CIPSA vs. Other Certifications: An AI-Powered Comparison of Scaled Agile Certifications and Skills

The CIPSA (Certified In Practical Scaled Agile) certification is a specialized credential designed for Agile practitioners who need to scale Scrum or Kanban across multiple teams. It removes heavy overhead of traditional and theoretical frameworks. 

CIPSA distinguishes itself through a 70% practical, 30% theoretical curriculum that emphasizes hands-on tool usage. Though MS Project Agile is used for all the use cases and practicals, any other software tool with scaling capability can be used. Because the fundamentals will remain the same.

The software should support both Scaled Scrum and Scaled Kanban. Otherwise, it must allow customizations to do the needed scaling. MS Project Agile allows that and hence used.

The CIPSA Framework Guide is free to download and use. Detailed explaination is part of the course.  

CIPSA is hands-on, heads-on and hearts-on. Such learning builds skills, minds, and emotions with respect to Scrum at Scale and Kanban at Scale.

Next, let's see the comparsion with star ratings. 

Comparative Analysis: CIPSA vs. SAFe vs. Scrum@Scale vs. LeSS

 The star ratings, used in the below table, are as follows:

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = Very high, 
• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ = High, 
• ⭐⭐⭐ = Medium,
• ⭐⭐ = Low, and
• ⭐ = Very low.

The below comparison table is prepared by taking extensive inputs from many Scaled Agile practitioners, including CIPSA, SAFe, and other certified ones. You can also use any Artificial Intelligence (AI) – specifically Gen-AI tools to check. 

As shown above, CIPSA gets high rankings on many parameters. 

Compare CIPSA with Others using GenAI tools

In fact, I checked with ChatGPT and used the prompt below:

"Compare CIPSA with SAFe, Scrum@Scale and LeSS. Compare across the following parameters. Give star rating for each and a final rating. 

1. Practical, Hands-on Focus

2. Tool Integration (e.g., MS Project or Others)

3. Ease of Implementation

4. Role Clarity and Definition

5. Market Recognition 

6. Cost Effectiveness

7. Flexibility and Adaptability

8. Suitability Across Industries

9. Exam Difficulty

10. Value for Money"

CIPSA came on top as the preferred practical, tool-based Scaled Agile scaling. The star ratings were similar to the above table with a few variations.

Considering the above comparison table, following is the final ranking given by ChatGPT.

• 🥇 CIPSA — 42/50 = 84%
• 🥈 Scrum@Scale — 36/50 = 72%
• 🥉 LeSS — 34/50 = 68%
• SAFe — 33/50 = 66%

The formula for the calculation is the following one. 

= Final Rating (%) 

= (Sum of 10 parameter scores ÷ 50) × 100

For example, for CIPSA:

= Totol Points

= 5 + 5 + 4 + 5 + 2 + 5 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 5  

= 42

So, for CIPSA, it's: 

= (42 ÷ 50) × 100 

= 84% (each parameter is scored out of 5  and there are 10 parameters, hence this calculation)

With only numbers and stars, the final ratings are these.

1. CIPSA — 4.20/5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

2. Scrum@Scale — 3.60/5 ⭐⭐⭐½

3. LeSS — 3.40/5 ⭐⭐⭐⅖

4. SAFe — 3.30/5 ⭐⭐⭐⅓

Next, I gave the following prompt:

"Give a short summary paragraph on all the above scaled agile certifications, which clearly informs on all four. Inform the final and most preferred one - just one."

The response from ChatGPT was exactly as follows:

"CIPSA, SAFe, Scrum@Scale, and LeSS are four approaches to scaling Agile, each with a different emphasis: CIPSA (Certified In Practical Scaled Agile) focuses on practical, hands-on implementation and tool integration; SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) provides the strongest enterprise structure and market recognition; Scrum@Scale (Scrum at Scale) offers a flexible, lightweight approach to coordinating multiple Scrum teams; and LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum) emphasizes simplicity and minimal additional roles and processes. Considering the overall criteria—including practicality, ease of implementation, flexibility, cost effectiveness, tool integration, and value for money—CIPSA is the most preferred overall, particularly for professionals seeking practical, implementation-focused scaled Agile capability."

