What is a Certified Scrum Coach?

We described the CSC program and answered questions. Then one coach, Martin Kearns, gave an example of how he appplied some of his coaching knowledge and skills to particular cases of improving team performance.

Background

Theory level certifications: CSM and CSPO

Practice Level certifications: CSP

Guid Level certifications: CSC and CST

What?

A CSC is

• consultant (solves the problem for the client)
• trainer (helps to learn principles, practices and skills)
• coach (helps client find their own solutions - and sometimes problems)
• mentor (guides individuals of teams to improve)

Scope

• individual
• team
• organization
• community

Domains

• Scrum
• Agile
• Organizational Change
• Lean

Why?

Certify to

• promote Scrum quality
• promote coaching quality
• define a reference point (a high one)
• create a community of practice
• provide consistent source of skills and knowledge
• fill a gap that the market was requesting

How?

Certification requires

• knowledge -> application
• skills -> application
• experience -> application, references
• success -> references
• fee -> $750/year
• scrum/agile community involvement -> application

Who?

• internal coach
• external coach
• CSP required
• 15 members and growing
• global community

Benefits

CSC's gain

• knowledgable community
• 'shared IP
• growing recognition in the market
• professional growth

Competencies

CSC's are assessed on

• advice and consultation
• facilitation
• Agile leadership
• organizational development

Other

• 3 year certification
• recertification is based on a PDU model
• assessment is by certified peers (currently)
• program is inspecting and adapting
• CSC group meets weekly to work their program backlog
• assessment process was designed to scale, expecting 10 times more CSCs than CST in future

For details, see http://www.scrumalliance.org/training

Presenter: Roger Brown, CSC