• Agile and scrum are two similar project management systems with a few key differences.
• Agile is more flexible and promotes leadership teams, while scrum is more rigid and promotes cross-functional teams.
• Agile lets teams develop projects in small increments called “sprints” and allows for more effective collaborations among teams working on complex projects.
• This article is for business owners and project managers who want to learn more about agile scrum methodology and how to implement it as a management process.

Agile scrum methodology is used by companies of all sizes for its ability to provide high-end collaboration and efficiency for project-based work. Agile and scrum are two different methods and can be used separately; however, their combined benefits make the agile scrum methodology the most popular use of agile. Here’s the complete guide to agile scrum methodology.

Did you know? Agile and scrum can be used separately, but their combined benefits make the methodology popular.

How does agile scrum work?

Agile scrum methodology is the combination of the agile philosophy and the scrum framework. Agile means “incremental, allowing teams to develop projects in small increments. Scrum is one of the many types of agile methodology, known for breaking projects down into sizable chunks called “sprints.” Agile scrum methodology is good for businesses that need to finish specific projects quickly.

Agile scrum methodology is a project management system that relies on incremental development. Each iteration consists of two- to four-week sprints, where the goal of each sprint is to build the most important features first and come out with a potentially deliverable product. More features are built into the product in subsequent sprints and are adjusted based on stakeholder and customer feedback between sprints.

Whereas other project management methods emphasize building an entire product in one operation from start to finish, agile scrum methodology focuses on delivering several iterations of a product to provide stakeholders with the highest business value in the least amount of time.

Agile scrum methodology has several benefits. First, it encourages products to be built faster, since each set of goals must be completed within each sprint’s time frame. It also requires frequent planning and goal setting, which helps the scrum team focus on the current sprint’s objectives and increase productivity.

What is agile?

Agile is a process that allows a team to more efficiently manage a project by breaking it down into several stages, each of which allows for consistent collaboration with stakeholders to promote steady improvements at every stage.

Key takeaway: Agile lets a team manage a project more efficiently by breaking it down into several stages.

What are the values of agile?

Agile was first described in the Agile Manifesto in 2000 by a group of developers who sought out a new method of writing software. The manifesto cites four values:

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
2. Working software over comprehensive documentation
3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
4. Responding to change over following a plan

What are the 12 principles of agile?

The Agile Manifesto also enacted 12 principles in reference to software development and was later reconfigured to fit a wider perspective of users:

1. Customer satisfaction
2. Early and continuous delivery
3. Embrace change
4. Frequent delivery
5. Collaboration of businesses and developers
6. Motivated individuals
7. Face-to-face conversation
8. Functional products
9. Technical excellence
10. Simplicity
11. Self-organized teams
12. Regulation, reflection and adjustment

What is scrum?

In short, scrum is a framework for effective collaborations among teams working on complex products. Scrum is a type of agile technology that consists of meetings, roles, and tools to help teams working on complex projects collaborate and better structure and manage their workload. Although it is most often used by software development teams, scrum can be beneficial to any team working toward a common goal.

Who can benefit from scrum?

While scrum can be useful for a wide variety of businesses and projects, these are the most likely beneficiaries:

• Complicated projects: Scrum methodology is ideal for projects that require teams to complete a backlog. Scrum breaks down each process into bite-sized chunks that can make a complex project easier.

• Companies that value results: Scrum is also beneficial to companies that value results over the documented progress of the process. This is because scrum is focused on efficiency and innovation to drive results, rather than a detailed, rigid process.

• Companies that cater to customers: Scrum can help companies that develop products in accordance with customer preferences and specifications. Scrum is adaptable to change, making it key when responding to customer requests.

What are the benefits of agile scrum methodology?

These are some of the collective benefits of agile scrum methodology:

• Flexibility and adaptability
• Creativity and innovation
• Lower costs
• Quality improvement
• Organizational synergy
• Employee satisfaction
• Customer satisfaction

The greatest benefit of agile scrum methodology is its flexibility. With the sprint-based model, the scrum team typically receives feedback from stakeholders after each sprint. If there are any problems or changes, the scrum team can easily and quickly adjust product goals during future sprints to provide more valuable iterations. This way, stakeholders are happier because they get exactly what they want after being involved every step of the way.

Compare this with traditional project management systems, in which stakeholders do not provide frequent feedback and time is wasted making changes to the product halfway through development – or worse, such as the teams needing to start from scratch after the product has already been built.