You can try it on your own to evaluate by using the above prompts in ChatGPT. You can also check with any AI tool, worldwide. CIPSA will emerge as a top choice.

Further Breakdown

1. Practical/Hands-on Focus: CIPSA leads with a dedicated 70% practical curriculum using real tools. Few others follow with strong experiential learning via "whiteboard" exercises. Rest of them are mostly theoretical, focusing on framework rules and roles rather than tool-based execution. 

2. Tool Integration: CIPSA is unique in explicitly training on MS Project Agile for scaled agile management. Others have broad vendor support (e.g., Jira or Rally in SAFe) but they teach theoretical concepts rather than specific tool mechanics. Few others are have no tool support. 

3. Market Recognition: Here SAFe leads in the enterprise market with a number of certified practitioners, ranking it higher. CIPSA is a specialized certification with growing global footprint. 

4. Cost Effectiveness: CIPSA, followed by Scrum@Scale and LeSS, offer the best value for your invested money.  Some certifications demand US $800–$1,500 or more for training. 

As informed by all certified CIPSAs, the certification gives the highest value for money. CIPSA certification also has no renewal cost.

5. Flexibility: LeSS is typically considered to be the most flexible, stripping away unnecessary roles to rely on pure Scrum. SAFe is considered to be the most rigid, requiring significant process adoption, for example ARTs, PI Planning etc. CIPSA balances this by offering a structured yet tool-driven approach that adapts to existing workflows. 

CIPSA certification is also one of the few scaled frameworks which supports Kanban at Scale. In other words, you will know both: Scrum at Scale and Kanban at Scale. 

Video: Top 10 Reasons to be a CIPSA

You can watch the following video to learn the top reasons to with the CIPSA certification.

Conclusion

In conclusion, CIPSA serves as a high-value, yet highly economical alternative for organizations and individuals seeking immediate, actionable scaling skills. CIPSA is not just theoretical knowledge, which is of little to no use in the real-world. It's thoroughly practical and hands-on with deep explanations of theories. 

CIPSA is a growing certification and focuses on simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and tool-based execution. It's uniquely suited for teams that need to deliver complex products or solutions quickly.

By bridging the gap between team-level Agile and enterprise scaling through practical application, CIPSA equips practitioners in a world which is dominated by theoretical understanding but little practical applicability. 

CIPSA Certification – In-depth, Practical, and Economical

[1] Scaled Agile Certification Course: Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA)

[2] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - CIPSA Certification

CIPSA and CHAMP Success Stories:

• CIPSA Success Story: From CHAMP to CIPSA – Taking Agile to the Next Level with Scaled Scrum and Scaled Kanban
• CHAMP Success Story: Bridging Predictive and Agile Worlds with Hybrid-Agile Mastery
• CHAMP Course: Excellent One for Mastering MS Project in both Traditional and Agile Environments
• CHAMP Success Story: A Niche Certification –Never Seen Anything Like this Before!
• CHAMP Success Story: One of the Best Hybrid-Agile Certification Courses I Ever Attended

Practical Scrum at Scale with CIPSA: Key Roles and Goals (Part - 2)

This is second part of the series. You can read the earlier post in the link below. 

[Part - 1]

In this part, we will learn to use MS Project Agile to have a practical demonstration. It's not mandatory to use this software to scale as any other software with scaling capabilities for Scrum and Kanban can be used. 

I've extensively used this software as it provides capabilities for both Scrum and Kanban. In addition, the traditional aspects of project management are also available. This makes a powerful combination. 

Practical, Hands-on Demonstration

Now, let’s see how MS Project Agile can be used to have all the roles (resources). MS Project comes with a very simple, yet effective view – the Resource Sheet view. This view will be used to add the necessary resources, who play the desired roles.

After you add the resources for all the Scrum teams, the view will come as shown below.

As shown:

• We have 18 resources across multiple Scrum teams.
• Various resource related fields are populated by default.
• For your Scaled Scrum work, you can also add other resources such as material and/or cost.

Next, to differentiate among the teams, we need to have a new custom field, i.e., Team custom field. This field can be added by going to Resource Sheet Tools > Format tab > Columns group > Custom Fields command.

