Frequent questions - Academic certifications

• Scrum Manager Academic Certification Framework

  The areas of knowledge for which you have been trained or in which you have recognized professional experience are shown by academic or professional credentials.
  
  This information is complemented with the number of APs (Authority Points) that reflect the level of training received, according to the number of courses taken, their duration and objectivity in evaluating achievement.

  APs

  Levels of academic knowledge based on APs (Authority Points):

  1. Technician < 100 APs. It credits the knowledge to conduct a reliable professional performacen in projects managed using a scrum framework.
  2. Expert < 200 APs. It credits the additional knowledge of flexibility in implementing and working with agile techniques.
  3. Authority => 200 APAs. It credits an advanced and specialized knowledge in agile management practices and frameworks, proportional to the certified level.

   

  

   

  Academic credentials

  Core

  Core I: Scrum Master Scrum Manager has contrasted with a test that the holder has the necessary training to understand or manage the factors that create agile teams.	Core II: Scrum Level Scrum Manager has been contrasted with an exam that the holder has the necessary training to understand and manage the deployment of agility in an organization

  Complementary

  The complementary credentials inform that the holder has taken courses that broaden the general knowledge of agile management or its specialization in specific professional areas, such as product design, management, marketing, people and talent management, kanban, etc.
  
  The courses that incorporate these credentials are approved by Scrum Manager, who audits their quality on an ongoing basis.
   

  

   

  Update information

  Academic credentials expire after 5 years without any training or exams to confirm that the holder keeps the professional knowledge up to date.

  The level of APs reflects the level of training contrasted in the Scrum Manager certification framework: On the one hand, they increase as the APs of the different exams and training activities are added up, and on the other hand, it decreases over time (20% annually).
   

  

• What are the Scrum Manager academic certifications, and how can I obtain them?

  Core certifications

   

  	Scrum Master The basics of working in an agile team and performing the functions of a scrum master.
  	Scrum Level More advanced theory for agility to embrace the entire organization.

   

  
  Advanced and specialization certifications

  Correspond to courses offered by Scrum Manager authorized and approved centers to deepen the development of agility in specific areas: management, people management, marketing, programming, product owner, etc.
  
  Centers that provide:

  • Core courses.
    • Scrum Master.
    • Scrum Level.
  • Specialization areas.
    • Agile Coach.
    • Agile Foundation.
    • Agile Leadership.
    • Agile Programming.
    • Agile Sales & Marketing.
    • Agile Scaling.
    • Kanban.
    • Lean.
    • Product Owner.

  
  *See "How do I obtain the Agile Coach academic certification?"
• How do I obtain the Agile Coach academic certification?

  The Agile Coaching academic certification is acquired passing the specific Agile Coaching course of an approved Scrum Manager center; or acquiring the Agile Coach professional certification.

• How can I maintain or increase my approval or certification level?

  Scrum Manager's approval and certification include a number of APs (Authority Points) that reflect the academic level that has been reached and maintained by the holder of the certificate by the time it wasprinted.

  Scrum Manager's certification reflects the obsolescence of knowledge with the pass of time when it is not renewed or exercised, by decreasing the amount of APs by 20% every year.

  These are the activities to maintain or increase the amount of APs:
   

  1.- Maintenance of the PDAs corresponding to core knowledge through examination

  By taking the exam on the syllabus for the level of PDAs that you want to maintain or recover:

  • Core course I: Scrum Master, 150 APs.
  • Core course II: Scrum Level, 75 APs.

  
  The exams can be taken at the Open Knowledge platform or in an official training centre.

  Important

  • Repeating an exam in less than 2 years does not add APs.
  • In less than two years: it does not increase the evaluation level.
  • In less than four years and more than two: it adds 50% of the fixed amount of points for that exam (it means recovering the same % lost during that period of time).
  • If the course was done more than 4 years ago, the full amount of points are added (recovering the % lost during that period of time).

   

  2.- Maintenance or increase of APs by training or research activities

   

  	Description	APs	How to add them to the certification
  "Type A" Activities	Courses and activities for specialization and complementary education, offered by training centres of Scrum Manager.	The ones indicated in the descripcion of each course.	If the course is monitored and the identity of the student is checked, it grants the level of certification, regardless of whether the student had previously taken the core course.
  "Type B" Activities	Other courses and complementary activities for professional training about agile management for projects, people or organizations*.	On-site courses: 1 AP for each hour of course duration. Online courses: 1/3 APs for each hour of study estimated in the course's description.	Through the online form in the member area.
  Others	Personal and professional work (posts, academic articles, publications, presentations) focused on spreading or reseaching agile management for projects, organizations or teams.	Assessed individually based on topic, extension, originality and rigour.	Through the online form in the member area.