To implement agile scrum methodology, there must be either a scrum expert in the company or an outside consultant to ensure scrum principles are being applied correctly. Agile scrum methodology involves precise execution and could result in serious problems if not done properly.

Tip: To implement agile scrum, you’ll need an expert in your company or an outside consultant.

What are the different roles in agile scrum methodology?

Agile scrum methodology consists of two sets of roles: core roles, known as “pigs,” and ancillary roles, known as “chickens.”

There are three core roles: scrum master, product owner and scrum team. All of these people are committed to the scrum project.

1. Scrum master: The scrum master is the facilitator of the scrum development process. In addition to holding daily meetings with the scrum team, the scrum master makes certain that scrum rules are being enforced and applied as intended. The scrum master’s responsibilities also include coaching and motivating the team, removing impediments to sprints, and ensuring that the team has the best possible conditions to meet its goals and produce deliverable products.

2. Product owner: The product owner represents stakeholders, who are typically customers. To ensure the scrum team is always delivering value to stakeholders and the business, the product owner determines product expectations, records changes to the product and administers a scrum backlog, a detailed and constantly updated to-do list for the scrum project. The product owner is also responsible for prioritizing goals for each sprint, based on their value to stakeholders, such that the most important and deliverable features are built in each iteration.

3. Scrum team: The scrum team is a self-organized group of three to nine individuals who have the business, design, analytical and development skills to carry out the real work, solve problems and produce deliverable products. Members of the scrum team self-administer tasks and are jointly responsible for meeting each sprint’s goals.

Ancillary roles, on the other hand, are other stakeholders who are involved in, but not committed to, the scrum project. Typically, ancillary roles consist of customers, management and members of the executive team who are involved for the purpose of consulting, reporting progress and gathering feedback to better work toward delivering the highest value possible.

What is the training for scrum and agile?

Managers and employees can enroll in training for both agile and scrum through various online and in-person courses. Many educational training courses result in certification in agile or scrum methodologies. Agile training provides the trainee with the basic knowledge of agile and how to implement it to the rest of their team. Scrum provides similar training, including the basic agile overview; however, the training caters to the scrum framework.

To become a certified scrum master (CSM) or certified scrum product owner (CSPO), you must first prepare and learn the basic details of scrum through videos or a simple internet search. Next, find a suitable CSM or CSPO course, either through your workplace or another internet search. Once you’ve completed the course, you usually have to pass an exam to become certified. After certification, you’re able to lead your team through the scrum process or provide scrum product details.

What are the differences between scrum and agile?

Although scrum and agile are similar, they have some key differences:

• Scrum values rigidity, whereas agile is more flexible.
• Agile leaders play a vital role, while scrum promotes a cross-functional team that is self-functioning.
• Agile involves face-to-face interactions between cross-functional team members, while scrum involves daily stand-up meetings.
• Agile is meant to be kept simple, while scrum can be innovative and experimental.
• Scrum delivers shorter, separate projects, while agile delivers everything at the end of the process.

Sara Angeles contributed to the writing and research in this article.

Project management certifications have claimed a place in every top IT certification list for years. That’s because project managers are important to IT operations of all kinds. Whether you are interested in becoming an IT project manager or just want to add project management to your list of soft skills, these five leading certifications will help you add to or boost those skills and, in turn, increase your value.

If there’s a single set of soft skills that’s been fixed on the IT radar for the past decade or so, to the point where it’s become almost as sought after and every bit as valuable as top-level credentials, it must be project management. Thanks in large part to the immensely popular and widely pursued Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI), this area has become an incredibly valuable merit badge for IT professionals of all stripes. That’s because it enhances and expands on the value of just about any other kind of technical credential.

Project management has everything to do with planning, scheduling, budgeting for, and then executing and reporting on projects of all shapes and sizes. In fact, anything and everything that IT does can be understood or handled as a project of some kind. It applies to one-of-a-kind activities that happen only once or very seldom (think hardware or OS upgrades or migrating from older to newer platforms or infrastructures). Ditto for a recurring series of activities that repeat regularly (think security patches, software updates or other regular maintenance tasks). Thus, project management is incredibly important and valuable to IT operations across the board.

According to PMI’s Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey, 10th Edition [pdf], IT professionals who hold a PMP report median base annual salaries in the U.S. of almost $116,000. The top 25 percent of survey respondents report base salaries of at least $139,000. Depending on such factors as complexity and size of projects, location, fields of expertise (e.g., IT, construction or healthcare), and experience, salaries for some PMP credential holders can be much higher still.