Next, you can add the teams separately, but it’s better to have a look-up for the custom field. This can be done by using the “Lookup …” button highlighted in the above figure.

As shown above, for the Team Custom Field, we have five values:

• Team A, B and C for resources of Team A, B and C.
• Unassigned for unassigned resources.
• All Teams will be resources used across the teams. For roles such as CPO and PSM, it will be an apt choice.
• Unassigned has been set as the default one and hence the blue color coding.

Ensure that the Lookup radio button is enabled so that the values can take effect and will be available in the drop-down list. Next, we can populate this new Team custom field in our Resource Sheet view with the respective team values. The Team column has to be added into the existing list of columns in the view. Post population, it’ll come as shown below.

In addition, we can also associate the resources to the roles being played. The role can be added into the Group field, available by default or one can add a separate custom field. This is shown in the below figure.

As you’d have noticed, three resources are part of the entire CIPSA team (informed as “All Teams”):

• John Robinson, a work resource, is the Chief Product Owner.
• Satya Dash, a work resource, is the Principal Scrum Master.
• Other resources have team specific roles and accountabilities.

Goals in Scaled Scrum *** UPDATED ***

Roles and goals are intricately related. Without clear roles and responsibilities (accountabilities), you won’t have clear goals.

As a matter of fact, I’ve interacted with many Scrum Masters and Product Owners, who don’t have any goal at all for their Sprints. It’s like getting into a train or bus, but without any end destination in mind! Ever travelled like that in any seriousness?

So, who will set the Goals and where? The goals are associated with the artifacts – Product Backlog, CIPSA Sprint Backlog and Team Sprint Backlog.

• Goal for the product will be set by the Chief Product Owner. The Product Goal is part of the Product Backlog. The CPO also prepares the Product Goal and presents it to the CIPSA Team in the CIPSA Sprint Planning meeting.
• Goal for the upcoming CIPSA Sprint meta-event will be set by the CIPSA Team. The CIPSA Sprint Goal is part of the CIPSA Sprint Backlog.

You can know more about the Product Goal in the following article:

Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA) Certification: Product Goal – What It Is and What It’s Not!

Goals for the upcoming Team Sprint events will be set by the individual and respective Team Product Owners. The Team Sprint Goal is part of the Team Sprint Backlog.

Video – Key Points Recap

Now, it’s a good time to recap what we have learned so far with the help of MS Project Agile software tool. To support this, I’ve provided the following video [duration: 4 minutes approx.]. For the best experience, you may want to go full-screen with HD mode and plug-in your earphones.

Conclusion *** UPDATED ***

In the beginning, I wrote: 

Simple is beautiful. Simple things are followed. And simplicity is sticky. 

It is applicable to many aspects of our lives, too. For example, as a kid, did you like the simple game of baseball, cricket, and/or badminton, or the complex game of synchronized swimming with eight or ten people and rules? I’m not saying synchronized swimming is not good, but which one did you mostly follow? You know the answer!

The CIPSA framework is intended to be simple, so that it can be followed easily. More importantly, it’s hands-on and practical. This can be used with any software tool, which provides Agile at Scale capability. MS Project Agile does that and hence it’s used. Of course, it can be used with any other software tool providing proper scaling capabilities.

[Part - 1]

--

This article was first published by MPUG on March 11, 2025. This an updated version. 

References

[1] Certification Course: Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA), by ManagementYogi.com

[2] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - CIPSA Certification

[3] The CIPSA Framework – A Simple Clock View

CIPSA and CHAMP Success Stories:

• CIPSA Success Story: From CHAMP to CIPSA – Taking Agile to the Next Level with Scaled Scrum and Scaled Kanban
• CHAMP Success Story: Bridging Predictive and Agile Worlds with Hybrid-Agile Mastery
• CHAMP Course: Excellent One for Mastering MS Project in both Traditional and Agile Environments
• CHAMP Success Story: A Niche Certification –Never Seen Anything Like this Before!
• CHAMP Success Story: One of the Best Hybrid-Agile Certification Courses I Ever Attended

Practical Scrum at Scale with CIPSA: Key Roles and Goals (Part - 1)

Scaling frameworks should be simple but will be used to deliver complex work. 

Scaled roles should be small in number, but will be used to deliver big solutions. 

