Agile Workflows

• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
• Certified SAFe Agilist (SA)
• Certified SAFe Product Owner and Product Manager (SAFe POPM)
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
• Certified Professional Scrum Master (PSM 1)
• Certified Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO 1)

• Certification: Certified ScrumMaster
• Abbreviation for certification: CSM
• Governing organization – name: Scrum Alliance
• Governing organization – website: https://www.scrumalliance.org
• Short description of certification: Validates a solid understanding of Scrum including practical ways to apply it on one’s team and organization
• Exam – prerequisites: Completion of a two-day course by an authorized trainer
• Exam – cost: Course (referenced above) includes the cost of the exam. Cost ranges from about $500 to $1,200 depending on the location, delivery format (in-person or online), provider, and other factors
• Exam – delivery: Online
• Exam – number of questions: 50
• Exam – time to complete: 1 hour
• Exam – pass rate (minimum % that must be correct to pass exam): 74%
• Credential expiration: 2 years
• Credential renewal – required continuing education units (CEUs) or professional development units (PDUs) or Scrum educational units (SEUs): 20 SEUs
• Credential renewal – cost: $100

• Certification: Certified Scrum Product Owner
• Abbreviation for certification: CSPO
• Governing organization – name: Scrum Alliance
• Governing organization – website: https://www.scrumalliance.org
• Short description of certification: Demonstrates a deep understanding of Scrum principles and practices, as well as the role and responsibilities of a Product Owner in the Scrum framework
• Exam – prerequisites: Certification is awarded after the successful completion of the required two-day course delivered by an authorized trainer (there is not a separate exam)
• Exam – cost: Certification is awarded after the successful completion of the required two-day course delivered by an authorized trainer (there is not a separate exam); course cost ranges from about $500 to $1,200 depending on the location, delivery format (in-person or online), provider, and other factors
• Exam – delivery: Certification is awarded after the successful completion of the required two-day course delivered by an authorized trainer (there is not a separate exam)
• Exam – number of questions: Certification is awarded after the successful completion of the required two-day course delivered by an authorized trainer (there is not a separate exam)
• Exam – time to complete: Certification is awarded after the successful completion of the required two-day course delivered by an authorized trainer (there is not a separate exam)
• Exam – pass rate (minimum % that must be correct to pass exam): Certification is awarded after the successful completion of the required two-day course delivered by an authorized trainer (there is not a separate exam)
• Credential expiration: 2 years
• Credential renewal – required continuing education units (CEUs) or professional development units (PDUs) or Scrum educational units (SEUs): 20 SEUs
• Credential renewal – cost: $100

• Certification: Certified SAFe Agilist
• Abbreviation for certification: SA
• Governing organization – name: Scaled Agile
• Governing organization – website: https://scaledagile.com
• Short description of certification: Demonstrates knowledge of how to: establish Team and Technical Agility and organize around the flow of value; align organizations around clear, common objectives; participate successfully in SAFe events; and adopt a customer-centric mindset
• Exam – prerequisites: Completion of a two-day course by an authorized trainer
• Exam – cost: Course (referenced above) includes the cost of the exam. Cost ranges from about $500 to $1,200 depending on the location, delivery format (in-person or online), provider, and other factors
• Exam – delivery: Online
• Exam – number of questions: 45
• Exam – time to complete: 1.5 hours
• Exam – pass rate (minimum % that must be correct to pass exam): 80%
• Credential expiration: 1 year
• Credential renewal – required continuing education units (CEUs) or professional development units (PDUs) or Scrum educational units (SEUs): 10 PDUs
• Credential renewal – cost: $100

