The universe of Agile project management certifications is truly mind blowing. There are at least 27 different designations, with different letters after your name, from three major certifying bodies.
In contrast, doctors, lawyers, and engineers only have one certification body in any location, and you can perform your education and practical requirements anywhere, within certain bounds.
And since the letters after your name give you better job prospects, promotional opportunities, and confidence, it’s hard to understate how important it is.
So how do you decide which one to pursue?
Thankfully, we’ve broken it down for you in this article.
The Full List
Firstly, I will provide the full list of Agile certifications, and then we will break it down into more detailed descriptions of each. Here is the full list:
Project Management Institute (PMI)
- PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner)
- Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM)
- Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM)
- Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC)
- Disciplined Agile Coach (DAC)
Scrum.org
- Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
- Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO)
- Professional Scrum Developer (PSD)
- Scaled Professional Scrum (SPS)
- Professional Agile Leadership (PAL)
- Professional Agile Leadership – Evidence Based Management (PAL-EBM)
- Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK)
- Professional Scrum with User Experience (PSU)
ScrumAlliance.org
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
- Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM)
- Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP-SM)
- Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
- Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (A-CSPO)
- Certified Scrum Professional – Product Owner (CSP-PO)
- Certified Scrum Developer (CSD)
- Advanced Certified Scrum Developer (A-CSD)
- Certified Scrum Professional for Developers (CSP-D)
- Certified Agile Leadership Essentials (CAL-E)
- Certified Agile Leadership for Teams (CAL-T)
- Certified Agile Leadership for Organizations (CAL-O)
- Certified Team Coach (CAC)
- Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC)
- Certified Scrum Trainer (CST)
Other
- SAFe 4 Agilist (Scaled Agile Inc.)
- Kanban Management Professional (Kanban University)
For Beginners
But before I launch into the details, a quick word for people who have never been agile certified. If you are starting out with your first certification, you can ignore many on the list right away.
The beginner certifications are:
| Organization | Beginner certification courses |
|---|---|
| Scrum.org | Professional Scrum Master (PSM) Professional Scrum Developer (PSD) Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) |
| ScrumAlliance.org | Certified Scrum Master (CSM) Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) |
| PMI | Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM) Agile Certified Practioner (PMI-ACP) |
As you can see, the two main agile-specific certification bodies, Scrum.org and ScrumAlliance.org, each require you to decide which of the three scrum roles you’d like to be certified for: Scrum Master, Scrum Developer, or Product Owner. The Project Management Institute, on the other hand has only one stream, starting with the DASM, and the PMI-ACP is a general knowledge, legacy designation with no further designations in series after it.
Certification by the Project Management Institute
PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Contact hours of agile training | 12 months general project management within the last 5 years, and 8 months agile experience within the last 3 years | US$495 |
This original Agile certification from the PMI is a very general one, teaching you the basic knowledge of agile methodology and the most common agile frameworks. It is oriented towards project team members with relatively minor project experience requirements, but an aspiring future scrum master or product owner would benefit it having this designation.
Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Days from a PMI-certified partner, or approx. 14 hrs online | None | US$499 |
This entry level certification is orientated toward people already, or who would like to, work on agile teams. It applies to all three scrum roles: Scrum master, product owner, and project team. There is no experience requirement and the training is a basic two day intensive seminar or an online course totalling approximately 14 hours. Aspiring agile practitioners should generally consider the DASM over the PMI-ACP (the older and more general certification) because there is more future potential. It’s the first out of PMI’s three-level Disciplined Agile series of certifications.
Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Days from a PMI-certified partner, or 6-8 hours online | DASM 2 years in agile teams, preferably in a leadership role | US$499 |
After two years working in an agile role, the DASSM is the second (out of three) step after the DASM. It provides certification that is more advanced than the DASM, providing training that focuses on optimizing how teams work, working with allies within the organization, and solving a variety of advanced problems.
Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Days from a PMI-certified partner | DASSM 3 years of agile experience | Approx. US$2,000 |
After DASSM certification, the third level of PMI’s Disciplined Agile certification system requires you to specialize into the more practical (DAVSC) or the more general (DAC). The DAVSC is the practical side, focusing on leading transformational change in organizations via agile projects. DAVSC provides a combination of Lean, Flow, Theory of Constraints, and Organizational Development theory and practices. It teaches you to use value stream management to create tailored approaches for organizations to provide value to their customers.
