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Agile development is one of the most popular approaches for managing development projects, and Scrum is the most popular method of Agile development. The Scrum development framework is lightweight and iterative. The software developed using Scrum is delivered in increments. In each iteration of the Scrum process, a feature or set of features becomes a target for development, testing, and finally release. So with each cycle, the goal is to release a new software version with fewer bugs and more features than the last. Daily Scrum meetings allow the development team to quickly review the previous day's work, bring up any issues they have had with development, and plan the next day’s work. Other events in Scrum improve the development and release process continuously, so the team improves their performance over time.

Scrum consists of events that lead to the completion of a project. The first is the sprint. This is a period of a month or less where a certain set of features will be developed and released. A sprint starts with a sprint planning meeting, which sets the goals for the team over the next sprint. This involves the entire Scrum team. Scrum also has daily Scrum meetings where members of the development team review the progress they have made in the last day, bring up any issues they may have had, and plan their work for the next day. This helps the entire Scrum team to gauge their progress. At the end of every sprint, a sprint review is held with stakeholders when the group receives feedback on the sprint results. The entire scrum team holds a sprint retrospective when they evaluate the sprint and make suggestions for improvement.

A Certified Scrum Master (CSM) is the Scrum team member who leads and facilitates the Scrum process and has received certification from the Scrum Alliance. To apply for the CSM exam, applicants must take a two-day CSM course taught by a Certified Scrum Trainer. This course covers project scope, Lean, Agile, Scrum, Agile facilitation, and team coaching. Applicants can then take the exam, which consists of 35 questions answered in 60 minutes. The exam will cover Scrum artifacts, Scrum events, Scrum roles, Scrum meetings, and general Scrum knowledge. To maintain CSM certification, a Scrum master must renew credentials every two years at the Scrum Alliance portal. Having a CSM certification gives individuals increased recognition in the development community, credibility as a leader, and opportunities with enterprises that practice Agile development.

Agile and Scrum are often confused, but they are not the same thing. Scrum can be part of a company’s Agile methodology, but Agile contains more than Scrum. Agile is a project management philosophy that fosters a continuous iteration of development and breaks product releases into smaller builds. Scrum is a specific type of Agile methodology used to facilitate a project. For example, Agile uses collaboration and face-to-face interactions between team members to make development decisions. Scrum achieves this collaboration by designating daily stand-up meetings when team members review progress and set daily goals. Agile says that teams should deliver software iteratively with regular feedback, and Scrum defines this process with development sprints that deliver software releases every month or less.

Scrum has a range of benefits for teams, offering greater productivity through a team-driven transparency model. Each member of a team has a clearly defined role, such as developer, project manager, and quality assurance. Through collaboration, guided by the project manager, the team tracks their objectives, and each member has a clear role in reaching task goals. Scrum breaks down project objectives into time increments called "sprints." If changes are needed, they can be pushed to the next sprint cycle. This allows teams to keep moving ahead with their current objectives without putting important changes on the back burner. The transparency of Scrum lets each member of the team know where a project is in its development and what tasks need to be done to complete the project.