Why do we train with EXIN Agile Scrum? – by New Horizons Hamburg

… and what are the differences between Scrum Alliance and Scrum.org?

Read more about why Lutz Weigelt chose to offer the EXIN Agile Scrum certification program.

Scrum Alliance was founded by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland in 2002. In 2009 Ken Schwaber parted ways because he did not agree with the approach of Scrum Alliance and founded Scrum.org. Both organizations are considered the original Scrum certification.

However, Scrum is neither a protected term nor is there any protected content. The only thing the Scrum world has agreed upon as a reference is the Agile Manifesto: agilemanifesto.org and the 16-page Scrum Guide by Ken and Jeff, scrumguides.org.

Therefore, this presents some major problems in the dissemination of Scrum:

1. There is no comprehensive Body of Knowledge (as with other frameworks). There are, on the other hand, hundreds of books written by external experts. These books are from authors such as Schwaber, Sutherland, Cohn, Rubin, and Pichler, among many others.
2. While there is some agreement among the Scrum authors, there is no owner of Scrum who determines where Scrum develops. Further development of Scrum ideas can only happen via third-party literature. (Only the Scrum Guide is slightly adapted at certain intervals). The authors of the Scrum literature contradict each other in many places because they all have different experiences. So, if someone claims this way or that way IS the way it is in Scrum, they are only right when they refer to the Scrum Guide. Everything beyond this someone may have learned at a seminar, for example – but this is just ONE of many Scrum interpretations.
3. Scrum is not project management. This is a question of definition, but if you compare Scrum with all known classical project management approaches, many areas are missing, which would have to be present. (e.g., risk management, business case, governance, multi-team management) Scrum is written from a project management perspective: team management. So, how can a team implement a task given to them? Scrum answers that with an Agile approach.

The EXIN exam content is based on literature both developed in-house and in collaboration with Agile and Scrum experts. Moreover, the Scrum Guide provides a firm framework. In addition, there are other important aspects that do not directly but still have high relevance within Scrum (agility in a broader sense, extension to service management, business management). Quote:

“EXIN decided to combine Agile and Scrum because, in order to apply Scrum methodology properly, it is essential to understand the Agile principles behind it. Without this understanding, it becomes easy to lapse into going through the motions of Scrum rather than actually adopting the Agile way of working.”

EXIN Agile Scrum, therefore in our view, is more comprehensive and far-reaching than the other Scrum approaches in other organizations. On top of this, EXIN is an established global exam provider. EXIN takes great care to ensure that the exams remain secret and that someone does not easily pass the exams by taking shortcuts. In addition to broader content, these factors make EXIN certificates more valuable than those of other organizations.

If you are a trainer or part of a training organization, you can find out more about how you can add EXIN Agile Scrum to your portfolio!

Lutz Weigelt

Managing Director
New Horizons Hamburg