Is Scrum better than PMP?

Learning Mudra, Category - PMP


Often, we come across the two words in Project Manager's Certification industries – Scrum Master and Project Management. Though, both of these roles contribute to Projects and their management. But they add confusion to both young professionals who have recently stepped into the Project management world and freshers who plan to build their project management careers. They pose a question that which roles should they choose to make their career? Many struggle to understand whether there is any difference in these certifications and Scrum is better than PMP?

Some People consider Scrum Master as a Project Manager Professional in an agile environment. To some extent, they are true, but it not entirely true. Even though these two roles overlap to a certain extent, they are far more different from each other. Scrum Master contributes to Agile projects with Scrum project management principles. Whereas project manager often focuses on traditional disciplines of Project Management Principles. This article uncovers Scrum Master and Project Management Professional roles and whether Scrum master is better than Project Management Professional.

Scrum Master VS Project Manager

Lets take a deep dive into the roles and responsibilities of each of them.

1. Who is a Scrum Master & What is Scrum Project Management?

Scrum is not a technique or tool used in agile projects. Instead, it is a framework that allows people to address complex problems with agility and deliver high-value products. Scrum tools are used in complex product development scenarios. To get agile, adaptive product development managers have to follow Scrum rules and principles. Scrum Master is the scrum team's key person, who takes the onus to make sure that scrum rules are understood and enacted by the team. A Scrum Master ensures maximizing the value created by their team in agile projects.

1.1. Roles and Responsibilities of a scrum master

A Scrum Master is a servant leader who extends services to the product manager and development team.

1.2. Scrum Master’s Responsibilities towards Product Manager:

  • Helping the product manager to manage product backlog effectively and implement techniques.
  • Helping the product owner to communicate the exact product needs to the development team.
  • Ensuring that the product manager understands how to manage product backlog and maximize its value
  • Facilitating Scrum events.

1.3. Scrum Master Responsibilities towards Development Team:

  • Mentoring the team, to follow Scrum rules
  • Helping in removing roadblocks to aid in the team's progress
  • Helping the team in delivering high-value results and maintain team dynamics
  • Facilitating Scrum event and scheduling meetings
  • Coaching the team in adopting the Scrum framework. Especially if the team is new to Scrum Frameworks

2. Who is a Project Manager ?

Contrary to Scrum Master, a Project Manager has a large span of control. They manage various teams in delivering complex project results, the project team to achieve optimum efficiency. The project manager gets involved in several other project activities. A Project Manager works comparatively more in the minor risk-oriented environments because they use traditional project management approaches. However, the scenario for PMs is not easy nowadays. Even they need to apply agile principles. That is why PMI updates PMBOK Guidelines frequently. A good Project Manager should be able to judge a better approach for their current projects.

2.1. Roles and Responsibilities of Project Manager

  • PMs are responsible for delivering the results and meeting project requirements
  • Involvement in defining project scope with the team and plans activities accordingly
  • Responsible for assigning roles to each team member and ensuring the role assignment is according to the team members' skills and expertise.
  • Report project progress to stakeholders on time.
  • Ensure the project documentation and real-time updates are in place
  • Monitor and control risks in the project and resolve any unresolved issues that prevail in the project.
  • A project manager has to ensure project result delivery by managing project constraints like scope, budget, time, and resource efficiency

3. Similarities between Scrum Master and Project Manager

Even though both have roles and approaches are quite different, but some part of their roles overlaps. Some of them are:

  • Both are concerned about team's performance and tried to improve team's efficiency
  • Scrum Master engages with the team for facilitation and coaching, and a Project Manager participates with the team in resolving team issues and conflicts
  • Both the roles are not the final decision-making authorities on the product requirements.
  • Both need years of experience and practice, skill set to ace.
  • Both of these roles have a lot of demand and challenges in industries
  • Both understand the importance of quality and always adhere to quality work.

4. Differences between Scrum Master & Project Manager

Even though both the roles have overlapped in some parts, but differences between these outweigh the similarities. IT & ITES companies prefer Scrum Master over a typical project manager.

  • A Scrum Master rigidly follows the Scrum framework, while Project Managers are free to customize their approach based on the project demand.
  • A Scrum Master majorly contributes to resource, quality, and scope management. While Project Management contributes to all ten knowledge areas of Project Management
  • A Scrum Master deals with smaller scrum teams and responsible for team performance. While Project Manager handles relatively a larger group, sometimes even multiple project teams.
  • A Scrum Master Facilitate daily scrum meetings while the Project Manager prepares the meeting calendar and communicates the plan.
  • A Scrum Master Coaches the team on scrum frameworks, while the Project Manager prepares work schedule and assigns responsibilities to team members.
is-scrum-better-than-pmp

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Is Scrum Master better than Project Manager?

Becoming a Scrum Master or Project Manager are both great career options depending on your situation. The following points will help you to decide which is better to pick for your career.

PMP Criteria Scrum
Four year degree or high school diploma with experience in leading and directing projects Prerequisites No prerequisite
1 to 3 months Study Time Around 3 days
PMI Member: Rs 23,459
Non PMI Member: Rs 42,863
Exam Fees Around Rs. 25,000
Oil & gas, manufacturing, construction, aerospace and defense, consulting, healthcare, IT and telecom and marketing and sales Top Industries IT, engineering, education, marketing, military
Mostly used by companies that follow a traditional approach to project management Methodology used in Company Used in companies that employ Agile methodology

Conclusion to the Topic: Is Scrum better than PMP?

Becoming certified as Scrum Master or Project Manager Professional are both great career options depending on your situation. It all comes to where you want to be in the coming years. Finally, it's crucial to understand that a Project Manager's role is more inclined towards a Leadership role. In contrast, Scrum Master's part includes more coaching and facilitating duties. With the PMBOK 6th guide's inclusion, a project manager's functions and responsibilities have become more diversified. A Project Manager's approach is not only limited to the traditional practices as before. But now, a PMP certified can apply incremental, iterative models depending on the scenario that prevails at that particular time. An organization at the beginning stage of opting for agile may think – a Project Manager's role can be transferred into Scrum Master - but it's a myth because both of these roles are different in their respective approaches and responsibilities. Hoping this article helps you pick the better career option for your future among Scrum Master and Project Management Professional.

The Author : Learning Mudra


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