It is true that Agile has revolutionized the industry these days. So you might be looking for a Scrum certification. Or maybe you are a scrum certified professional but you don’t know how to renew the certification and the different ways to earn SEUs. If your case is one or the other, you are reading the right article. Because, here in this article, we will provide insight into Scrum SEU, Scrum Alliance Certifications, different ways to earn Scrum SEU, categories associated with Scrum SEU, how to renew Scrum certification, etc. This will help an individual to understand different aspects of Scrum SEU. And if you already are a certified professional then you will learn how you can renew your Scrum certification easily.

Scrum Alliance

It is the world-renowned, largest and most influential certification organization in the Agile community. This is the most established non-profit organization in the industry and it has been founded in the year 2001. It has certified more than 750,000 practitioners across the globe. This organization provides education, support, and resources to practitioners of Scrum and Agile.

The vision of the Scrum Alliance is to “Transform the World of Work”. Their mission is to guide and inspire individuals, leaders, and organizations with practices, principles, and values that create a joyful, prosperous and sustainable workplace.

Scrum Alliance offers various certifications categorized by Scrum and Agile Practitioner:

1. The first category is the Scrum team role and it offers the following certifications:

a. Scrum Master Track: Certified Scrum Master, Advanced Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Professional- Scrum Master

b. Product Owner Track: Certified Scrum Product Owner, Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner, Certified Scrum Professional- Product Owner

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c. Developer Track: Certified Scrum Developer, Certified Scrum Professional

2. The second category is Guide level certifications: Certified Team Coach, Certified Enterprise Coach, and Certified Scrum Trainer

3. Then the last category is Agile Leadership: Certified Agile Leadership I and Certified Agile Leadership II

Here we will be providing insight into some of the most popular Scrum certifications to help individuals to understand which certification is suitable for respective profile:

1. Scrum Team Role

A) Category: Scrum Master Track

Certified Scrum Master (CSM)

This certification is suitable for those wishing to fulfill the role of Scrum Master or Scrum team member. Once you are a certified Scrum Master, you will gain knowledge of Scrum framework and understanding of team roles, events and artifacts.

Advantages of being a Certified Scrum Master are:

This certification will help the Scrum team to perform at their highest level
You will learn the foundation of Scrum and scope of the role
You can demonstrate the core Scrum knowledge
Further, you can expand your career opportunities across all industry sectors adopting Agile practices
You can engage with Agile practitioners committed to continuous improvement

Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM)

This certification is suitable for Scrum Masters who have one or more years of work experience in that role. Once you are a Scrum Master, the next step in your Agile journey is to achieve Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM) certification.

Advantages of being an Advanced Certified Scrum Master are:

Once you are an Advanced Certified Scrum Master, you will attain foundation knowledge with enhanced implementation skills
This certification can distinguish yourself in the global market
You can stand out in the industry as a member of the globally recognized Scrum Alliance community
Then, you can demonstrate your value to the potential customer as a highly trained Agile professional.
You can learn to facilitate better dialogue between the Product Owner, Scrum Team members, customers, stakeholders, and executives
You can increase engagement to encourage greater accountability, commitment, and buy-in
Furthermore, you can respond confidently when encountering resistance to change, lack of engagement, low motivation, and unavailability of key people

Certified Scrum Professional-Scrum Master (CSP-SM)

This certification is suitable for experts wishing to develop mastery of the Scrum Master track. Once you are a certified Scrum Professional-Scrum Master, you will learn to find practical solutions and improve your implementation of Scrum in the workplace.

Advantages of being a Certified Scrum Professional-Scrum Master are:

You can establish a gateway and milestone toward becoming CST, CEC or CTC
You can attract more recruiters and command a higher rate of pay
Moreover, you can attend exclusive CSP events with other leaders in Scrum and Agile
You will receive a free Premium subscription to the world’s largest Agile assessment and continuous improvement platform ‘Comparative Agility’

B) Category: Product Owner Track

Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)

This certification is suitable for individuals who are closest to the “business side” of the project. Once you are a Certified Scrum Product Owner, you will learn to create the product vision, order the product backlog, and make sure the best possible job is done to make the customer happy.

Advantages of being a Certified Scrum Product Owner are:

You will learn the foundation of the Scrum and the scope of the Product Owner role
You can demonstrate the knowledge of core Scrum
Besides, you can expand your career opportunities across all industry sectors adopting Agile practices
You can engage with Agile practitioners committed to continuous improvement

Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (A-CSPO)

This certification is suitable for product owners who already have one year of experience on a Scrum team. This is the next step after CSPO in your Agile journey.