Robert Half’s Technology & IT 2019 Salary Guide lists project management as a hot certification, with salaries varying slightly by technology area. It cites a salary range of $93,000 to $157,500 for project managers in application development environments. Project managers engaged in consulting and system integration roles can expect to earn $96,250 to $163,500 nationwide. This explains nicely why PMP appears in nearly every top 10 list of popular, targeted or most desirable certifications since the early 2000s. It’s no surprise that Robert Half also lists the PMP credential, along with Agile and Scrum certifications, as “highly valued technology certifications” trending up in the IT industry.

To supply you an idea of which project management credentials employers look for in prospective candidates, we conducted a quick survey on some popular job boards. Clearly, the PMP is the overall favorite and remains our No. 1 pick for must-have project management certifications. PMI’s entry-level project management credential, the CAPM, also made our top five. The CSM from Scrum Alliance, along with ASQ’s Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt credentials, round out those picks. It’s also worth noting that job postings for project managers increased by 20 percent from 2018 across all project management certifications.

Job board survey results (in alphabetical order, by certification)

CAPM: Certified Associate in Project Management

CAPM: Certified Associate in Project Management

The same organization behind the more senior Project Management Professional (PMP) credential also backs the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). In fact, the CAPM is properly considered a steppingstone credential for those who wish to attain PMP status by stages, rather than in a single giant leap. That’s why PMI describes the CAPM as a “valuable entry-level certification for project practitioners” that is “designed for those with little or no project experience.”

The PMP requires three to five years of documented on-the-job project management experience, depending on the educational background of each applicant. On the other hand, the CAPM requires only a high school diploma and either 1,500 hours of documented on-the-job experience (about nine months of full-time work) or 23 hours of project management classroom training prior to taking the exam. The education prerequisite can be met by completing PMI’s Project Management Basics online course which costs $350 for PMI members and $400 for non-members.

Nor does the CAPM require continuing education (which PMI calls PDUs, or professional development units) as does the PMP (60 PDUs every three years) to maintain this credential. To recertify, CAPM holders must retake the exam once every five years.

The CAPM is one of a small set of entry-level project management certifications (including the CompTIA Project+) that IT professionals interested in project management might choose to pursue. Remember, though, that it is just a steppingstone to the PMP.

Unless you work in a large organization where a project management team is in place that includes junior as well as senior positions, the CAPM by itself is unlikely to provide a ticket to a project management job. However, it’s ideal for IT professionals for whom project management is a part-time job role or who want to grow into full-time project management.

CAPM facts and figures

CSM: Certified ScrumMaster

As companies seek to deliver more for less, many adopt Agile methodologies to streamline processes, build quality into products and ensure that final builds meet customer requirements. As Agile methodologies have become more popular, it’s no surprise that we see increased demand for IT practitioners qualified to manage projects in Agile environments.

While different Scrum master certifications are available, our pick is the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) from the Scrum Alliance. This nonprofit encourages adoption of Scrum and Agile practices, promotes user groups and learning events, and provides resources for professional development. The organization boasts more than 500,000 certified practitioners worldwide.

The Scrum Alliance provides a support system for Scrum practitioners, including Scrum Gatherings, user groups, virtual communications, coaching, online training and much more. In addition to community and advocacy activities, the Scrum Alliance offers numerous Scrum-related certifications at the foundation, advanced, professional, elevated (guide) and leadership levels. Scrum Alliance certifications are designed for team members engaged in Scrum master, product owners and developer roles. The Scrum master and product owner tracks offer credentials at the foundation, advanced and professional levels which the developer track only offers a foundation and professional level cert.

• Scrum Master Track: Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM), and Certified Scrum Professional – Scrum Master (CSP-SM)
• Product Owner Track: Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (A-CSPO) and Certified Scrum Professional – Product Owner (CSP-PO)
• Developer Track: Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) and Certified Scrum Professional (CSP)
• Elevated or guide credentials: Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), Certified Team Coach (CTC) and Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC)
• Agile Leadership: The Scrum Alliance also offers the Certified Agile Leadership (CAL) program, a credential based on a combination of education and validated practice. There are two credentials – the Certified Agile Leadership I and Certified Agile Leadership II.