Disciplined Agile Coach (DAC)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Days from a PMI-certified partner | DASSM 3 years of agile coaching experience | Approx. US$2,000 |
After DASSM certification, the third level of PMI’s Disciplined Agile certification system requires you to specialize into the more practical (DAVSC) or the more general (DAC). The DAC is on the more general side, focusing on coaching others within the organization to create change via agile projects. The DAC teaches you how to apply and optimize Disciplined Agile practices across the enterprise and agile project teams.
Certification from Scrum.org
Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Day course from Scrum.org (or approved equivalent) | None | US$200 |
The first level of scrum certification from Scrum.org is divided into the three main roles (scrum master, scrum developer, and product owner), and the PSM is the first of the three. It is equivalent to a DASM from the PMI (with the exception of specialization into the scrum master role) and demonstrates a knowledge of how to build complex software products using scrum. The 3 day course covers the application of the scrum framework, self-managing teams, and stakeholder management.
Professional Scrum Developer (PSD)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Day course from Scrum.org (or approved equivalent) | None | US$200 |
The first level of scrum certification from Scrum.org is divided into the three main roles (scrum master, scrum developer, and product owner), and the PSD is the second of the three. It is equivalent to a DASM from the PMI (with the exception of specialization into the scrum developer role) and demonstrates a knowledge of how to build complex software products using scrum. The 3 day course covers the application of the scrum framework, self-managing teams, and stakeholder management.
Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Day course from Scrum.org (or approved equivalent) | None | US$200 |
The first level of scrum certification from Scrum.org is divided into the three main roles (scrum master, scrum developer, and product owner), and the PSPO is the third of the three. It is equivalent to a DASM from the PMI (with the exception of specialization into the scrum product owner role) and demonstrates a knowledge of how to build complex software products using scrum. The 3 day course covers the application of the scrum framework, self-managing teams, and stakeholder management.
Scaled Professional Scrum (SPS)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Day course from Scrum.org (or approved equivalent) | None | US$250 |
This certification from Scrum.org demonstrates knowledge of the Nexus framework for scaling scrum to large projects containing multiple teams working on interdependent software development. Although there are no prerequisites, a first-level scrum certification is a good idea.
Professional Agile Leadership (PAL)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Day course from Scrum.org (or approved equivalent) | None | US$250 |
This second-level certification from Scrum.org builds on first-level PSM, PSD, and PSPO. It offers a focus on leadership, that is, supporting and promoting agility within the organization and multiple teams. As with all Scrum.org certifications, there are no prerequisites. But the first level certifications provide a foundation, and the second level certifications provide a specialization into various components of agile project management.
Professional Agile Leadership – Evidence Based Management (PAL-EBM)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Suggested resources (reading) | None | US$200 |
This second-level certification from Scrum.org builds on first-level PSM, PSD, and PSPO. It offers a focus on evidence based management, giving you skills to measure, manage, and increase the value derived from product development. As with all Scrum.org certifications, there are no prerequisites. But the first level certifications provide a foundation, and the second level certifications provide a specialization into various components of agile project management.
Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Day course from Scrum.org (or approved equivalent) | None | US$200 |
This second-level certification from Scrum.org builds on first-level PSM, PSD, and PSPO. It offers a focus on kanban, a method for optimizing the flow of work through project teams. As with all Scrum.org certifications, there are no prerequisites. But the first level certifications provide a foundation, and the second level certifications provide a specialization into various components of agile project management.
Professional Scrum with User Experience (PSU)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Day course from Scrum.org (or approved equivalent) | None | US$200 |
This second-level certification from Scrum.org builds on first-level PSM, PSD, and PSPO. It offers a focus on user experience, for people that are interested in design and optimization of user experience in software. As with all Scrum.org certifications, there are no prerequisites. But the first level certifications provide a foundation, and the second level certifications provide a specialization into various components of agile project management.
Certification from the Scrum Alliance
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Day course from a ScrumAlliance.org approved partner | None | US$445 |
This first level certification from the Scrum Alliance is one of three first level certifications (CSM, CSD, and CSPO) that provide knowledge of the scrum framework for agile project management. If focuses on the Scrum Master role. As well as the general knowledge base of scrum processes, the course focuses on topics such as leading sprint meetings and driving project delivery.
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Day course from a ScrumAlliance.org approved partner | None | US$400 – US$600 |
This first level certification from the Scrum Alliance is one of three first level certifications (CSM, CSD, and CSPO) that provide knowledge of the scrum framework for agile project management. If focuses on the Product Owner role. As well as the general knowledge base of scrum that it provides, the course focuses on topics specific to product owners, such as creating a vision for the product, acceptance testing, and actionable roadmapping.