Advantages of being an Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner are:

You can increase your credibility as a product expert and become recognized as a person who delivers real business results
You can manage multiple business initiatives from competing stakeholders
Also, you can clearly order and express Product Backlog items
You can define a clear product vision that ensures your product remains focused on the features your customers and end-users will actually use
You can communicate effectively with various stakeholders groups to achieve alignment
Moreover, you can define and validate business value
You can identify crucial opportunities and avoid wasting time
You can enhance your fundamental knowledge with implementation skills
Furthermore, you can distinguish yourself in the global market
You can stand out in the industry as a member of the globally recognized Scrum Alliance community
You can demonstrate your value to a potential customer as a highly trained Agile professional.

Certified Scrum Professional-Product Owner (CSP-PO)

This certification is suitable for experts wishing to master the Product Owner track. Once you become Certified Scrum Professional-Product Owner, you will learn to solidify your approaches for validating product assumptions, advanced interactions with customers and users and master advanced Product backlog management.

Advantages of being a Certified Scrum Professional-Product Owner are:

You can establish a gateway and milestone toward becoming CST, CEC or CTC
You can attract more recruiters and command a higher rate of pay
Besides, you can attend exclusive CSP events with other leaders in Scrum and Agile
You will receive a free Premium subscription to the world’s largest Agile assessment and continuous improvement platform ‘Comparative Agility’

C) Category: Developer Track

Certified Scrum Developer (CSD)

This certification is suitable for software developers or programmers who are building software in a Scrum environment. This is an introductory program for software developers. Once you become a Certified Scrum Developer, you will learn the most important tools and techniques needed to build good software in the iterative and incremental fashion that Scrum requires.

Advantages of being a Certified Scrum Developer are:

You can sharpen your skills to become a better practitioner of Scrum and Agile development
You can learn the foundations of Scrum and scope of Certified Scrum Developer role from the best minds in development agility
Besides, you can demonstrate to peers and employers your understanding of core Scrum knowledge
You can expand your career opportunities by staying relevant and marketable across all industry sectors adopting Agile practices
You can engage with a community of recognized Scrum experts who are committed to continuous improvement

Certified Scrum Professional

This certification is an advanced certification suitable for software developers.

Advantages of being a Certified Scrum Professional are:

You can establish a gateway and milestone toward becoming CST, CEC or CTC
You can attract more recruiters and command a higher rate of pay
Further, you can attend exclusive CSP events with other leaders in Scrum and Agile
You will receive a free Premium subscription to the world’s largest Agile assessment and continuous improvement platform ‘Comparative Agility’

2. Category: Guide Level

Certified Team Coach

This certification is suitable for a Certified Agile Coach (CAC) who focuses primarily on one or more teams or on a subset of an organization in a project/program.

Advantages of being a Certified Team Coach are:

You can work with Scrum teams, stakeholders and management to improve performance and outcomes
Organizations will employ you to provide coaching, facilitation, training, mentoring and leadership in support of collaboration
You will get the opportunity to work across multiple teams.
It offers a recognized credential to qualified coaches who have experience with many teams or departments.

Certified Enterprise Coach

This certification is suitable for a Certified Agile Coach (CAC) who focuses primarily on guiding entire organizations through the real-world challenges of Agility and Scrum.

Advantages of being a Certified Enterprise Coach are:

You are considered as an expert in Agile practices and theory including Scrum
You gain an in-depth understanding of practices and principles of Scrum and real-world experience with actual organizational Agile transformations.
Besides, you help organizations to become an Agile organization to transform the world

Certified Scrum Trainer

This certification is an expert level program for those who wish to help others understand the principles and values that form the foundation of Scrum.

Advantages of being a Certified Scrum Trainer are:

This is the most rigorous certification to achieve in all the Scrum certifications
You are encouraged to actively involve in the community by speaking at and attending events, blogging, participating in online discussions and user groups.
You play a vital role in the Scrum community and thus can help spread awareness for Scrum and hence, in turn, transform the world of work.

What is Scrum SEU?

Scrum SEU refers to Scrum Education Units (SEUs). Scrum SEUs are required by Scrum Alliance to maintain your certification by completing education training or learning opportunities. You can earn Scrum SEU by attending the Scrum related courses, independent learning or attending other events. There are basically 4 categories which offer Scrum SEU credits. You are free to choose the category and accumulate the required amount of Scrum SEU to renew your certification.

