How to choose the right Scrum Master Training Facility?
As Scrum became a popular framework among all Agile methodologies, companies using this approach need more and more Scrum Masters for their teams. Some of them, especially those who transformed from old methods of managing the process, like project management, are looking for candidates among current employees. Here the need for a training appears. And where is a need, there are people and companies which will help to fulfill it. How to choose the right Scrum Master Training Facility?
Here are some tips to help you make this choice.
Word of a mouth
Probably the best way to find out what is the quality of a training is to ask someone who attended and to ask for a character reference. You can do it orally, by speaking to someone or by checking the opinions on the Internet. Truth is, that bad opinions are more often that good ones. But at least you can check if there are unhappy clients and why is so. The Huge role here performs the trainer, who leads the whole process. His or her charisma and public speaking skills can be a game changer. Be sure, to check his or her background. It is quite easy nowadays when we have access to all the social media platforms.
Certification
Important thing is to check if training ends with a certificate. But not a certificate issued by a training company, but a certificate which is known worldwide. Currently, there are two best-known types of certification. One is called Professional Scrum Master (PSM) and is provided by Scrum.org organization, run by Ken Schwaber. The second option is Certified Scrum Master, offered by Scrum Alliance organization. Be sure a Scrum Master after the training and exam passing is certified by one of above.
Program check
Just take a look at a program of a training to find out what is in there. Compare those offered by different companies. The Scrum Master role is less about knowledge but more about skills. So it is important, to have a lot of workshops during the course, instead of dry words of a presenter. There should be some facilitating tries directly on a training, to test different situations, which new adept can meet right after the course.
Groups
We all know that the smaller group of people is, the greater value goes to each of attendees. Choose a training, which can be performed in a small group, so everybody would have a chance to speak, ask questions and actively attend the meeting. Group, of course, should not be too small, as new adepts need to train facilitation skills on it. A good number here is 10.
Pricing
Do not check the value of a training by its price. There are many amazing coaches, who just started to train and offer greater value to cost ratio than many huge companies with a long background. What matters is personality and individual approach of a trainer, rather than a high cost of a service. Save your money on Scrum Master’s tools, which will be definitely needed after the course.
Although training is important and every new Scrum Master should attend one, the most important thing is to constantly develop new skills during the work. Because, at the end of the day, skills matter, not a certificate that hangs proudly on the wall in the office.