   

  

  
  (*) In order to request an increase of authority level, the specialization course must have been taken during the year before the request. Valid courses include those about project agile management, organization agile management, kanban, lean, and agile programming techniques. The maximum amount of APs granted for "Type B" courses and activities is 30 APs per year.

• Why has my certification level decreased?

  The speed at which knowledge evolves quickly outpaces the knowledge acquired.
  
  The Scrum Manager academic certification reflects this reality with a 20% annual decrease in Authority Points (APs).
  
  Thus, for example, the certification of 100 PDAs maintains this level during the first year, and once this year has passed, from January of the following year it is updated to 80 APs, and so on a recurring basis each year.

  Related information: How can I maintain or increase my approval or certification level?

• Do I have to renew my certification or approval?

  The Scrum Manager academic certification reflects the out-of-date nature of certified academic records: 

  • PDAs: the Authority Points acquired in the different courses taken decrease by 20% each year.
  • Academic Credentials: the academic credentials of the certified subjects (Scrum Master, Scrum Level, Product Owner, etc) are valid for 5 years, from the last course taken with that credential.

  
  The Scrum Manager professional certification accredits the validity of the certified professional activity through the annual renewal that the holder must carry out and that verifies the maintenance of academic knowledge and professional activity with a high degree of recognition, reflected in the ratings received (>8).
  
  Related information: How can I maintain or increase my Authority Points (APs)?

• Which are the diplomas available to accredit curricular information: course attendance, certification, PDA level or grades obtained?

  Of courses and exams*

  Diploma of attendance

  It confirms attendance at the diploma training activity.
   

  
   

   

  Academic certification diploma 

  It confirms that the holder has demonstrated the achievement of the course or exam he/she has attended, achieving the corresponding level of APs (Authority Points).
  
  This type of diploma corresponds to tests in which the identity of the student is verified and the completion of the exam or evaluation activities is supervised in person or by videoconference.
   

  
   

  Complete information

  General certificate

  It summarizes the Scrum Manager training: areas of knowledge and academic level evaluated.
   

  

   

  Grades certificate

  Details the training activities carried out, indicating whether they have been supervised or not, the number of PDAs for each one and the grade obtained if the evaluation criterion is an exam.
   

  

   

  (*) The difference in background color between the attendance, accreditation and certification diplomas is present on diplomas dated after September 5, 2021.
• How to download the Scrum Manager certification?

  From the "Diplomas" section of the members area you can download the Scrum Manger certification certificate, and also the diplomas of the courses taken, with the number of PDAs of each course, or the certification of attendance if you had not completed the exam, or you would not have passed it.

  

• How can I add my Scrum Manager certification to my LinkedIn profile?

  In order to add your certification to LinkedIn, select "Add certification" when editing your profile and enter the following information:

  • Certification name: Scrum Manager.
  • Certification authority: Scrum Manager.
  • License number: the number on your certificate.

   

  Scrum Manager’s certification keeps the amount of Authority Points and certified fields of knowledge for each student updated on their professional profile. Keeping this in mind, enter the following information on the remaining fields:

  • Time period: from your registration date on Scrum Manager.
  • Mark “This certification does not expire".
  • Certification URL: URL of your professional profile at scrummanager.com.

   

  

• What is the maximum possible APs level?
  The Authority Points (APs) reflect the measure of academic knowledge demonstrated, framed in three levels: Essential or technical if the number of PDAs accumulated by training activities reaches a maximum of 100, professional if it is in a range of up to 200 and authority when it is greater than 200.
  
  The scale limit is 350 points and higher levels are not contemplated as they are outside the tabulation objective for professional categorization purposes.
  
  For this reason, once the 350 authority points are exceeded, the academic information displayed does not go beyond 350+.
  
  Internally, the system counts up to 400 PDAs, so that in the event of exceeding the scale fund of 350, this level is not reduced by the 10% annual reduction process that reflects the obsolescence of non-updated knowledge, thus offering a sufficient margin of time to maintain the maximum level.

   

  
• What

  Accreditations were obtained by taking an official online exam, without student identification or supervision during the test. However, they are no longer available.

  Self-training courses, which are still available on Scrum Manager Open Knowledge, no longer provide accreditation diplomas but rather attendance diplomas.

  This change helps to avoid confusion with certification diplomas, which require a supervised exam and verification of the student's identity. These certificates can be obtained through authorized centers.
   

  Additional Information
  Academic Certification Framework | Scrum Manager Academic Certifications