For project managers getting started as Scrum practitioners, the CSM makes an excellent entry-level credential. Not only must candidates demonstrate an understanding of Scrum principles and values, but they’ll learn how to implement and apply Scrum in practice. The Scrum Alliance provides CSMs with multiple resources, plus checklists and information about the servant-leader role of the Scrum master.

Certified ScrumMaster facts and figures

CSSBB: Certified Six Sigma Black Belt

Globally recognized, ASQ certifications attest to candidate expertise, mastery of industry and regulation standards, and mastery of the ASQ Body of Knowledge. Currently, ASQ offers 18 credentials, three of which specifically target project management: the Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) (expert level), the Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) (professional level) and the Six Sigma Yellow Belt (CSSYB) (entry level).

The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt is ASQ’s highest Six Sigma credential. The CSSBB aims at experienced practitioners who understand Six Sigma methodologies (including the DMAIC model), tools, systems and philosophies. CSSBBs can lead teams or manage team dynamics, roles and responsibilities.

The path to CSSBB certification is rigorous. In addition to passing a comprehensive exam, candidates must complete two projects that employ Six Sigma tools and processes, resulting in project improvement and a positive financial project impact. An affidavit is also required to attest to the veracity of the project. Alternatively, candidates with at least three years of experience in one or more of the Six Sigma Body of Knowledge areas need only complete one Black Belt project.

CSSBB candidates are expected to demonstrate mastery of the ASQ Black Belt Body of Knowledge, called standards:

• Organization-wide Planning and Deployment (organization-wide considerations, leadership)
• Organization Process Management and Measures (impact on stakeholders, benchmarking, business measures)
• Team Management (team formation, facilitation, dynamics, training)
• Define (voice of the customer, business case and project charter, project management tools, analytical tools)
• Measure (process characteristics, data collection, measurement systems, basic statistics, probability, process capability)
• Analyze (measuring and modeling relationships between variables, hypothesis testing, failure mode and effects analysis, other analysis methods)
• Improve (design of experiments, lean methods, implementation)
• Control (statistical process control and other controls, maintain controls, sustain improvements)
• Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) Framework and Methodologies (common DFSS methodologies, design for DVX, robust designs)

The CSSBB is valid for three years. To recertify, candidates must earn 18 recertification units or retake the exam.

CSSBB facts and figures

CSSGB: Certified Six Sigma Green Belt

The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) by ASQ is a professional-level credential targeting experienced Six Sigma practitioners. Often, a CSSGB works under the direction of the more senior CSSBB or as an assistant. CSSGBs identify issues and drive quality and process improvements in projects.

To earn the credential, candidates should have at least three years of experience working with Six Sigma processes, systems and tools. The work experience must have been full time and compensated; an unpaid internship, for example, doesn’t count. In addition, work performed must have been in at least one of the Six Sigma Green Belt Body of Knowledge competency areas.

In addition to work experience, candidates must pass an exam that tests their knowledge of the Six Sigma Green Belt Body of Knowledge. Currently, the Green Belt Body of Knowledge includes six competency areas:

• Overview: Six Sigma and the Organization (organizational goals, lean principles, design methodologies)
• Define Phase (project identification, customer voice, project management basics, management and planning tools, project business results, team dynamics and performance)
• Measurement Phase (process analysis and documentation, probability and statistics, statistical distributions, data collection, measurement system analysis, process and performance capability)
• Analyze Phase (exploratory data analysis, hypothesis testing)
• Improve Phase (design of experiments, root cause analysis, lean tools)
• Control Phase (statistical process control, control plan, lean tools for process control)

Overall, this is an excellent credential for those who have some experience but are not quite ready to take on the roles and responsibilities of a Black Belt.

CSSGB facts and figures

PMP: Project Management Professional

The Project Management Institute (PMI) not only stands behind its Project Management Professional certification, it works with academia and training companies to ensure proper coverage and currency in the various curricula that support this and other PMI credentials. Boasting more than 500,000 global members and 750,000 PMP certified professionals around the world, PMI’s PMP remains one of the most prestigious project management credentials available. (Note: The PMP’s precursor, the CAPM, is covered in an earlier section of this article.)

That’s why you can obtain college- and university-based PMP training from so many institutions. It’s also why you may sometimes find PMP coverage integrated into certain degree programs (often at the master’s degree level).

The PMP credential is coveted by employers seeking the most highly skilled project management professionals. Developed by project managers, the PMP certification is the highest level offered in PMI certifications. It is designed to ensure that credential-holders possess the skills and qualifications necessary to successfully manage all phases of a project, including initiating, planning, scheduling, controlling and monitoring, and closing out the project.