• Certification: Certified SAFe Product Owner and Product Manager
• Abbreviation for certification: SAFe POPM
• Governing organization – name: Scaled Agile
• Governing organization – website: https://scaledagile.com
• Short description of certification: Demonstrates knowledge of how to: perform the role of a Product Owner (PO) and a Product Manager (PM); put the customer at the center of the design, build, and test process; prepare for and lead Program Increment (PI) Planning; decompose Epics to Features, and Features to Stories; and collaborate with Agile teams to forecast work
• Exam – prerequisites: Completion of a two-day course by an authorized trainer
• Exam – cost: Course (referenced above) includes the cost of the exam. Cost ranges from about $500 to $1,200 depending on the location, delivery format (in-person or online), provider, and other factors
• Exam – delivery: Online
• Exam – number of questions: 45
• Exam – time to complete: 1.5 hours
• Exam – pass rate (minimum % that must be correct to pass exam): 80%
• Credential expiration: 1 year
• Credential renewal – required continuing education units (CEUs) or professional development units (PDUs) or Scrum educational units (SEUs): 10 PDUs
• Credential renewal – cost: $100

• Certification: PMI Agile Certified Practitioner
• Abbreviation for certification: PMI-ACP
• Governing organization – name: Project Management Institute (PMI)
• Governing organization – website: https://www.pmi.org
• Short description of certification: Demonstrates knowledge of the PMI's standardization of Agile across multiple methodologies (such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean)
• Exam – prerequisites: 2,000 hours of project management experience; 1,500 hours of Agile experience; and 21 hours of training in Agile
• Exam – cost: $435 for members of the PMI, $495 for those not a member of the PMI
• Exam – delivery: In-person in an assessment center
• Exam – number of questions: 120
• Exam – time to complete: 3 hours
• Exam – pass rate (minimum % that must be correct to pass exam): Passing score is not disclosed (it is estimated to be 80%)
• Credential expiration: 3 years
• Credential renewal – required continuing education units (CEUs) or professional development units (PDUs) or Scrum educational units (SEUs): 30 PDUs
• Credential renewal – cost: $60 for PMI members, $150 for those not members of the PMI

• Certification: Certified Professional Scrum Master
• Abbreviation for certification: PSM 1
• Governing organization – name: Scrum.org
• Governing organization – website: https://www.scrum.org
• Short description of certification: Validates knowledge of the Scrum framework, the Scrum Master accountabilities, and how to apply Scrum
• Exam – prerequisites: A course is recommended but not required
• Exam – cost: $150
• Exam – delivery: Online
• Exam – number of questions: 80
• Exam – time to complete: 1 hour
• Exam – pass rate (minimum % that must be correct to pass exam): 85%
• Credential expiration: Certification does not expire
• Credential renewal – required continuing education units (CEUs) or professional development units (PDUs) or Scrum educational units (SEUs): Not applicable
• Credential renewal – cost: Not applicable as certification does not expire

• Certification: Certified Professional Scrum Product Owner
• Abbreviation for certification: PSPO 1
• Governing organization – name: Scrum.org
• Governing organization – website: https://www.scrum.org
• Short description of certification: Validates knowledge of the Scrum framework and one’s ability to support and enable value creation and delivery
• Exam – prerequisites: A course is recommended but not required
• Exam – cost: $200
• Exam – delivery: Online
• Exam – number of questions: 80
• Exam – time to complete: 1 hour
• Exam – pass rate (minimum % that must be correct to pass exam): 85%
• Credential expiration: Certification does not expire
• Credential renewal – required continuing education units (CEUs) or professional development units (PDUs) or Scrum educational units (SEUs): Not applicable
• Credential renewal – cost: Not applicable as certification does not expire

1. CIO (2022, October 4). Top 16 Agile Certifications Available Today. Available at: https://www.cio.com/article/230223/7-agile-certifications-to-take-your-career-to-the-next-level.html.
2. Forbes (2023, March 22). Five Agile Certifications for Project Management Professionals. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/best-agile-certifications.
3. Indeed (2022, December 12). Twelve Valuable Agile Certifications to Advance Your Career. Available at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/agile-certifications.
4. Monday.com (2023, March 26). Agile Project Management Certification: A Complete Guide. Available at: https://monday.com/blog/project-management/agile-project-management-certification.
5. LogicMonitor (2022, June 5). Best Agile Certifications for IT Professionals in 2022. Available at: https://www.logicmonitor.com/blog/best-agile-certifications-for-it-professionals-in-2022.
6. BMC (2020, August 17). Top Agile Certifications. Available at: https://www.bmc.com/blogs/agile-certifications.
7. LeanWisdom (2022, September 9). The List of Best Agile Certifications in 2022. Available at: https://www.leanwisdom.com/blog/the-list-of-best-agile-certification.

