within our learning platform. Learners will not need to wait for any notifications or links or install any additional software.

Yes, there can be other participants who actively participate in the class remotely. They can attend online training from office, home, or any other suitable place.

In case of any queries, our support team is available to you 24/7 via the Help and Support section. You can also reach out to your workshop manager on your workshop group messenger.

If you have any more questions, please email us at support@knowledgehut.com and we will be happy to get back to you.

With our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee policy, you are assured of the highest standards of quality. At KnowledgeHut, we strive to ensure that your learning experience with us is beyond reproach. However, if for any reason your expectations are not met, we will refund the course fee in accordance with our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee policy.

Note*:  In case of refunds, it will be credited back to your account within 10-15 business days of the refund request.

The certification fee for the DASSM exam is not charged separately. Once you enrol for the DASSM certification training with KnowledgeHut, the exam fee is included in the course fee.

Yes, the exam fee is included in the course fee.

Yes, you can switch your start date with prior notice of at least 24 hrs and subject to availability in the desired batch.

Yes, we have a 100% money-back guarantee in line with our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee policy.

Yes, we have scholarships available for students and veterans with grants that can vary up to 50% of the course fees.

To avail scholarships, please get in touch with us at support@knowledgehut.com. The team shall send across the forms and instructions to you. Based on the responses and answers that we receive, our panel of experts decides on the Grant. Please note that the entire process could take about 7 to 15 days.

Yes, group discounts are available and apply to groups as small as three (3) participants. The more participants that attend a training course, the greater the discount. By registering in groups, you can typically save up 20% to 30% on the course fee. For more details, please check out upcoming schedules.

Yes, instalment options are available for payment of course fees. To avail the instalment option, please get in touch with us at support@knowledgehut.com. The team will explain how the instalments work and provide timelines for your case.

Usually, the number of instalments varies from 2 to 3, but the full amount must be paid before you complete the course.