Scaled events should be minimal, but the productivity should be maximal. 

I believe in it because simple is beautiful. Simple things scale well. Simple things are memorable. In fact, simplicity sticks. 

See here –10 scaling mistakes to avoid.

Indeed, some of the most beautiful things in the world are simple, yet powerful. The Sydney Opera House, when seen from outside, looks like nested flower petals. It’s simple, yet a beautiful architecture and projects a powerful image of Sydney harbor.

Microsoft’s Bing is a powerful search engine and now loaded with gen-AI search, yet has a very simple user interface (UI). It’s only a textbox to do your search. That’s it! Think about it for a moment. Can it be simpler than that?

Agile at Scale is no different.

Let me also inform you, to make things simple is not that simple! It’s actually very hard. It takes enormous time and effort, practice, a number of iterations with feedback.

The Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA) – pronounced 'sip-sa' – framework strives to be a simple one. It extends both team-level Scrum and team-level Kanban, in a minimal way in all aspects – be it events, roles, artifacts or others.

In this article, we are going to follow the CIPSA Scrum Framework. Here it’s specifically about scaling of roles and goals for Scrum at Scale. To understand the basics of this Practical Scaled Agile framework, you can check this article, specifically the first video in brief. You can also download the CIPSA Framework Guide for free here.

Two Key Roles in Scaled Scrum

Considering Scrum, the CIPSA Scrum framework adds only two new roles at scale:

• Chief Product Owner (CPO)
• Principal Scrum Master (PSM)

The CPO role is unique to CIPSA. The CPO is accountable for the Product Backlog. The CPO may be a dedicated individual or someone from the Product Owner Team (i.e., team of Product Owners from the individual teams) can play this role. The CPO creates a single, ordered backlog. The items from the backlog will be the deliverables by all teams.

The CIPSA Cross-Team Backlog Refinement and CIPSA Sprint Review meta-events are led by the CPO, with other product owners and needed representatives from the individual teams.

The PSM role is also unique to CIPSA. The PSM is accountable for the entire CISPA process. He or she focuses on the progress and helps in prioritization as well as removal of cross-team impediments. The PSM is also responsible for continuously improving the effectiveness of CIPSA processes. The PSM may be a dedicated individual or someone from the Scrum Master Team, i.e., a team of Scrum Masters from the individual Scrum teams.

The CIPSA Sprint Planning and CIPSA Sprint Retrospective meta-events are led by the PSM, with other Scrum Masters (SM) and the needed representatives from the individual Scrum teams.

As the role of CPO and PSM can be confusing for aspiring CIPSA certified professionals, the best way to know these roles is with the next two sections – what it is and what it’s not.

The Role of CPO – What it is and is Not *** UPDATED ***

The CPO sets the product vision, which is strategic and is aligned with organizational vision, mission and strategic objectives. The CPO is accountable for creating a single, ordered product backlog, which will be worked-upon by individual Scrum teams.

Now, the following differentiations inform what a CPO is not and what a CPO truly is for Scrum at scale:

1. The Chief Product Owner does not get the product vision from the top executive team. The Chief Product Owner sets the product vision.
2. The Chief Product Owner is not a portfolio or program manager. The Chief Product Owner is the visionary for the Product.
3. The Chief Product Owner is not a backlog maintenance person. The Chief Product Owner is the main backlog strategist.
4. The Chief Product Owner is not a lone-wolf. The Chief Product Owner works with other Team Product Owners, stakeholders and customers.
5. The Chief Product Owner does not have a management mindset. The Chief Product Owner has an ownership mindset.

You can know more about the role of the CPO in the following article:

CIPSA Certification: The Chief Product Owner (CPO) – What It Is and What It’s Not!

The above article also has an accompanying video explanation. 

The Role of PSM – What it is and is Not *** UPDATED ***

The PSM ensures (i.e., accountable) the CIPSA meta-events take place, conducted in the right way and within a timebox. After all, the PSM is accountable for the CIPSA process. The PSM also improves the effectiveness of the Scaled Scrum, such as higher quality, lesser number of bugs and lower cost.