PMP certified projects managers are also well versed and skilled in managing all aspects of the triple constraints – time, cost and scope. Employers depend on the skills of PMP professionals to manage budgets, track costs, manage scope creep, identify how changes to the triple constraints may introduce risk into the project, and minimize such risk to protect the project investment.

The standards for PMP certification are rigorous. Beyond passing a comprehensive exam, credential holders must first demonstrate and certify that they have the skills and education necessary to succeed in the project management field. Credential seekers should be ready to provide documentation for items such as education, projects worked on and hours spent in each of the five project management stages – initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing out the project.

While it’s difficult to achieve, the rewards for PMP credential holders can be significant. According to PMI’s Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey, 10th Edition, PMPs in the U.S. earn an average of 23 percent more than their non-credentialed counterparts. The survey reports median salaries of PMPs in the United States at $115,000, as opposed to $92,000 for non-PMP certified project managers.

For those interested in program management or wishing to specialize in a project management area, PMI offers several interesting additional credentials:

The PMP remains a nonpareil certification for IT and other professionals whose responsibilities encompass project management. It is the standard against which all other project management credentials are judged.

It should be noted that, after meeting the prerequisites, candidates are also required to pass a rigorous exam. Candidates must obtain an eligibility ID from PMI before they can register for the exam.

PMP facts and figures

Beyond the top 5: More project management certifications

Project management is truly a white-hot area for both certification seekers and employers. Several other project management certifications are available, for general IT project management as well as software development project management.

Honorable mention goes to the Global Association for Quality Management (GAQM) project management certifications, such as the Professional in Project Management, Associate in Project Management and Certified Project Director. The Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner qualifications (featured in the 2017 top-five list) are also excellent credentials and worth honorable mention.

The CompTIA Project+ credential (featured in the 2017 top-five list and honorable mention in 2018) remains a well-known entry-level project management certification for those starting their project management careers. ASQ’s Certified Six Sigma Yellow Belt (CSSYB) is another entry-level credential worth exploring, particularly if you’re interested in eventually moving up to the more senior Green and Black Belt credentials.

Most graduate business, management and management information systems (MIS) programs offer project management training to students, and some offer certificate programs outside the project management organizations as well.

You’ll also find training and occasional certification around various project management tool sets. For example, some Microsoft Learning Partners offer courses on Microsoft Project, and you can find a dizzying array of project management packages on Wikipedia’s comparison of project management software page.

The CAPM and Project+ remain the best-known entry-level project management certifications, with the PMP as the primary professional target and capstone for would-be professional IT project managers. Don’t forget to consider PMI’s related certifications as well. For project managers seeking entry into the realm of Scrum, the CSM is the best entry-level cert for Scrum practitioners.

An opportunity exists for a Scrum Master to work within a growing financial services organisation.

The scrum master will lead a team that ensures self-organisation and the ability to make changes quickly. The role will ensure that agile principles and concepts are adhered to ensure effective preparation of the product backlog, sprint backlog and burn down charts. You will be responsible for prioritizing requirements and be a facilitator for teams that needs to grow within the scrum/agile methodology. Minimum requirements:

• Relevant IT diploma or degree
• First level Scrum Master certification (CSM, PSM II)
• 2 years relevant work experience in a Scrum Master role for a software development team that was diligently applying Scrum principles, practices, and theory knowledge of other Agile approaches: XP, Kanban, Crystal, FDD
• Knowledge and/or experience with widely successful Agile techniques: User Stories, ATDD, TDD, Continuous Integration, Continuous Testing, Pairing, Automated Testing, Agile Games
• Applicable knowledge of the technologies used by the team
• Experience applying a wide variety of well documented patterns and techniques for filling in the intentional gaps left in the Scrum approach (example: numerous burndown techniques, handling bugs etc.)
• Proficient in both spoken and written English and at least one other of the official South African languages
• Computer literacy (MS Office)

Responsibilities:

• Guide the team and organisation on how to use Agile/Scrum practices and values to delight clients
• Guide teams on how to get the most of out of self-organisation to fill in the intentional gaps left in the Agile/Scrum frameworks
• Assess the Scrum Maturity of the team and organisation and coaching the team to higher levels of maturity
• Remove impediments or guide teams to remove impediments by finding the right personnel to remove the impediment
• Build a trusting and safe environment where problems can be raised without fear of blame, retribution, or being judged, with an emphasis of problem solving
• Facilitate getting the work done without coercion, assigning, or dictating the work
• Facilitate discussion, decision making, and conflict resolution
• Assist internal and external communication, improving transparency, and radiating information
• Support and educate the Product Owner, especially with respect to grooming and maintaining the product backlog
• Provide all support to the team using a servant leadership style whenever possible and lead by example

