Why We’ll Have Certified ScrumMasters

As I posted yesterday, I assumed based on a reading of Ken Schwaber’s Control Chaos site that becoming a certified ScrumMaster meant paying licensing fees to implement Scrum. So it occurred to me that I might want to ask Ken that question. Here was the question I posed in an email:

If I interpret this correctly from the individual license someone will receive after attending training:

“The individual has the right to use the Scrum Product as provided in the performance of their professional work. The individual may use the Scrum Product to train others and describe Scrum to others. The individual is responsible for not letting the Scrum Product be used by other individuals or organizations unless they have acquired either an Individual or Organizational license, as provided.”

Then I’m on the hook to pay at least for an organizational project license if that individual acts as a ScrumMaster on a project?

Ken’s answer was pretty straightforward:

No.. the organizational licenses is for the methodology, which we had to build for CMM Level 3. Scrum itself and all of the training materials are opensourece.

— Ken

So I can send/attend certified ScrumMaster training (I haven’t seen a non-certified version) and not worry about licensing issues. Boy, I’m glad we’re not a CMMI organization, that would just drive me nuts.