To make this role clearer, the following differentiations outlines what a PSM is not and what a PSM actually is for Scrum at scale:

1. The Principal Scrum Master is not the manager of the CIPSA team. A Principal Scrum is a true leader who serves the team and organization.
2. The Principal Scrum Master is not concerned about intra-team dependencies. The Principal Scrum Master focusses on inter-team dependencies.
3. The Principal Scrum Master does not track the individual Team Increments. The Principal Scrum Master tracks the overall product work and progress.
4. The Principal Scrum Master is not concerned about individual risks arising from individual teams. The Principal Scrum Master is concerned about the cross-team risks.
5. The Principal Scrum Master is not a replacement for individual Team Scrum Masters. The Principal Scrum Master complements the individual Team Scrum Masters!

You can know more about the role of the PSM in the following article:

CIPSA Certification: The Principal Scrum Master (PSM) – What It Is and What It’s Not!

The above article also has an accompanying video explanation for the PSM role. 

Figurative Representations – Scaled Scrum Key Roles

Let’s see how the CPO and PSM are part of the entire CIPSA team. The below figure represents these rolls within the team.

As shown above:

• We have three Scrum Teams: Scrum Team A, B and C. Each team has its own individual team members.
• At scale, the CIPSA team has the Chief Product Owner (CPO).
• At scale, the CIPSA team also has the Principal Scrum Master (PSM).
• The CIPSA team is considered to be a single entity and there is no throw-over-the-wall mentality.

You might be wondering about the individual Scrum teams’ roles. The below figure shows a high-level view.

As shown above:

• Each Scrum team will have roles such as Product Owner (PO), Scrum Master (SM) and developers or team members.
• There can be some specialized roles, but then also do remember that the team members are generalizing specialists with broken-comb skill sets.
• While the individual Scrum teams have their own goals and deliverables, they have to integrate for the entire CIPSA team.

At scale, I’ll be not focusing on the individual roles, as the focus is on the entire CIPSA team, CIPSA integrated increment, cross-team risks, cross-team dependencies etc.

Use the below link to read the second part.

[Part - 2]

References

[1] Certification Course: Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA), by ManagementYogi.com

[2] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - CIPSA Certification

CIPSA and CHAMP Success Stories:

• CIPSA Success Story: From CHAMP to CIPSA – Taking Agile to the Next Level with Scaled Scrum and Scaled Kanban
• CHAMP Success Story: Bridging Predictive and Agile Worlds with Hybrid-Agile Mastery
• CHAMP Course: Excellent One for Mastering MS Project in both Traditional and Agile Environments
• CHAMP Success Story: A Niche Certification –Never Seen Anything Like this Before!
• CHAMP Success Story: One of the Best Hybrid-Agile Certification Courses I Ever Attended

CIPSA Cross-Team Backlog Refinement – Turning Scaled Agile Theory into Practical Execution

According to the CIPSA Framework Guide, one of the meta-events is the Cross-Team Backlog Refinement. The other meta-events, as noted in this article, are CIPSA Planning, CIPSA Daily Stand-ups, CIPSA Review and CIPSA Retrospective. While the CIPSA Sprint is the container event, the latter four are contained events.

However, the CIPSA Cross-Team Backlog Refinement meta-event is neither a container nor a contained event. Even so, this meta-event is essential, as emphasized in the CIPSA Framework Guide.

The guide is free to read and download. The download link is below:

Download the CIPSA Framework Guide

In this post, we will use CIPSA Scrum@Scale to demonstrate how this can be implemented in a practical manner using the MS Project Agile software tool.

Please note that the CIPSA framework supports both Scrum and Kanban at the team level. However, the content below specifically focuses on team-level Scrum scaled to manage multiple Scrum teams.

Basics of Cross-Team Backlog Refinement

As the name tells, in this session the backlog is refined. The backlog presented should be organized and up to date. The Chief Product Owner (CPO) should inform the CIPSA team in advance about the items to be ordered. This can be done by publicly publishing the backlog items for the CIPSA team. 

In every Sprint, the CIPSA team should allocate a few hours for refinement. During this meeting, the CIPSA Scrum Team and the Chief Product Owner (CPO) work together to carry out the refinement activities. Note that the CPO is part of the CIPSA team. 

