All about the Scrum.org

Home of Scrum

Scrum.org is an organization dedicated to spreading Scrum and agile practices. Scrum.org was founded by Ken Schwaber, one of the co-founders of Scrum, in 2009. The creation of Scrum.org followed Schwaber's quest to create a central source of high-quality Scrum training, certifications, and resources aimed at applying and improving the effectiveness of Scrum.

The key person Ken Schwaber

Ken Schwaber, who is also one of the first signatories of the Agile Manifesto, has played a central role in the development and dissemination of Scrum since the early 1990s. His goal in founding Scrum.org was to create an organization that would ensure the integrity and quality of Scrum education worldwide. Unlike other certification bodies, Scrum.org places a strong emphasis on assessing and certifying competencies through rigorous testing and offers a variety of resources to deepen the understanding and application of Scrum.

Scrum Master & Product Owner 

Scrum.org offers various certification courses for Scrum practitioners, including Scrum Master, Product Owner and Developer roles. These courses are designed to provide participants with not only the theoretical knowledge, but also practical skills that they can apply in their organizations. In addition to certifications, Scrum.org provides a wealth of resources, such as guides, case studies, articles and tools to help the Scrum community continuously improve their practices.

A key feature of Scrum.org is cultivating a dedicated community of Scrum practitioners and trainers, known as Professional Scrum Trainers (PSTs). These trainers must go through a rigorous assessment process before being certified by Scrum.org to ensure that they not only possess deep knowledge of Scrum, but can effectively convey that knowledge.

Vision

Scrum.org was founded with the vision of improving the way software and products are developed by promoting Scrum principles and agile methods. Since its founding in 2009 by Ken Schwaber, Scrum.org has established itself as a leading organization in the spread of Scrum and agile practices. Here are some key points about the history and goals of Scrum.org:

History

• Founded by Ken Schwaber: Ken Schwaber, one of the co-founders of the Scrum framework, founded Scrum.org to ensure global standardization of Scrum knowledge and practices. The foundation aimed to create a reliable basis for the training and certification of Scrum professionals.
• Development of Scrum Guides: A key contribution of Scrum.org to the Scrum community is its participation in the creation and updating of the Scrum Guides, which serve as official guides for Scrum. These guides define the roles, events, and artifacts of Scrum and are an important resource for anyone who wants to understand and apply Scrum.
• Professional Scrum Certifications: Scrum.org has developed a series of certification courses aimed at providing professionals with the knowledge and competencies needed to effectively apply Scrum in various contexts.

Goals

• Product Development Improvement: The main goal of Scrum.org is to empower organizations and individuals to improve their product development processes through the application of Scrum and agile practices.
• Promoting Scrum Education: Scrum.org places great emphasis on the training and continuous development of Scrum practitioners. The organization offers extensive training and certification programs led by experts to ensure that participants gain not only theoretical knowledge but also practical skills.
• Ensuring Quality and Integrity: A key objective of Scrum.org is to maintain high standards of training and certification. The organization relies on rigorous evaluation criteria to ensure that all certified individuals have a deep understanding of Scrum and can effectively apply this knowledge in practice.
• Community building: Scrum.org works to foster a global community of Scrum practitioners who share, learn from each other, and support each other. The organization regularly hosts events, offers online resources, and encourages discussion and exchange of experiences within the community.

In summary, Scrum.org plays a key role in the dissemination and further development of Scrum and agile methodologies. By providing resources, training, and certifications, the organization is instrumental in improving the quality and effectiveness of Scrum practices worldwide.

Scrum.org vs. Scrum Alliance

Scrum.org and the Scrum Alliance are both leading organizations in the world of Scrum and agile methodologies, but they differ in approach, philosophy, and some offerings. These differences lead to certain benefits for individuals and organizations looking for Scrum training and certifications. Here are some of the benefits often associated with Scrum.org compared to the Scrum Alliance:

1. Consistency and quality of training content: Scrum.org has a strong focus on the consistency of its training materials and exams. All courses are developed and updated centrally to ensure they reflect the latest insights and best practices in Scrum and agile methodologies. This results in a high standardization and quality of courses and materials, regardless of where or by whom they are offered.

2. No expiration dates for certifications: Unlike many certifications that require regular renewals or continuous education credits, Scrum.org's certifications do not have expiration dates. Once passed, exams permanently certify a person's knowledge in the relevant areas.

3. Rigorous Exams: Scrum.org is known for its demanding exams. The organization emphasizes the importance of ensuring that certified students possess not only theoretical knowledge, but also the ability to apply Scrum principles in practice. This rigorous review process is designed to ensure that the certified can truly understand and implement what they have learned.

4. Openness and accessibility of resources: Scrum.org offers a variety of free resources, including the Scrum Guide, learning paths, and articles that can be used by anyone to deepen their understanding of Scrum, whether they are seeking certification or not.

5. Focus on skills development: Scrum.org emphasizes continuous improvement and the development of practical skills. The organization offers specific learning paths and resources for different roles within a Scrum team, aimed at enhancing practitioners' practical skills.

6. Global Network of Professional Scrum Trainers (PSTs): Scrum.org maintains an extensive network of PSTs that have undergone a rigorous selection process. These trainers need to demonstrate not only their expertise, but also their ability to convey that knowledge effectively.

While the Scrum Alliance also offers extensive training, certifications, and resources, some individuals and organizations prefer Scrum.org for its consistent and high-quality approaches, rigorous competency assessment, and lifetime validity of certifications. However, both organizations share a common goal of spreading and strengthening the principles and practices of Scrum, and they both play an important role in the global Agile community.