• Twitter,
• Facebook, and
• LinkedIn.

• Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
• Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
• Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.

• 🇦🇺 Australia
• 🇦🇹 Austria
• 🇧🇪 Belgium
• 🇧🇷 Brazil
• 🇨🇦 Canada
• 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
• 🇩🇰 Denmark
• 🇫🇮 Finland
• 🇫🇷 France
• 🇩🇪 Germany
• 🇬🇷 Greece
• 🇭🇺 Hungary
• 🇮🇳 India
• 🇮🇪 Ireland
• 🇮🇱 Israel
• 🇮🇹 Italy
• 🇯🇵 Japan
• 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
• 🇲🇽 Mexico
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands
• 🇳🇿 New Zealand
• 🇳🇴 Norway
• 🇪🇸 Spain
• 🇸🇪 Sweden
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland
• 🇦🇪 UAE
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
• 🇺🇸 United States
• 🌏 More countries

• 🇦🇺 Australia
• 🇦🇹 Austria
• 🇧🇷 Brazil
• 🇨🇦 Canada
• 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
• 🇩🇰 Denmark
• 🇫🇮 Finland
• 🇫🇷 France
• 🇩🇪 Germany
• 🇬🇷 Greece
• 🇮🇳 India
• 🇮🇪 Ireland
• 🇯🇵 Japan
• 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
• 🇲🇽 Mexico
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands
• 🇳🇿 New Zealand
• 🇪🇸 Spain
• 🇸🇪 Sweden
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland
• 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
• 🇺🇸 United States
• 🌏 More countries

• Facebook,
• Twitter,
• LinkedIn,
• Instagram, and
• Pinterest.

Tags: #Agile • #Agility • #BusinessAgility • #CIO • #CSM • #Indeed • #CSPO • #Forbes • #PMIACP • #POPM • #PSM • #PSPO • #SA • #ScaledAgile • #SAFe • #SAFePOPM • #ScrumMaster • #AgileScrumGuide • #ExceptionalAgility • #TopAgileCertifications • #ScrumAlliance • #ProductOwner • #PMIAgileCertifiedPractitioner • #MondayCom • #PMI • #CertifiedScrumProductOwner • #CertifiedScrumMaster • #CertifiedSAFeAgilist • #AgileCertifications • #AgileProjectManagement

Agile Workflows

• Zappos: Zappos revolutionized the online shoe market by focusing on customer-centricity and rapid experimentation. Their MVP allowed them to validate their hypothesis, gather customer feedback, and iterate their offering to create a seamless and personalized shopping experience. Zappos is a prime example of the power of MVPs.
• Spotify: Global music streaming platform Spotify started as a simple streaming service MVP and they and continuously improved and expanded it based on customer feedback. By iterating their product, Spotify became a household name. Their MVP-driven approach ensured a product-market fit and helped them stay ahead in a competitive industry.
• Airbnb: Airbnb's success story speaks to the effectiveness of MVPs in validating an idea and subsequently scaling it to a global marketplace. Airbnb's founders started by testing their marketplace concept using an MVP strategy. By leveraging existing resources and validating demand through early adopters, they gained critical insights that shaped their platform's evolution. Today, Airbnb is a household name, offering unique accommodations worldwide.
• Facebook: Facebook's journey from a simple MVP to the world's largest social network demonstrates the power of incremental growth and user feedback. Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes initially created a minimal profile-based social networking MVP (initially called "Thefacebook"), focusing on connecting people at Harvard. Through continuous iterations and the addition of features based on user needs and feedback, Facebook reshaped the social media landscape, connecting billions of people globally.
• Amazon: E-commerce giant Amazon is renowned for its relentless focus on customer experience. They started with an MVP approach, catering to customers' fundamental needs related to books, and subsequently expanded into new product categories incrementally. By prioritizing customer satisfaction, Amazon established itself as a trusted and innovative marketplace, continuously raising the bar for online shopping.
• Dropbox: Dropbox, a prominent player in the cloud storage market, kick-started its journey with a basic file-syncing MVP. By offering a simple yet essential solution to the problem of file synchronization across devices, Dropbox gained traction and valuable user insights. They leveraged this feedback to iterate and improve their product, eventually becoming a leader in the highly competitive cloud storage industry.
• Groupon: Popular online deals platform Groupon employed an MVP approach by testing deal offerings on a WordPress blog. That allowed them to validate market interest and adjust their strategy based on customer responses. By embracing the importance of market validation and adaptability, Groupon transformed into a global leader, providing users with discounted offers across various categories.