The purpose of this meeting is to prioritize and order backlog items that may be taken into upcoming Sprints. We usually look ahead by two to three Sprints. The CIPSA team must maintain the discipline of continuously refining backlog items. 

Practical Backlog Refinement

The CIPSA Certification, based on the CIPSA Framework, is practical and hands-on. Therefore, we will now explore how to apply it in a practical, hands-on manner, including Backlog Refinement in our plan.

To include these events in your plan, we will follow just three steps. Note that this is not the only way to incorporate this meta-event; other approaches are also possible.

The steps are not difficult if you've understand how scaling works while using Scrum at team-level and how to apply it with MS Project Agile. 

Step – 1: Build the Product Backlog

The Product Backlog, once prepared, will appear as shown below in MS Project Agile. At this stage, the items are not yet ordered.

As demonstrated above:

• There are several backlog items such as “Login to the trading system”, “Create a new user”, and “Buy a stock”, which are currently unrefined. 
• The Team custom field indicates that these backlog items are not yet associated with any specific Scrum Team. 
• The Sprint built-in field shows that none of the unrefined backlog items have been assigned to a Sprint. 

Step – 2: Add the Backlog Refinement Meta-Event

Next, as the CIPSA Sprint Backlog is prepared, we will include the Backlog Refinement event in our plan. This is shown below.

As shown above:

• We now have an initial cut of the CIPSA Sprint Backlog, along with “Cross-Team Backlog Refinement 1”. 
• The Sprints are associated with the work items, but not with the Cross-Team Backlog Refinement item, since this meta-event occurs outside of the Sprint. 
• Some resources are overallocated, which will be resolved using the resource leveling functionality available in MS Project Agile. 

Step – 3: Repeat Backlog Refinement Meta-Event

I've noted earlier that the Cross-Team Backlog Refinement session occurs periodically and therefore needs to be repeated. This is shown below. 

As demonstrated above, the next Cross-Team Backlog Refinement (number 2) is scheduled to take place before the start of Sprint 2.

Note: These backlog refinement sessions can also be added as recurring events in your plan by using the Recurring Task functionality in MS Project. 

Conclusion

I've repeatedly observed that two events get skipped from Scrum at Team level:

• Retrospectives, and
• Backlog refinements.

The same behavior is also seen in Agile at Scale or Scrum at Scale. 

A CIPSA team is highly likely to skip this meeting, assuming that refinement will take place during CIPSA Sprint Planning. However, the purpose of the CIPSA Sprint Planning meta-event is entirely different! 

Some CIPSA teams miss this event and instead handle refinement in an ad-hoc manner, which is not advisable. Skipping the Cross-Team Backlog Refinement session is a significant misstep.

In every Sprint, the CIPSA team should allocate a few hours for refinement. After all, the Product Backlog is a prioritized and ordered list of items, and only the highest-priority items are selected for upcoming CIPSA Sprints.

Finally:

As we just learned, you can have the Cross-Team Backlog Refinement incorporated into your plan with minimal effort, provided you understand how to apply the theory in practice.

It's only with practical application that the rubber meets the road. And as you proceed, you burn the rubber to learn along the way. CIPSA teaches it for Agile@Scale.

The below explains more on the utility of CIPSA certification and why it shines in your resume.

When going for learning, practical, hands-on applicability is indispensable. CIPSA is radically different when compared with theoretical or "branded" certifications.

CIPSA Certification:

[1] Scaled Agile Certification Course: Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA)

[2] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - CIPSA Certification  

[3] New Practical Scaled Agile Framework – The CIPSA Framework Guide

Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA) Certification: The CIPSA Sprint – What It Is and What It is Not!

 

The CIPSA Sprint is the container meta-event in the CIPSA Scrum Framework. This meta-event will have multiple contained meta-events such as:

  - CIPSA Sprint Planning,

  - CIPSA Sprint Review,

  - CIPSA Sprint Retrospective, and

  - CIPSA Daily Scrum. 

In this article, we know more about a container meta-event, i.e., the CIPSA Sprint. There is another meta-event of CIPSA Cross-Team Backlog Refinement. However, it's not a contained meta-event. You learn more here. 

To reaffirm, CIPSA is world's only Practical Scaled-Agile certification. 

