Why become a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)?

Scrum certifications are a great way to both grow and demonstrate your knowledge. The most common certifications for a product owner are:

• CSPO Certified Scrum Product Owner from Scrum Alliance. 
• PSPO Professional Scrum Product Owner from Scrum.org.

The CSPO is more common than the PSPO but also more expensive. Both offer multiple levels of certification.

You are required to take a class by a certified instructor for the CSPO, which will cost you around $1,000. There is no test for the CSPO. Completing the class earns you the certification.

The PSPO recommends but doesn’t require a course. So you can take the self-study route and then take a cheaper test ($200). This level of affordability can make the scrum.org certifications a more attractive first step for people exploring scrum certifications.

Here is my experience with certifications as a path to growth.

Also be sure to check out the essential Scrum glossary.

Like becoming a scrum master, the best way to grow as a product owner is through practice. The CSPO class is helpful as it provides several practical facilitation techniques. 

I’ve seen it listed as a requirement for various product owner or product manager roles. It can be beneficial if all other things are equal, but I don’t think it’s a game-changer for landing a PO job.

Here is my experience with certifications as a path to growth.

Want to learn the essential Scrum terms.