Desired Skills:

• Time Management
• Critical Thinking
• Spreadsheet software
• Judgment and Decision Making
• Active Listening
• Tax preparation software
• Accounting Software

Learn more/Apply for this position

Psybergate is an IT company that builds bespoke software solutions and provides highly skilled resources to its clients.
We are looking for a Scrum Master to join our financial services client based in Johannesburg North for a 1 year contract role
What you will be doing:

• Lead multiple sprints for teams using Agile methodology
• Ensuring SCRUM artefacts are maintained and updated
• Ensuring that sprints are running smoothly and corrective actions taken wherever appropriate.
• Effectively communicate to project manager/delivery manager about the progress as well as blockages in the on-going sprints.
• Ensuring all change governance and standards are adhered to Ensuring code quality is maintained
• Developing plans to ensure delivery of teams’ work.
• Understand current development/delivery model and guide teams to adapt agile strategy.
• Apply best practices to implement and/or resolve adoption issues
• Satisfactory resolution of issues raised during transition.
• Support Project/Delivery Manager in planning and transition of releases.
• Providing expert guidance and assistance to colleagues for successful transition.
• Responsibility for supervising, co-ordinating, participating in, and accountable for sprints of teams located at different geographic locations.
• Making effective use of resources during the sprint to ensure that business objectives are met and deliverables achieved to agreed time, cost and quality.
• Familiar with the details of at least one business area and has experience of liasing with peers in that area

What we are looking for:

• Completed IT / BSc degree or other related fields
• Must have 5 years of agile practitioner experience
• 5 years of experience as Scrum Master.
• Knowledge or experience of other methodologies like RUP, Kanban etc.

At least 5 years experience working in an agile environment, preferably in a variety of situations Knowledge & Skills:

• Prior background of application development using Java and web applications.
• Experience in the delivery of multiple Application Development Projects from strategy through to deployment.
• Proven track record in Scrum Master role
• Understanding of other development methodologies like RUP.
• Expert level skills in a relevant programming language(s) and relevant design techniques.
• A logical, analytical approach to problem solving and close attention to detail.
• Experience in the financial industry delivering & supporting financial applications

Desired Skills:

• Agile
• Scrum
• Waterfall
• Kanban

Learn more/Apply for this position

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Project management isn’t just one skill. It’s a process of interacting with a goal and a team who can accomplish it, and one of the most popular methodologies is called Scrum, a framework for project management that uses Agile principles. If you want to master Agile and Scrum and prepare for managerial and administrative roles in the future, you could start with the 2023 Agile and Scrum Master Certification Training Bundle(Opens in a new tab). Study the principles of project management through a popular framework in these seven courses on sale for £32.27.

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Each course focuses on some skills or principles integral to effective Agile planning or Scrum management. There’s even a course on risk management that could help you define potential risks, assess them, and create contingencies. These skills could help you land your next admin-level job, and the course on landing a Scrum Master Job without experience could help you even more. 

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England's forwards coach Richard Cockerill says the team has sought advice from referees on their “reckless” scrum.

Steve Borthwick's side looked to officials as after discovering they won just 85 per cent of their own scrums last year, which was the worst of any tier one nation.

Cockerill said feedback from leading referees, including Wayne Barnes, suggested their scrum was “ill-disciplined and a bit reckless”.

“We’ve taken lots of input from the officials because that has not been as good a relationship as we would have liked and we have worked on fixing it,” he said.

“The boys have worked hard. We have got a good pack of forwards, we have got some good personnel, and it is just keeping them honest and working them harder than we probably did previously.”

England, who are sixth in the world rankings, have won all 11 of own their scrums so far this Six Nations but not everything has been positive for the team.

They lost to Scotland in round one and, despite beating Italy in the second round, are facing criticism for their attacking play.

Wales are next in the tournament for England if the game goes ahead. The fixture have been put in doubt amid reports Wales players could threaten to strike due to ongoing contract disputes with the Wales Rugby Union.

If the game goes ahead as planned, Cockerill expects the Welsh team to come out fighting.