To read all articles of this series use the below link: 

What It's and What It's Not series for CIPSA

Here are seven differentiators in the same format (it’s vs it’s not) for CIPSA Sprint. Exhaustive explanation is part of the CIPSA Certification Course. See here. 

Now, let's dive into this container meta-event.

The CIPSA Sprint Meta-Event – What It’s and What It’s Not

1. Not Isolated Team Cycles, but Synchronized CIPSA Team Cadence.

A CIPSA Sprint is not a separate sprint for each individual Scrum teams. But all teams sprint together with the same start and finish dates in a synchronized way. The CIPSA Sprint meta-event is the encompassing event for all other meta-events and it's the synchronized with the individual Team-level Sprints. 

Read this detailed article on the synchronization part. 

2. Not Independent Goals, but a Unified CIPSA Sprint Goal.

The CIPSA Sprint is not driven by individual team Sprint Goals, which will be part of the individual Team Sprint Backlogs. Rather, it’s driven by a single shared CIPSA Sprint Goal.

The CIPSA Sprint Goal is aligned with the Product Goal, which is part of the Product Backlog. To learn more, you can read this in-depth article.

3. Not Random Durations, but Consistent Timeboxes.

The CIPSA Sprint is not ad‑hoc or is of uneven duration. It’s a fixed timebox and is usually consistent duration across all teams. There is a reason we have Sprints in Scrum. The same rule applies for the CIPSA Scrum at Scale. 

4. Not Merely Team Task Execution, but Cross‑Team Coordination.

In the IPSA Sprint, it's not merely about individual teams’ execution. It establishes coordination points across teams for planning, reviews, and retrospectives. As stated earlier, the CIPSA Sprint is the container meta-event for other meta-events.

5. Not Individual Increments, but CIPSA Integrated Increment.

The result of a CIPSA Sprint is not fragmented increments coming from individual Scrum team. At the end of the CIPSA Sprint, we get a CIPSA Integrated Increment that is tested, integrated, and valuable.

Learn more on it with this article: CIPSA Integrated Increment - What It's and What It's Not!

6. Not only Local Backlog Work, but Product‑Goal Alignment.

A CIPSA Sprint is not focused on completing only team backlog tasks. Rather, it keeps alignment with the long‑term Product Goal through the CIPSA Sprint Goal. In every Sprint, the CIPSA team inches closer to the Product Goal.  

7. Not Siloed Team Scrum Boards, but Integrated CIPSA Team Board.

A CIPSA Sprint is a coordinated effort across teams to deliver value together. It is not separate scrum boards where teams never touch or coordinate dependencies. 

As you proceed with the CIPSA course, you’ll quickly know the tracking at the CIPSA team level is done with the integrated CIPSA Scrum Team Board. This board provides the integrated view for all individual Scrum teams. 

To know on Kanban at Scale board management, you can read this article. It's hands-on and practical. It has both - individual Team Kanban Boards and CIPSA Team Board. 

Summary Table – The CIPSA Sprint 

I’ve provided this summary table in conclusion. This is for a quick recap and understanding. 

In Conclusion

Want to know how a CIPSA Sprint is created?

Want to know how multiple CIPSA Sprints can be managed at scale?

Want to know how CIPSA Sprints will be associated with the CIPSA Team?

Want to know how to have contained meta-events with CIPSA Sprint?

Want to know how to synchronize multiple Sprints for the CIPSA team?

Detailed, hands-on explanations is part of the CIPSA certification course. Become a CIPSA – it’s truly worth the investment, as affirmed by CIPSAs worldwide. 

CIPSA Success Stories and Reviews:

[1] From CHAMP to CIPSA – Taking Agile to the Next Level with Scaled Scrum and Scaled Kanban

[2] Scaling Agile: Key Insights from the CIPSA Framework Introduction

CIPSA Sample Videos and Questions:

[1] CIPSA Sample Video List (Choose a Video)

[2] CIPSA Video Playlist (Complete Playlist)

CIPSA Certification:

[1] Scaled Agile Certification Course: Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA)

[2] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - CIPSA Certification

The Practical Scaling Imperative: 10 Lessons for An Aspiring CIPSA

 

The Certified in Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA) framework helps professionals navigate scaling complexity by providing principle-driven, hands-on guidance for multi-team delivery. 

