A-CSM & CSP-SM: What’s In It For You?

A-CSM & CSP-SM: What's In It For You?

The concept of Scrum was initially introduced in 1986; later, it was used within a team around 1993 and made public use as a standardized agile project management framework in 1995 across the globe with a primary focus on making teams work together to achieve organizational goals.

Scrum masters are experts who implement this scrum methodology and practice, ensuring communication and cooperation between leadership and team members for successful outcomes.

78% of  Scrum practitioners would recommend this Scrum framework to their colleagues, friends, or other professionals. If you are currently working in junior-level roles in a scrum and looking to advance your career as a scrum master expert, then there are two certification options is there in the current global market: Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® & Certified Scrum Professional® ScrumMaster. Here in this article, we compare these two and get an idea about which is suitable for an individual professional scrum career.

Overview of A-CSM & CSP-SM:

First, let’s understand these certifications, and what it is:

Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM)

This A-CSM Certification is for those who are ready or willing to advance their current scrum mastering role into moving beyond foundational scrum practices and taking more complex responsibilities within organizations or looking for new opportunities.

Target Audience

Here are lists of some professionals who have to consider this certification course to build their professional careers.

  • Junior Scrum Masters
  • Team Leads
  • Development Managers
  • Delivery Managers
  • Product Owners
  • Delivery Managers
  • Agile Coaches

What you will learn in this course

On the path to obtaining this certification, as a learner, you learn some advanced scrum skills such as:

  • Facilitation techniques between product owners and scrum team, customers, stakeholders, and executives
  • Capable of acting as coach, teacher, and mentor for the teams and organizations who have already implemented scrum methodologies.
  • Focus on the most common challenges such as difficulty to change, less motivation, and the team struggles to cooperate for engagement.
  • Improve team involvement, accountability, and dedication.
  • Efficiently scaling the scrum and agile methods into multiple teams instead of single teams within organizations.

Certified Scrum Professional® ScrumMaster

CSP-SM is the highest level certification offered by the Scrum Alliance for those who launch new scrum teams and scale the scrum through the organization and its team. Those who are certified as CSP-SM are capable of coaching various levels of organizations to convert to more agile. So this certification makes you, as a professional, create a high impact on the organizations and your roles and responsibilities.

Target Audience

This CSP-SM certification is mainly for experienced Scrum Masters who want to implement and have in-depth knowledge of Scrum principles and practices; those are:

  • Scrum Masters
  • Agile Coaches
  • Team Leaders
  • Product Owners
  • Development Team Members
  • Project Managers
  • Business Analyst
  • Testers

What are the learning outcomes of this course:

  • Lean Thinking Origins and Concepts
  • Advanced skillsets of facilitation and coaching
  • New scrum team launch plans and fill the skill gaps strategies
  • Product development objectives and backlog management
  • How to manage backlogs inside complex and multi-team environments
  • Systematic methods for adoption of scrum and handling of impediments
  • Develop a customized strategy for mentoring.

Comparison Table:

Aspect A-CSM CSP-SM
Certification Body Scrum Alliance is a nonprofit focused on agile education and certification. Scrum Alliance
Validity 2 years 2 years
Membership 2-year Scrum Alliance membership 2-year Scrum Alliance membership
Eligibility requirements Holder of CSM Certification +  1 Year of work experience as Scrum master within the past 5 years. Holder of CSM & A-CSM Certifications & 2 Years of work experience as a Scrum master within the past 5 years.
Who can take this course and certification: You may take the A-CSM course at any time after completing your CSM certification, but you cannot get an A-CSM Certification without achieving the prescribed experience.

 

 You can enroll in the CSP-SM course once you have completed your A-CSM. But you cannot get a CSP-SM Certification without achieving the prescribed experience and A-CSM.

 

 
Renewal 30 SEUs + $175 renewal fee 40 SEUs + $250 renewal fee
Training Duration Minimum 3 days 3 days
Certification Process There is no examination to attain this certification; instead, Look for a course offered by a Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Trainer (CST). By completing pre/post coursework with the guidance of CSTs, you can apply for certification with the Scrum Alliance. Same as A-CSM

What’s In It For You?

So, based on the above key takeaways, make your decision based on the current level of your professional career.

Let’s keep in mind that if you already have 1 year of experience in a scrum environment, already hold a CSM certification plan to gain more knowledge on Scrum Practices, and eagerness to implement them in your current organization or while transitioning your career into a new firm, those looking expert in the scrum, then A-CSM is the best choice for you.

But, CSP-SM is completely different; it’s for professionals who have more than 2 years of experience and have already cleared CSM and A-CSM, who want to guide scrum teams consisting of large organizations and handle complex Scrum implementations.

Let’s decide based on your job needs and professional experience, goals, or while transitioning to a new organization and their requirements.

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