For instance, in the case of CSM certification, you need to accumulate 20 Scrum SEU to renew your certification. Here if a person is involved in one hour of preparation or participation or webinar then he/she is entitled to 1 Scrum SEU. Hence, Scrum SEU is based on a 1:1 ratio of contact hours to points.

Ways of Earning SEUs

There are 4 following broader categories through which you can earn Scrum SEU:

1. Attending Events

You can participate in events like Scrum Alliance Global Gatherings, Scrum Alliance Regional Gatherings and Scrum Alliance sponsored events as well as user group events and activities. Scrum SEU earned in this category can be put in Category A while renewing the certification.

Global Gatherings: These types of gatherings are conducted twice a year. You can meet people from the Scrum community and everyone shares their experience to gain knowledge. You just need to look for such type of gatherings in your location and can add Scrum SEU to your account.
Regional Gatherings: In such type of gatherings, they generally take 2-3 days where you get a chance to meet Scrum trainers, coaches, and practitioners.
Sponsored Events: These events are sponsored by the Scrum Alliance and provide Scrum SEU.
Coaching Retreats: This retreat is generally for managers, product owners, Agile coaches or aspiring coaches and Scrum Masters who can connect with their peers about Agile practices so as to enhance their skills.

Further activities like presenting the topics, coaching and attending sessions are other ways to earn Scrum SEU.

2. Learning

You can earn Scrum SEU by working with Scrum Alliance CST (Certified Scrum Trainer), CECs, CTCs, and REP. Another way to learn Scrum SEU is by preparing presentations, authoring relevant books, articles or blogs. Further, you can earn Scrum SEU by watching a training video/webinar or reading a few books in depth.

You can enroll in any of the courses with Scrum Alliance REPs, CSTs and CECs courses like CSM, CSPO, A-CSM, A-CSPO, and CSD. You need to attend courses in the form of webinars, e-learning, face to face sessions or training courses offered by REP and can earn Scrum SEU credit and put in Category B while renewing your certification.

Let’s suppose you are not a social person or you don’t have time to spare after a hectic office schedule. Hence, you don’t have time to attend a seminar, training. Therefore, you can read a book and rewrite it!

Another way to share information these days with people is to write a blog, article or book. Even if you spare some time to simply watch a video will help you earn Scrum SEU which can be put in category E during the renewal of certification.

3. Volunteering

Scrum Alliance believes in giving back to the community. Hence, you can provide professional services that won’t be compensated but you will get Scrum SEU.

Here you get a chance to provide a presentation or lecture but free of cost. Actually, this is a volunteer service where you can teach and gain Scrum SEU points without any compensation. You can put them in category D while renewing the certificate. Moreover, this gives you a golden opportunity to stay connected with the Scrum community. Also, you can further share your knowledge with the fresh minds that need your support.

4. Other

You can earn Scrum SEU through a variety of other learning activities that Scrum Alliance acknowledges.

For instance:

Outside Events – Here you do not need any Scrum Alliance sponsor. You can easily participate in any outside event like Agile conferences, REP courses such as Kanban, SAFe Agilist, PMI-ACP, Agile Scrum Master, SAFe Scrum Master, and Lean or get trained from a noncertified Scrum trainer as well. Here you can put earned Scrum SEU in category C.

You can participate in collaborative learning events with Scrum practitioners and can earn a maximum of 15 Scrum SEU. Even if a non-CST will deliver the live webinar, it will also be considered that you earned Scrum SEU and afterwards you can put them in category F while renewing the certificate.

Another exception to above is that, for instance, if you are into training or coaching experience then it means that these hours of participation will be counted in your work experience rather than earned Scrum SEU.

However, there is an exception where there are 3 scenarios mentioned below of training or coaching experience that can be counted as earned Scrum SEU.

You have prepared or researched about the training material then it shall be counted in ‘Learning’ Category.
You have volunteered training for a non-profit organization other than your employer then it shall be counted in ‘Volunteering’ Category
Or you are a co-trainer and learning from a more experienced trainer then it shall be counted in ‘Learning’ Category.

Further, another way is the REP program which is also a means to achieve Scrum SEU. These SEUs can be applied for the renewal of certifications.

