As Agile methodologies becoming more and more popular, there is an obvious need on the market for all kind of trainings in this area. From more general, which show teams what Agile is all about to more specific like ScrumMaster or Product Owner certificate preparation. The choice of training courses is wide and there are a plethora of companies that provide such education for other companies. But, how to choose the right Agile course, which will be a good investment for your team?
There are many factors, which you should consider before you invest your money in your Agile education or Scrum certificates, but we suggest at least those four, in our opinion, the most important.
Experience
The more experienced the company is, the more refined their courses are. For example, at dailyagile.com they conducted hundreds of trainings globally, so you can be sure, that courses are well prepared and adjusted to client needs. After every training the feedback is gathered to check how it can be improved. It is always good to know that the company has sins of its youth far behind.
But even more important thing than the experience of a company is the experience of its trainers. They lead the whole process of teaching, including real world examples, lots of hands-on activities, and no to minimum power point slides, and their skills often decide of success or failure of the course. Our trainers are also work as agile coach so they continuously bring real world experience in the classes.
Accreditation
When it comes to Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) preparation, the essential thing is to assure that it has the accreditation from the proper organization (in this case it is Scrum Alliance). There are some requirements each company has to meet before it will provide courses for clients. It gives you a little more confidence that the company is taking teaching others seriously. DailyAgile offers public and on-site private Certified and non-certified agile trainings.
Groups (Class size)
It is a common truth that the smaller group of people is, the greater value each attendee gets. Everybody would have a chance to speak, ask questions, and actively attend the workshop. Be sure the group is not too large so you can squeeze the given time and learn as much as you can. On the other hand, a group should not be too small. Sometimes there are workshops and it is good to have some people you can practice on. Also, it is a great opportunity for networking; learn from others in the workshop, and creating future business relations.
Price
The cost of the training can vary. The important thing here is to check what is included in the price. While preparing for a certification, it often includes all certification fees, but it is advised to check it. Sometimes you get lunch, additional materials, books, etc. It means that often prices, as single numbers, are not comparable. Check if courses you are considering give similar value for a similar price.
We are living in the age of possibilities, so nowadays, it is harder than ever before to choose the best option. There are so many companies and so many Agile and Scrum courses available on the market, that searching through them is a real pain. We recommend you to check offer at dailyagile.com where trainers have a great practical experience with Agile teams as well as hundreds of hours worked as speakers. Their courses are well prepared and fully supported by Scrum Alliance organization.