• Airbnb (n.d.). About Airbnb. Available at: https://news.airbnb.com/about-us.
• Blank, Steve (2020). The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
• Cagan, Marty (2012, March 7). Viable Product vs. Minimal Product. Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG). Available at: https://www.svpg.com/viable-product-vs-minimal-product.
• CB Insights (2021, August 3). The Top 12 Reasons Startups Fail. CB Insights Research. Available at: https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/startup-failure-reasons-top.
• Davenport, Thomas H., & Seseri, Rudina (2020, December 15). What is a Minimum Viable AI Product? MIT Sloan Management Review. Available at: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/what-is-a-minimum-viable-ai-product.
• Dropbox (n.d.). About the Company. Available at: https://www.dropbox.com/about.
• Furr, Nathan, & Dyer, Jeff (2014). The Innovator's Method: Bringing the Lean Start-up into Your Organization. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press.
• Graffius, Scott M. (2016). Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace.
• Graffius, Scott M. (2018, October 4). Agile Scrum Helps Innovators, Disruptors, and Entrepreneurs Develop and Deliver Products at Astounding Speed Which Drives Competitive Advantage [Presentation]. Talk delivered to an audience of startups and others in the entrepreneurial community at the Techstars Startup Week Conference at The Box Theater, Riverside, California, United States. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.25009.12647. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.25009.12647.
• Graffius, Scott M. (2021, February 27). Are You Realizing All the Benefits from Agile? [Presentation]. Talk delivered to an audience involved or interested in Technology at the Scottish Summit 2021 Technology Conference based from Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.17273.90728. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.17273.90728.
• Graffius, Scott M. (2023, May 1). Fueling the Development of Innovative and Life-Changing AI Solutions [Presentation]. Talk delivered to an audience of Technology professionals (including Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, Data Engineers, AI Researchers, Project Managers, Business Analysts, UX Designers, Software Developers, Cloud Architects, Data Privacy and Security Specialists, and others involved or interested in AI) at a private event in Mountain View, California, United States. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.27956.73601. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27956.73601.
• Groupon (2013, July 30). The History of Groupon. Available at: https://www.groupon.com/merchant/working-with-groupon/groupon-news/the-history-of-groupon.
• Harvard Business School (2021). MVP Development. Available at: https://entrepreneurship.hbs.edu/Documents/Session%20Summary/HBSRockMVPDevelopment.pdf.
• Krishnamurthy, Rajeshwari (2021, January 29). Why is Agile Product Development Process So Popular? Product Development & Management Association (PDMA). Available at: https://community.pdma.org/knowledgehub/bok/product-innovation-process/why-is-agile-product-development-process-so-popular.
• Lenarduzzi, Valentina, & Taibi, Davide (2016, August). MVP Explained: A Systematic Mapping Study on the Definitions of Minimal Viable Product. Proceedings from the 2016 42nd Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications (SEAA): 112–119.
• Merryweather, Ellen (2023, January 9). Product-Led Growth Strategy for Product Managers. Product School. Available at: https://productschool.com/blog/product-strategy/product-led-growth-strategy.
• Meta (n.d.). About Meta. Available at: https://about.meta.com/company-info.
• Miski, A. (2014). Development of a Mobile Application Using the Lean Startup Methodology. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 5 (1): 1743-1748.
• Moogk, Dobrila R. (2012, March). Minimum Viable Product and the Importance of Experimentation in Technology Startups. Technology Innovation and Management Review. Available at: https://timreview.ca/article/535.
• Olsen, Dan (2015). The Lean Product Playbook: How to Innovate with Minimum Viable Products and Rapid Customer Feedback. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
• Osterwalder, Alexander, & Pigneur, Yves (2010). Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
• Project Management Institute (n.d.). Minimum Business Increments (MBIs). Available at: https://www.pmi.org/disciplined-agile/da-flex-toc/minimum-business-increments.
• Putten, Alexander B. van, & MacMillan, Ian (2004, December). Making Real Options Really Work. Harvard Business Review, 82 (12): 134-141, 150.
• Ries, Eric (2011). The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. New York, New York: Penguin Random House.
• Scaled Agile (n.d.). Applied Innovation Accounting in SAFe. Available at: https://scaledagileframework.com/guidance-applied-innovation-accounting-in-safe.
• Spotify (n.d.). About Spotify. Available at: https://newsroom.spotify.com/company-info.
• Templeton, Chuck (2014, December 9). 10 Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Learn. Fortune. Available at: https://fortune.com/2014/12/09/10-lessons-every-entrepreneur-should-learn.
• Thomsen, Dave (2013, December 20). Why Human-Centered Design Matters. Wired. Available at: https://www.wired.com/insights/2013/12/human-centered-design-matters.
• Umbreen, J., Mirza, Muhammad Z., Ahmad, Yasir, & Naseem, Afshan. (2022, December). Assessing the Role of Minimum Viable Products in Digital Startups. Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM): 1073-1077.
• Wikipedia (n.d.). History of Amazon. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Amazon.
• Zappos (n.d.). About Zappos. Available at: https://www.zappos.com/marty/c/about-zappos.

