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Product ownership is a critical role in agile frameworks, focused on maximizing the value of product development. If you're considering a career in product ownership, two well-known certifications stand out: SAFe® Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO). Both certifications validate your skills as a product owner, but they cater to different organizational needs and scales.

In this blog, we’ll compare the SAFe POPM and CSPO certifications, explore their core differences, and help you decide which one aligns best with your career goals.

1. Overview of SAFe POPM and CSPO

• SAFe POPM (Product Owner/Product Manager) is part of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), which is designed to support agile practices across large enterprises. This certification focuses on product ownership and product management in a scaled environment, preparing you to work within SAFe’s structure to align agile teams with organizational strategy.
• CSPO (Certified Scrum Product Owner), provided by Scrum Alliance, is based on the Scrum framework and focuses on product ownership at the team level. It is primarily geared towards product owners working in single Scrum teams, ensuring the delivery of customer-centric features and enhancing the product backlog.

While both certifications target product ownership skills, they operate at different levels of complexity and scale.

2. Who Should Pursue SAFe POPM vs CSPO?

SAFe POPM: Scaling Agile Across the Enterprise

The SAFe POPM certification is ideal if you:

• Work in or plan to work in large organizations that implement SAFe to manage multiple agile teams or Agile Release Trains (ARTs).
• Need to work with both product owners and product managers to manage backlogs, prioritize features, and align product development with organizational strategy.
• Are interested in collaborating with multiple agile teams and stakeholders at the enterprise level.

CSPO: Focusing on Scrum Teams

The CSPO is ideal if you:

• Are a beginner or intermediate-level product owner working with a single agile or Scrum team.
• Want to gain foundational skills in Scrum, including backlog management, stakeholder engagement, and defining user stories.
• Work in or plan to work in organizations where Scrum is the primary agile framework and scaling isn’t currently a focus.
• In summary, SAFe POPM is ideal for those working in large-scale agile environments, while CSPO is better suited for product owners in single-team Scrum environments.

3. Certification Requirements and Prerequisites

Both SAFe POPM and CSPO have minimal prerequisites, but they differ in structure and requirements.

SAFe POPM Prerequisites:

• Experience Recommended: While there are no strict prerequisites, it’s recommended to have some experience in agile, Scrum, or product management.
• Training Required: To earn the SAFe POPM, you must complete the two-day SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager course offered by Scaled Agile. This course prepares you for the certification exam.
• Exam: After training, candidates take a 45-question exam with a 90-minute time limit. A passing score is required to earn the certification.

CSPO Prerequisites:

• No Experience Required: The CSPO has no prerequisites and is accessible to beginners.
• Training Required: You must complete a two-day Certified Scrum Product Owner course taught by a Scrum Alliance-approved trainer. There is no exam for CSPO, and the certification is awarded upon course completion.
• While both certifications require training, only the SAFe POPM has an exam, reflecting its more advanced focus on scaled agile practices.

4. Core Skills and Focus Areas

SAFe POPM Skills:

The SAFe POPM certification emphasizes skills necessary for working in a scaled environment. Key focus areas include:

• Product Management: Understanding how to align features and initiatives with the organization’s strategic goals.
• Program Increment (PI) Planning: Collaborating in PI planning sessions to align teams with shared objectives.
• Backlog Prioritization: Managing and prioritizing backlogs at both the team and program levels to meet organizational needs.
• Lean and Agile Principles: Applying Lean principles to reduce waste, improve flow, and enhance value delivery in a large-scale setup.
• SAFe POPM prepares professionals to work at an enterprise level, prioritizing alignment and coordination across multiple teams.

CSPO Skills:

The CSPO focuses on foundational skills for product ownership in a Scrum environment, including:

• Backlog Management: Creating, refining, and prioritizing the product backlog to ensure it reflects customer needs.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Communicating with stakeholders to gather requirements and convey progress.
• User Story Creation: Writing user stories that capture customer requirements and can be easily understood by the Scrum team.
• Sprint Planning and Review: Working with the team to plan and review sprints, making sure that deliverables align with stakeholder expectations.
• CSPO is ideal for building the essential skills needed to succeed as a product owner at the Scrum team level.

5. Exam Structure and Certification Process

The certification processes differ for SAFe POPM and CSPO, mainly due to the SAFe POPM exam requirement.

SAFe POPM Certification Process:

• Training: Complete a two-day SAFe POPM course.
• Exam: Take a 45-question multiple-choice exam. Candidates have 90 minutes to complete the test, and a score of 73% or higher is required to pass.
• Renewal: The SAFe POPM certification is valid for one year and requires an annual renewal with a fee and continuing education credits.

CSPO Certification Process:

• Training: Attend a two-day CSPO course with a certified Scrum trainer.
• No Exam: The CSPO does not have an exam; certification is awarded upon course completion.
• Renewal: The CSPO certification must be renewed every two years, with a fee and 20 Scrum Education Units (SEUs).
• The SAFe POPM’s exam requirement makes it a more rigorous certification, while the CSPO is more accessible and doesn’t require testing.

6. Career Opportunities and Salary

Both certifications can lead to enhanced career opportunities, but they target slightly different roles and organizational scales.

SAFe POPM Career Path and Salary:

• Roles: Professionals with a SAFe POPM certification often work as Product Owners, Product Managers, Release Train Engineers, or SAFe Program Consultants in large organizations.
• Salary: According to research, professionals with SAFe certifications typically earn higher-than-average salaries in agile roles, especially in industries where SAFe is widely adopted, like finance, government, and technology.

CSPO Career Path and Salary:

• Roles: CSPO-certified professionals typically work as Product Owners within a single Scrum team or multiple Scrum teams in smaller agile environments.
• Salary: CSPO-certified Product Owners earn competitive salaries, often averaging between $85,000 and $125,000 per year depending on location, experience, and industry.
• While both certifications can enhance salary prospects, SAFe POPM is more likely to lead to higher-paying roles in larger organizations implementing scaled agile practices.

7. Which Certification Should You Choose?

Your choice between SAFe POPM and CSPO depends on your career goals, work environment, and aspirations:

• Choose SAFe POPM if you work in a large organization where agile is scaled across multiple teams, or if you aspire to work in enterprise-level agile environments where SAFe is implemented.
• Choose CSPO if you’re working at a team level in a Scrum environment, especially if you’re a beginner or intermediate in product ownership and want to focus on Scrum fundamentals.
• For professionals who already hold a CSPO, pursuing SAFe POPM can be a logical next step if they plan to work in larger, scaled agile environments.

Conclusion

Both SAFe POPM and CSPO are valuable certifications for product ownership roles, each catering to different scales and frameworks. If your career path involves managing products at the team level, CSPO offers foundational skills that you’ll need. On the other hand, if you’re aiming to work within scaled agile environments in a large organization, SAFe POPM provides the advanced skills required for aligning product goals with enterprise strategy.

By understanding your current role and long-term goals, you can choose the certification that aligns best with your career aspirations and sets you up for success in the dynamic field of agile product management.