Are you looking for a Product Owner career? Have no idea about CSPO and CSP-PO certifications, which one to choose for building a career as Product Owner for entry-level, as well as senior role promotion? Here in this article, we will discuss the Product Owner’s responsibilities, the difference and comparison between these two certifications, and why companies prefer certified PO experts.
Choose the right certification that best suits your current stage of knowledge and your career aspirations. Let us compare both certifications – their attributes and which level of professionals they best cater to.
Who is a Product Owner?
A Product Owner (PO) is an important role at any level of the Agile Scrum team who focuses on the value maximization of the output product created by the team. This includes grasping the product vision, maintaining the product backlog, and ensuring that there is effective communication between the stakeholders and the development team.
Product Owners act as a role of strategists, market researchers, client managers, and product designers, to ensure that the product is customer-centric and has business value. Product owners have the final word on strategic and tactical product decisions, so their roles and responsibilities are important.
CSPO: Certified Scrum Product Owner
The CSPO certification is considered as the first step for anyone interested to learn the fundamentals of Scrum. It defines what a Product Owner in a Scrum team does such as managing the product backlog, composing user stories, and determining priority items.
Recruiters will give preference to candidates with CSPO certification as having an edge over their non-certified workforces due to their understanding of the basics of the subject matter.
CSP-PO: Certified Scrum Professional Product Owner
CSP-PO indicates the highest level of certification for Experienced Product owners, which is awarded after gaining thorough knowledge of Scrum and agile frameworks and equips the individual to lead and manage product development successfully.
This CSP-PO certification highlights strategic product leadership and advanced product optimization techniques.
Comparison Table:
| Feature | CSPO (Certified Scrum Product Owner) | CSP-PO (Certified Scrum Professional – Product Owner) |
| Certification Level | Entry-level Product Owner certification | Advanced, professional-level certification |
| Target Audience | New or Aspiring Product Owners in Scrum | Experienced Product Owners who wish to get proficiency level |
| Prerequisites | None; available for anyone who wishes to pursue it. | CSPO certification and A-CSPO certification + Minimum 2 years of Product Owner experience |
| Focus Areas | Basic Scrum principles, roles, and product backlog management | Advanced product ownership, strategy, lean thinking, stakeholder management |
| Course Duration | 2 days | 2–3 days, with more in-depth content |
| Assessment/Exam | No formal exam; participation-based certification with CSTs. | Same as CSPO no formal Exam, but Requires active participation in training with CSTs |
| Key Skills Gained | Backlog prioritization, user stories, basic Scrum framework | Product strategy, advanced backlog techniques, leadership, lean metrics |
| Certification Authority | Scrum Alliance | Scrum Alliance |
| Renewal Requirements | Renew every 2 years with 20 SEUs (Scrum Education Units) + Renewal fee of $100. | Renew every 2 years with 40 SEUs + Renewal fee of $250. |
| Career Impact | Opens doors to Product Owner roles | Increases value on the senior sides of the business as a Product Manager or Agile Coach. |
CSPO vs. CSP-PO: Which Certification is Right for You?
Here’s a comparison to help you make the right decision:
Choose CSPO if:
- You have less familiarity or no knowledge about the Product Owner role.
- You want to learn the fundamentals of Scrum.
- You wish to understand product backlog management and user story development.
- Want to make your resume stand out and prove your readiness for the Product Owner position.
Choose CSP-PO if:
- You have worked as a Product Owner for a long term and have good knowledge about Scrum.
- Desire to improve your leadership and strategic product thinking.
- Seek to broaden the scope of your challenges in product development.
- You want to stand out from a pool of other Product Owners and pursue higher career paths.
Job Outlook for Product Owners
As per the Zippia forecast, shows that product owners in the United States appear to be positive growth. The expected rate for new hires for product owners is predicted to reach 10 percent from 2018 to 2028, which equates to approximately 33,700 new positions for product owners in the following 10 years.
In the previous five years alone, product owner average compensation rates have gone up by 8%. Currently, there are over 6140 product owners in the US, and an additional 129,990 product owner positions are available. The annual average salary for a product owner is $97,070.
Conclusion:
At lastly, the most optimal certification will be as per your unique career needs and objectives. Look at your present career level, knowledge, experience, and career goals, and pick a certification that will add the most value to your position as a Product Owner.