The benefits of becoming a certified Scrum product owner

Project management has grown dramatically in recent years for several reasons which may include the development of popular frameworks such as Scrum and Agile, other reasons may also include the advancement in technologies which have made it much easier to carry out tasks with use of automation. 

That said, at the center of every project working there is often a product owner. These individuals often take on a leadership role to ensure that the maximum value of a product created by the scrum development team is achieved. Product owners are crucial in the development cycle of products and are responsible for communicating between all stakeholders involved, including executives, managers, customers and the development team. 

So, what are the benefits of obtaining certification from the appropriate organisations such as the Scrum Alliance?

Formal recognition

The Scrum Alliance is one of the most established and recognised organisations which provides professional certification for scrum product owners. By participating in the Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) course it is possible to obtain such certification. The course duration is two days and training is delivered from a Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Trainer. While there are no requirements to participate in the course, it goes without saying that you should, at the bear minimum, be familiar with the Scrum terminology, definitions and tools. So preparation is key if you want to successfully complete the course and obtain certification.

Career opportunities

This one should come as a no-brainer, like with all other types of formal certification your career prospects tend to be much broader as a Scrum product owner across a multitude of Agile based companies. This is an important aspect for many employees who truly value growth in their career and would like to enjoy the benefits of fulfilling a more senior role in a company. Along with the increased career prospects, Scrum certification affords you an increased salary by a good ratio. According to Salary.com (2022) a certified Scrum product owner can expect to earn between $ 122 416 and $150 097 on average. 

Networking

Another key benefit of obtaining certification as a Scrum product owner includes the opportunity to network with other highly qualified Agile professionals across various industries. This in turn promotes social well-being and may contribute to an exchange of ideas which could further foster innovation. Like with all industries, networking is an important factor for boosting professional confidence and provides you with additional career opportunities within your domain.

Boost Scrum knowledge

By simply participating in the CSPO course you are automatically in a position to bolster your knowledge of Scrum methodologies that are used in the industry to solve everyday problems. This becomes an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your baseline knowledge of Scrum and Agile methodologies which you can then measure after completing the course by applying what you have learned from expert Scrum trainers.

Improvement in managing roles and responsibilities

The aim of certification as a Scrum product owner is not just to achieve a higher salary or to climb the ladder to a more senior role, but rather to specifically improve your knowledge and skills so that you become more effective in carrying out your roles and responsibilities more efficiently. 

For example, because product owners are responsible for defining the vision for the development of projects, they will often work very closely with the development team to carry out an array of tasks in order to achieve objectives – it thus becomes important to understand how to manage the team as a resource by communicating effectively. 

Additionally, since the end goal is to maximise product value for all stakeholders’, product owners are accountable for managing every stage of the development life cycle and the end product. This often requires an iterative process to take place where the primary goal is to assess and evaluate product progress through the various iterations that occur. The product owner is therefore responsible for making decisions as to whether or not a product has successfully been developed based on criteria which takes into account several factors such as the quality and performance of the product. By obtaining Scrum certification, product owners are much better equipped to carry out these tasks.

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