Mastery

Beyond the Agile Certification Alphabet Soup

Beyond the Agile Certification Alphabet Soup

The debate on the value of agile certifications has been raging on for decades. And one thing for certain is that it hasn’t dimmed the enthusiasm of the companies and organizations creating them.

For example, in 2016 I had a wild idea to explore and capture as many agile certifications as I could. I found 113, and I’m sure it wasn’t an exhaustive or definitive number.

Apparently, my work inspired Anthony Mersino to update the count in 2019-20. Bless his little heart. He found 270 at the time, over a 2x increase from my inventory. He called the post—The Circus of Agile Certifications, and I resonated powerfully with that somewhat snarky title.

Imagine that, 270 distinct certifications! I think it’s safe to say (pun intended) that there are probably ~300 unique agile certifications as I’m writing this post in 2023.

And the problem with most of these is that they are granted by simply attending a class and, in some cases, a quick exam. But are classes enough for learning, growth, and success in agile ways of working?

My answer would be a firm…No!