The document discusses what a Certified ScrumMaster is not. It notes that while a ScrumMaster understands Scrum and helps others adopt it, the role cannot be certified through documentary evidence or stated facts in the way that other roles can be certified. It provides an analogy comparing a Certified ScrumMaster to a Certified Sandwich Maker to illustrate this point. The document suggests that while a certificate may provide validation, the most important part of the ScrumMaster training is the two-day class itself led by experienced trainers.

1. What Certified ScrumMaster is
NOT!
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

2. Who is a ScrumMaster?
• A person who understands SCRUM
• .. Helps other people understand SCRUM
• .. Guides people on SCRUM adoption
• .. Facilitates the project team and clients to get
the benefits from using SCRUM
• .. Serves the project team by removing obstacles
and helps them to overcome complexities
• .. One of those who leads SCRUM adoption at
the enterprise
•…
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

3. Dictionary definition
Certification is
• a document attesting to the truth of certain
stated facts
or
• confirmation that some fact or statement is
true through the use of documentary
evidence
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

4. Can a ScrumMaster
• … be attested by “stated facts” ?
• … be confirmed through use of “documentary
evidence” ?
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

5. Analogy
Certified
S andwich
Maker
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

6. A Certified SandwichMaker is
• A professional in sandwich making
• He knows exactly how to make the best
sandwiches
• He knows how to make a sandwich that
you find delicious
• He has a lot of practical experience
(maybe 10 years of sandwich making?..)
Can we apply this to a Certified ScrumMaster?
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

7. Certified SandwichMaker
vs.
Certified ScrumMaster
:)
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

8. Looking for the right words
If NOT “certified” then …
• maybe ‘Licensed’
• maybe ‘Trained’
• maybe ‘He who obtained the training’
• .. who attended the two-day class taught by one
of Scrum trainers…
Does it really matter as long as we understand the
meaning correctly?
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

9. Will you buy a certificate by mail?
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

10. Surveys show
100
90
80
70
60
50
Yes
40
No
30
20 Maybe
10
0
will you will you will you
pay buy the attend w/o
yourself? cert? the cert?
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

11. What does it mean?
People value the two-day live trainings itself
run by experienced World-known trainers.
They look at the certificate as a bonus to that.
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

12. What does it mean to me?
CSM can
be your next
step in becoming
a good ScrumMaster
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org

13. Come to the next CSM class!
www.AgileUkraine.org © 2007, Alexey Krivitsky, alexey@agileukraine.org