Scrum Alliance Registered Education Providers (REPs)

They are organizatiıns that deliver Continuing Education (CE) and Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) courses. These providers can be training organizations or instructors who can deliver these programs. Here Continuing Education programs are designed to enhance skills of Agile practitioners by providing additional professional development opportunities that complement the Scrum framework. Whereas the Certified Scrum Developer course offered by a REP is empowering developers and other technical-minded team members with powerful Agile skills.

Why Should I Renew My Scrum Certification from Scrum Alliance?

Prior to 2019, Scrum SEU requirement was applicable to only professional level Scrum certifications like CSP, CSP-SM, and CSP-PO. They had to earn 40 Scrum SEUs in order to renew their certification. Scrum Alliance’s requirement for renewal of a Scrum certification was to complete earning Scrum SEU every 2 years before the renewal date of Scrum certificates.

Now Scrum Alliance has changed the requirement since 4^th Feb 2019. The new renewal policy requires both foundational level i.e. CSM, CSPO or CSD and advanced level i.e. A-CSM, A-CSPO certification owners need to earn Scrum SEU to renew their Scrum Certification.

First, let us see what are the benefits of Scrum Alliance Certifications:

Wider applicability

Agile Certification is a big umbrella for various certifications of Agile approaches such as Scrum, Kanban, Crystal, and FDD. Hence this enables Agile practitioners to choose the most appropriate Agile approach applicable to their work.

Global opportunities

Having an Agile Certification validates an individual to have basic skills and knowledge of Agile methodologies. This helps an individual to more market opportunities, better jobs across the globe and higher salary.

Change in approach

These days, many industries are shifting from the traditional approach to an Agile approach to meet the changing customer requirements and to obtain a quick adaption to changes easily and quickly. Hence Scrum Alliance certifications help in determining new areas or applications for dynamic project management

High success rate

An organization having many Agile certified individuals will have a high success rate in completing the projects on time and with high quality. Thus demonstrating high potential will garner more projects or work from the customer.

High credibility in the market

It is quite true that certified professionals will garner more respect and opportunities than noncertified professionals. Even if the company plans to invest money in training and certifying the team then it will be a valuable investment with long term benefits.

Better projects

Most of the organizations that have adopted Agile project management require Agile certifications or Agile certified professionals. It helps them to showcase talent in their organization to prospective clients to grab better projects.

Consequently, the renewal of certification gives you the benefit of staying connected with the Scrum community. Further, it will help you to update your knowledge with advanced topics of the Scrum by attending seminars, training, etc to obtain Scrum SEU. Hence the renewal of the certificate is really valuable to stay connected in the industry and for knowledge enhancement.

What are the Scrum SEU Requirements?

In order to renew different certifications at different levels, you need Scrum SEU and also the renewal fee as follows:

For foundation level certifications like CSM, CSPO, and CSD, you need to earn 20 Scrum SEUs. Also, you have to pay 100 USD as the renewal fee
For advanced level certifications like A-CSM, A-CSPO, you need to earn 30 Scrum SEUs. Also, you have to pay 175 USD as renewal fee
For professional level certifications like CSP, CSP-SM, CSM-PO, you need to earn 40 Scrum SEUs. Also, you have to pay 250 USD as renewal fee

Certification	Scrum SEU Required	Renewal Fee
Foundational (CSM, CSPO,CSD)	20	USD 100
Advanced (A-CSM, A-CSPO)	30	USD 175
Professional(CSP, CSP-SM, CSM-PO)	40	USD 250

8 steps to acquire your Scrum Alliance Certification

Firstly you need to enroll yourself for Scrum Alliance certification such as Certified Scrum Master (CSM).
The second step is to attend the CSM Course
Now you have to log in to Scrum Alliance’s website with provided credentials or create your own credentials
Take the online exam
Pass the exam
Receive the license agreement
Now enjoy 2-year membership of Scrum Alliance
Once 2 year time period is about to expire then its time to renew the certification

Scrum SEU Online Courses

The most convenient and affordable way to earn Scrum SEU is by attending Scrum SEU Online courses. Especially for working professionals as these online courses are more convenient to attend than classroom format. These Scrum SEU courses give working professionals the flexibility to attend at their own pace.

Advantages of attending online courses are:

Self-paced

Scrum SEU online courses are self-paced programs. These programs can be accessed from anywhere, anytime and at your own convenience.

Approved courses

All Scrum SEU online courses are approved by the Scrum Alliance. Hence you won’t need to waste time in irrelevant courses.