“I think if anything it will probably galvanise them because they have their issues,” Cockerill said.

“I don’t really understand what the politics of it is, but from my experience, any hardship with a playing group generally brings them tighter together.

Coinciding with Sean Payton’s first year as the head coach of the Saints, the NFL changed the rules to allow a runner to be pushed by a teammate. As Payton commences his first year as head coach of the Broncos, some teams finally have embraced the rule as a device for strategic advantage.

Payton, who finished his one-year stint with Fox during Super Bowl LVII, told Fox rules analyst Dean Blandino that Payton will make regular use of the ability to shove a runner from behind, until the rule is changed.

“I think the league is going to look at this, and I’d be shocked if they don’t make a change,’’ Blandino said in an item posted on The33rdTeam.com.

“I was talking to Sean Payton during Sunday’s game, and he said we’re going to do this every time next season if they don’t take it out,’’ Blandino added. “It amounts to a rugby scrum. The NFL wants to showcase the athleticism and skill of our athletes. This is just not a skillful play. This is just a tactic that is not an aesthetically pleasing play, and I think the Competition Committee is going to take a look at it.’’

Previously, pushing the runner happened spontaneously, in the open field. It’s not part of play design, with the Eagles perfecting the tactic. It was rarely called.

And so the rule might go back to what it was in 2005 and previously. The best compromise could be to outline pushing a runner only while inside the tackle box. Presumably, no one would be able to design a play that incorporates deliberate shoving outside the tackles.

Surely, however, someone would try.

Leinster coach Robin McBryde admits the province need 'a few fix-ups' at the scrum, after another inconsistent performance at the setpiece on Saturday.

Despite winning 16 games from 16 in all competitions this season, they have struggled at times in the scrum, and notably in each of the last three games against Ospreys, Gloucester and most recently Racing 92, where they conceded two penalties and a free-kick off the six scrums in the game.

And while they've yet to be made pay in the current campaign, Leinster's scrum specialist McBryde says it's something they're working to address.

"We need to get a few things right," the Welshman said.

"We're in constant contact with the referees, or the heads of referees with regards to the pictures they're seeing, so that’s a constant dialogue going back and forth.

"That aside, we’ve come up against a very good Ospreys team, a very strong scrum as well. It’s good sometimes to just get that little bit of a wake-up call that we’re not quite where we think we should be.

"It’s definitely a few fix-ups we need to get right ahead of the weekend."

The province will be heavily depleted for Saturday's visit of Cardiff to the RDS (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player), with 20 members of their squad having been called up to Ireland's Six Nations squad.

As such, the meeting with Cardiff will present an opportunity for some of the fringe players in the squad, as well as some academy prospects to make a name for themselves.

The final game before the Six Nations has been a fruitful one for Leinster in exact years. Twelve months ago Joe McCarthy was handed his senior debut in this round of games, also versus Cardiff, while in the final pre-Six Nations game in 2021 Jamie Osborne made a try-scoring impression on his debut away to the Scarlets.

And McBryde says this week represents a big opportunity to impress.

"In fairness, they've been champing at the bit to get an opportunity. They've been providing opposition for the starting team a lot of the time, so hopefully they can step up and use all that good work, the experience of training against the starting team, put it to good use this weekend.

"It’s a great opportunity, we’ll be coming up against a very cohesive Cardiff team.

"I know they [Cardiff] were unlucky at the weekend, but they’ve built up a fair bit of momentum and are going well, so it'll be a stern challenge. They’ve got plenty of experience in their ranks as well, so you’ll get great accurate feedback with these players who are getting the opportunity.

"We have the privilege of seeing these guys train week-in, week-out against what is in effect an international setup with the number of players we’ve got in the Ireland camp. You’re able to get a good measure of where they’re at against each other in training. It’s very exciting to see these guys training and having an opportunity at the weekend."

There are no fresh injury concerns heading into the week, with Caelan Doris and Josh van der Flier both cleared to link up with the Ireland squad, having picked up minor injuries in Saturday's win against Racing 92.

However, the province earlier confirmed that second row Charlie Ryan (above) has been forced to retire at the age of 23, after a longstanding knee injury.

The former Ireland U20 captain, who led the 2019 side to a Six Nations Grand Slam, had progressed from the Leinster academy to a senior contract at the start of this season, although his recurring knee issue meant he never represented the first team.