Certified Scrum Developer (CSD)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Day course from a ScrumAlliance.org approved partner | None | US$800 – US$1,200 |
This first level certification from the Scrum Alliance is one of three first level certifications (CSM, CSD, and CSPO) that provide knowledge of the scrum framework for agile project management. If focuses on the Scrum Developer role. As well as the general knowledge base of scrum that it provides, the course focuses on topics specific to scrum developers, such as tools and techniques required to build good products in the iterative environment that scrum demands.
Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Day course from a ScrumAlliance.org approved partner | None | US$1,000 – US$1,500 |
This second level certification for Scrum Masters builds on the CSM, and provides additional knowledge of scrum practices as well as significant hands on, practical elements that train the student in real world scrum scenarios. Topics include story creation and estimation, servant leadership, and scaling of scrum to larger projects.
Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (A-CSPO)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Day course from a ScrumAlliance.org approved partner | None | US$1,000 – US$1,500 |
This second level certification for Scrum Product Owners builds on the CSPO, and provides additional knowledge of scrum practices as well as significant hands on, practical elements that train the student in real world scrum scenarios. Topics include product vision, sprint and release planning, and dealing with stakeholders.
Advanced Certified Scrum Developer (A-CSD)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Day course from a ScrumAlliance.org approved partner | None | US$1,000 – US$1,500 |
This second level certification for Scrum Developers builds on the CSD, and provides additional knowledge of scrum practices as well as significant hands on, practical elements that train the student in real world scrum scenarios. Topics include backlog prioritization, burndown charts, value estimation, effort estimation, production and test tooling selection, supply chain participation and management, and more.
Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP-SM)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 Day course from a ScrumAlliance.org approved partner | None | US$1,000 – US$1,500 |
This third level certification for Scrum Developers builds on the A-CSM, and provides additional knowledge of scrum practices as well as scrum leadership training that establishes you as a scrum expert in the Scrum Master role. Topics include agile coaching, organizational agility, culture change, and advanced project team management.
Certified Scrum Professional – Product Owner (CSP-PO)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 Day course from a ScrumAlliance.org approved partner | None | US$1,000 – US$1,500 |
This third level certification for Scrum Developers builds on the A-CSPO, and provides additional knowledge of scrum practices as well as scrum leadership training that establishes you as a scrum expert in the Product Owner role. Topics include agile coaching, organizational agility, culture change, and advanced project team management.
Certified Scrum Professional for Developers (CSP-D)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 Day course from a ScrumAlliance.org approved partner | None | US$1,000 – US$1,500 |
This third level certification for Scrum Developers builds on the A-CSD, and provides additional knowledge of scrum practices as well as scrum leadership training that establishes you as a scrum expert in the Product Owner role. Topics include agile coaching, organizational agility, culture change, and advanced project team management.
Certified Agile Leadership (CAL)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3 hours of live instruction with a CAL coach | None | US$2,000 – US$3,000 |
The Scrum Alliance’s Certified Agile Leadership Program is an advanced program for experienced agile practitioners who wish to move into leadership. The student must complete two out of the three CAL I courses (Essentials, Teams, and Organizations), and the CAL II course.
Certified Team Coach (CAC)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| None | CSP-SM or CSP-PO Six references Evaluated by a Scrum Alliance committee | $500/yr |
The Scrum Alliance’s Certified Agile Team Coach Program is an advanced program for experienced agile practitioners who wish to move into a consultant or team supervisory role. There are no courses to take. Rather, the candidate’s experience is evaluated via interviews by a Scrum Alliance committee who determines whether the knowledge and experience of the candidate are suitable for the designation.
Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| None | CSP-SM or CSP-PO Six references Evaluated by a Scrum Alliance committee | $750/yr |
The Scrum Alliance’s Certified Enterprise Coach Program is an advanced program for experienced agile practitioners who wish to move into an organizational leadership role. There are no courses to take. Rather, the candidate’s experience is evaluated via interviews by a Scrum Alliance committee who determines whether the knowledge and experience of the candidate are suitable for the designation.
Certified Scrum Trainer (CST)
| Education | Experience | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| None | CSP-SM or CSP-PO Six references Evaluated by a Scrum Alliance committee | $750/yr |
The Scrum Alliance’s Certified Enterprise Coach Program is an advanced program for experienced agile practitioners who wish to move into a training role for scrum and agile project management. There are no courses to take. Rather, the candidate’s experience is evaluated via interviews by a Scrum Alliance committee who determines whether the knowledge and experience of the candidate are suitable for the designation.