• Twitter,
• Facebook, and
• LinkedIn.

• Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
• Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
• Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.

• 🇦🇺 Australia
• 🇦🇹 Austria
• 🇧🇪 Belgium
• 🇧🇷 Brazil
• 🇨🇦 Canada
• 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
• 🇩🇰 Denmark
• 🇫🇮 Finland
• 🇫🇷 France
• 🇩🇪 Germany
• 🇬🇷 Greece
• 🇭🇺 Hungary
• 🇮🇳 India
• 🇮🇪 Ireland
• 🇮🇱 Israel
• 🇮🇹 Italy
• 🇯🇵 Japan
• 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
• 🇲🇽 Mexico
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands
• 🇳🇿 New Zealand
• 🇳🇴 Norway
• 🇪🇸 Spain
• 🇸🇪 Sweden
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland
• 🇦🇪 UAE
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
• 🇺🇸 United States
• 🌏 More countries

• 🇦🇺 Australia
• 🇦🇹 Austria
• 🇧🇷 Brazil
• 🇨🇦 Canada
• 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
• 🇩🇰 Denmark
• 🇫🇮 Finland
• 🇫🇷 France
• 🇩🇪 Germany
• 🇬🇷 Greece
• 🇮🇳 India
• 🇮🇪 Ireland
• 🇯🇵 Japan
• 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
• 🇲🇽 Mexico
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands
• 🇳🇿 New Zealand
• 🇪🇸 Spain
• 🇸🇪 Sweden
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland
• 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
• 🇺🇸 United States
• 🌏 More countries

• Facebook,
• Twitter,
• LinkedIn,
• Instagram, and
• Pinterest.

Tags: #Agile • #AgileCoach • #Agility • #Innovation • #GoToMarket • #Lean • #IterativeProcess • #ProductManager • #ProductOwner • #ProductPivot • #Prototype • #Airbnb • #AgileScrumGuide • #Technology • #PMI • #Facebook • #Meta • #Zappos • #Spotify • #IEEE • #HBR • #MIT • #ScaledAgile • #HarvardBusinessReview • #ProjectManagementInstitute • #Dropbox • #Groupon • #UserFeedback • #UserExperience • #ScrumMaster • #Startup • #ProductValidation • #ProductTesting • #ProductSuccess • #ProductManagement • #ProductIteration • #ProductInnovation • #ProductDevelopment • #LeanProduct • #MVP • #MinimumViableProduct • #MarketResearch • #LeanStartup • #Entrepreneurship • #CustomerValidation • #EarlyAdopters