An easy method

In order to earn Scrum SEU, you need to enroll in these Scrum SEU online courses. You have to attend the course, thereby earn Scrum SEU and finally renew your certificate. Hence get relieved from the stress of renewal of certification quickly.

Quality of learning

Attending Scrum SEU online courses makes you learn new practices in the market and strengthens the Agile concepts. Hence, as a result, you gain a high knowledge of Agile practices in the industry.

Affordable

The most affordable way to earn Scrum SEU is to attend Scrum SEU online courses.

Free Scrum SEU Alternatives

There are free courses for Agile as well as free events like webinars, conferences, workshops, etc which you can attend and earn Scrum SEU. But if you are a working professional then earning all Scrum SEU for free won’t be a viable option. There is no doubt you can earn a few Scrum SEU with free resources. But for filling the entire criteria of Scrum certification renewal, the best way will be to enroll in an online course and earn Scrum SEU.

However, we will list a few ways to earn free Scrum SEU for different categories:

Category A: Scrum Alliance Scrum Gatherings

This category has a limit of a maximum of 45 Scrum SEUs. You can earn these Scrum SEU by attending Scrum Alliance events which can be Scrum Global Gatherings, Regional Gatherings, Scrum Alliance Sponsored Events and User Group Events. Hence if you are not a working professional or a working person who can spare sometime well in advance then you can earn 20-30 Scrum SEUs in a 3-months time period easily.

Category B: Scrum Alliance Courses or Coachings

This category has no limitation on Scrum SEU. But SEUs can be earned by paying money.

Let’s suppose you want to be a Certified Scrum Professional (CSP), then you need to be a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) by which you can earn 16 Scrum SEUs. Further, you can attain the Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification training which will give you 16 Scrum SEUs. And lastly, if you go for the Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) certification then you can earn 40 Scrum SEUs. Hence if you attain all 3 certifications then you will earn 56 Scrum SEUs in total from this category alone.

However, you can get free Scrum SEU for CSP certification assuming that you have earned 16 Scrum SEUs in this category either from CSM/CSPO or CSD.

Category C: Outside Events

In this category, you can earn 15 Scrum SEUs. You can earn them by attending any Agile/Scrum program such as PMI-ACP, Kanban, SAFe Agilist, Advance Scrum Master, DevOps. For this, you need to look for meetups in your city for product management, DevOps meeting, etc which will not be free but chargeable at a low amount.

Category D: Volunteer Service

This category can give you 15 Scrum SEUs through voluntary work. For this, you need to check with the local user group community and offer your help in spreading Agile/Scrum knowledge by working with a community leader

Category E: Independent Learning

This category can give you 15 Scrum SEUs. You need to read 3 books and you can earn 15 Scrum SEUs free of cost.

Category F: Other Collaborative Learning

This category can earn you 15 Scrum SEUs. You can earn through a variety of collaborative learning activities engaged with other Scrum practitioners or you can attend a webinar and earn Scrum SEU free of cost.

10 Steps to Renew Your Scrum Alliance Certification

Let’s talk about the renewal of the most popular and demanding Scrum certification i.e. Certified Scrum Master (CSM). CSM certification credential lasts for 2 years only. Hence you need to maintain your certification to continue your CSM journey. Remember that you need to be within 6 months of your current CSM certification date.

The first step is to earn the required Scrum SEU in different ways explained above.
Then, log in to your certification account on the Scrum Alliance’s website.
Besides, you can confirm the number of SEU required for any certification. For that, you need to click the Scrum SEU calculator on the Scrum Alliance’s website.
Click on the Settings -> ‘Certification Dashboard’
Under my credentials, you will find ‘Manage SEUs’
In the ‘Scrum Education Unit’, you must select the ‘SEU category’ i.e. A, B, C, D, E or F from the drop-down menu.
Further, fill in all the details based on your category and respective Scrum SEU and credit points will get added.
Once you are done with the SEU update, now its time to renew the certification.
Then, scroll to the ‘Actions’ window and pay the renewal fee according to certification of Scrum Alliance you are going to renew
Now click the renewal link and your certification will get renewed. Hence, you can stay connected with the Scrum community.

What is the grace period to renew the Scrum Master certification?

For instance, if it is about CSM certification then you get 2 years to renew from the date of receiving the certification. And, further, you get 3 months or 90 days grace period from the expiration date to complete Scrum SEU requirement and hence renew the certificate.

If you have a PMP certification, you can consider earning PMP PDU and submit same PDU courses as source of SEU hours as well.