"I finish my career deeply grateful to Leinster Rugby. Firstly, to Leo and the coaching staff for showing belief in me as a person and player despite my injury struggle," Ryan said.

"The signing of a senior contract with my boyhood club was one of my proudest moments, there's nothing more the club could have done for me with respect to this injury.

"I leave the club at peace mentally due to the tireless work of the medical team. Every possible avenue to success was explored."

Ryan is the injury retirement in the Leinster squad so far this season, with James Tracy confirming his retirement before Christmas due to an ongoing neck issue.

This season, the Philadelphia Eagles unleashed the "Tush Push" play, where a quarterback gets an extra shove or pull from teammates during a sneak. When executed correctly, it's almost indefensible. 

So, naturally, the NFL might eliminate it.

Dean Blandino, former NFL vice president of officiating, told the 33rdteam.com's Paul Domowitch that he'd be shocked if a change doesn't come when the NFL's competition committee meets in two weeks. 

"It amounts to a rugby scrum," Blandino said. "The NFL wants to showcase the athleticism and skill of our athletes. This is just not a skillful play. This is just a tactic that is not an aesthetically pleasing play, and I think the competition committee is going to take a look at it." 

According to Adam Levitan of Establish the Run, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scored 10 of his 18 rushing touchdowns on the year from inside the 2-yard line, proving the "Tush Push" plays' success rate. While the tactic is legally in a grey area, speculation has only grown over whether or not the league should discuss banning it altogether. 

Recently, NFL Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Steve Young said the NFL was going to look into making banning the play. And, ahead of Super Bowl LVII, Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowler Cam Heyward noted on his podcast Not Just Football that he was "triggered" by the Eagles' sneaks while advocating for its removal. 

"I'm always pissed off in these fourth downs because it's always so skewed to the offense," Heyward said. "I'm just confused why they switched the rule. It used to be a penalty to push your guy forward. Nobody really noticed until the Eagles were like, oh, this is unstoppable." 

Frankly, the outcry against the Eagles' strategy sounds like sour grapes. Usually, in the NFL, being unable to stop a particular offensive scheme isn't reason enough to make it illegal. With that said, if NFL ultimately chooses to eliminate the play for the 2023 season, the Eagles will have to go back to the drawing board to find a different strategy on short-yardage scenarios, which was their bread and butter throughout the run to the Super Bowl.

© PA Images Bulls-players-v-URC-2022-PA

Bulls scrum coach Werner Kruger has urged his pack of forwards to ‘balance their aggression’ when they go up against the Stormers in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) derby in Pretoria.

As a former Bulls front-row, Kruger was involved in several highly charged Super Rugby and Currie Cup derbies against the Stormers and Western Province.

The 38-year-old used last week’s Round Two Six Nations showdown between World Rugby’s top-ranked teams – Ireland and France in Dublin – as an illustration of how forwards need to keep cool heads in key games.

France played with 14 men for 10 minutes during the first half of that Test after their front-row Uini Atonio was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle on Ireland hooker Rob Herring.

Les Bleus eventually suffered a 32-19 defeat which ended their 14-match winning streak.

Although the Stormers‘ pack will be without experienced players like 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning front-row duo Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe, due to Springbok resting protocols, Kruger is wary of their scrum, which destroyed the Sharks at the set-piece a fortnight ago.

“They’ve got confidence in their scrum, and they back their scrum,” he said. “One mustn’t forget that a scrum is a unit, and when it functions well, things roll with that momentum.

Wary of the Stormers pack

“As a forward unit and as a team, they’ve been going very well this season. There’s a fine line between balancing aggression and getting the accuracy right.

“You have to look at France’s prop getting a red [yellow] card, so there’s a fine line in coming with loads of aggression, while also getting it right with execution.”

An area of concern for the former Springbok is how inconsistent the Bulls‘ forwards have performed in the URC this season.

There have been matches where they delivered outstanding performances, while in other encounters, they were dominated by their opponents.

They can ill afford an off day against the Stormers, who have won their last four URC clashes against the Bulls, but Kruger is backing his troops to be at their best on Saturday.

“The Stormers do all of their basics very well, which will be a massive challenge for us, but the one thing for us with our scrum is our inconsistency,” he said.

“We’ll go well for two to three weeks, then drop off a bit. Players don’t need additional hype for the North/South Derby, especially with the tickets that have been sold.”

READ MORE: United Rugby Championship: Five storylines to follow in Round 14 including the North-South derby and Six Nations returnees