If you work in the software field, then you would have heard about Agile or Scrum methodology. You may also have heard that getting Scrum certified can fetch you a better salary, better position, and more responsibilities. While there are different Scrum certifications you can pursue, this post will be talking about Certified Scrum Developer or (CSD®) certification.
What is Scrum?
The software development life cycle was once so slow that by the time the development team had finished working on a product and it was released, it had become obsolete to the customer. The field was in dire need of a revamp and this is how Agile methodology came into existence. Agile emphasises on continuous development and testing of the software, increased collaboration and communication, and increased flexibility to accommodate the changing business needs.
However, Agile only lays down guidelines and doesn’t specify exact steps of methods that can be used to achieve the aim. This is where Scrum comes into the picture.Scrum lays down a specific set of roles, responsibilities, ceremonies, etc that can be used by any organisation that strives to follow the Agile methodology.
Who is a CSD?
Usually, there are three main roles within the Scrum framework – the Scrum Master, the Product Owner, and the Development Team. The Product Owner works with the stakeholders and the ScrumMaster to ensure that the product meets their expectations. The ScrumMaster engages with the Product Owner and works towards creating a work environment that allows the team to achieve their goals. The development team consists of software developers, programmers, testers, software architects, business analysts, software designers, and documentation experts. Every one of them has a role to play in the product development and works parallely on a section of the product.
A Certified Scrum Developer or CSD is a developer or a programmer who works within the Scrum framework. A CSD training will teach you the basics of Scrum as well as how you can use your technical skills along with the Scrum skills to ensure that you always deliver a high-quality product that meets the client’s expectations. You can take CSD training after your CSM training or do it independently. If you have already taken a CSM certification, then you will need to take a 3 day training on Agile engineering practices to complete your CSD training. If you haven’t taken any Scrum certification till now, you will have to take a 5-day training. The first two days will focus on teaching you the concepts of Scrum and the next three days will be the Agile engineering course mentioned above.
Why Do You Need CSD Training?
Without doubt, a CSD certification will help you advance your career. It shows that you are willing to learn skills that will enable you to deliver better quality products. It also shows that you are willing to go the distance and be a team player. Most of the software companies have adopted the Scrum methodology and being able to fully understand and participate in the process can make you an indispensable part of the company. This also ensures your job security. Apart from all of this, you also get to enhance your technical skills by learning Agile engineering. Here are a few skills that you will acquire during the course of your training.
- SOLID Principles: These 5 principles are fundamental to writing code that is easy to maintain and robust. SOLID principles are designed to generate code that is of high-quality, can be reused and is easily scalable.
- Test Driven Development: This approach aims at making the code simple, clear, and error-free by first writing a test that validates and specifies what the code is supposed to do.
- Refactoring: When you refactor a code, you are simplifying and clarifying the existing code without changing how it behaves. You are changing its internal behaviour without changing its external behaviour. This is used in Agile engineering to prevent code rot and make the code easy to maintain and extend.
- Continuous Integration: Continuous integration is used to generate daily builds of the software by integrating the work of all the developers and programmers on the team to avoid any conflict that can occur at a later stage. This keeps the code robust and reduces the time spent on debugging at a later stage.
Get Your CSD Certification Today!
A CSD certification is a great way for a developer to fully understand the Scrum process and ensure that the coding practices are compliant with Scrum. When the whole team is well-versed in Scrum, the productivity and collaboration within the team increases. By taking CSD training, you will enhance your technical as well as managerial skills. Apart from the professional benefits that you get, it also helps the team. And the increased pay package and better job opportunities are definitely something to consider.