Based on the experiences of professionals who have taken the CIPSA course, the following lessons highlight the imperatives, mindset, and practices every aspiring CIPSA must embrace to succeed in real-world scaled Agile delivery.

I interact with them frequently and keenly listen to them. And I learn from them. 

Following are some of the lessons for aspiring CIPSAs.

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1. Never, ever and under no circumstances think only at the team level.

A CIPSA must always see the bigger team, i.e., the CIPSA team, at scale. It is not about the individual Scrum or Kanban teams. To know more on CIPSA team, see here.

Scaled delivery succeeds only when teams understand how their work contributes to the larger product outcome. Thinking only at the team level leads to local optimization, local efficiency, but global ineffectiveness and inefficiency.

2. Never, ever and under no circumstances learn scaling without hands-on approach and software tools.

There is a plethora of Scaled Agile approaches, worldwide. However, not one – I repeat, not even one – tells how to do scaling in a practical, hands-on manner.

Nobody has truly learned anything by reading theoretical content. To learn, you have to do it hands-on. Agility scales through practice, not theory. 

You don’t scale by adopting a framework. You scale by doing the work. 

3. Never, ever and under no circumstances maintain multiple product backlogs for the same product.

One product demands one backlog. Vision at any time is only one and it’s part of the backlog. Multiple Scrum or Kanban teams under the CIPSA Team must move toward one shared vision. 

When teams maintain separate backlogs at the product level, priorities diverge, coordination collapses, and above all, nothing can really get accomplished. The single backlog ensures that all teams pull from the same prioritized source of work.

However, do note that there can be individual team backlogs. All these team backlogs will constitute the CIPSA Backlog – be it CIPSA Sprint Backlog (see here) or CIPSA Kanban Backlog (see here). 

4. Never, ever and under no circumstances ignore cross-team dependencies.

Dependencies are inevitable in scaled environments. In fact, you, as the Principal Scrum Master or Chief Product Owner, must know these dependencies. 

The responsibility of a CIPSA is to identify, visualize, and manage them proactively. Hidden dependencies often become the biggest delivery risks and stifle the delivery of CIPSA Integrated Increment (see here). 

5. Never, ever and under no circumstances refine work (backlog refinement) in isolation.

Backlog refinement in a scaled environment must involve multiple teams when work overlaps. It’s a dedicated meta-event for the CIPSA team and happens periodically. Without this event, the CIPSA Backlog can’t be properly prepared in the CIPSA Planning meta-event. 

Collaborative refinement ensures that teams understand upcoming work, dependencies, and integration points.

6. Never, ever and under no circumstances allow events to happen without synchronization. 

Scaled Agile delivery depends on synchronized events, e.g., in CIPSA Scaled Scrum, the Sprints are synchronized across teams. See here for an in-depth understanding on Sprint synchronization for multiple-teams. 

With it, all teams stay aligned and dependencies are managed effectively. Even if individual teams are performing well, lack of synchronization can cause misalignment, delays, and integration issues. Under no circumstance should a CIPSA allow teams to operate their events in silos when their work contributes to a shared product increment.

7. Never, ever and under no circumstances deliver work that cannot be integrated or cannot deliver an Integrated Increment. 

The purpose of scaling Agile is not parallel development. It’s about integrated delivery. The end goal in every Sprint or Release is to have a CIPSA Integrated Increment. 

You, as a CIPSA or an aspiring one, must ensure that increments from multiple teams combine into a cohesive product increment. See here for CIPSA Integrated Increment. 

8. Never, ever and under no circumstances allow lack of transparency across teams.

Visibility is the lifeblood of scaled agility. CIPSA team-level metrics should be shared clearly. Dashboard should be visible to all. Progress tracking to be on information radiators and entire team should be able to see it. 

This ensures transparency for all team members and stakeholders.

9. Never, ever and under no circumstances avoid CIPSA retrospectives.

The CIPSA framework has meta-events such as CIPSA Planning, CIPSA Retrospectives etc. I’ve consistently maintained that retrospectives and follow-up actions based on these retrospectives are of paramount importance. See here on the importance of retrospective. 

Some of the most critical improvements lie between teams rather than within the teams. Cross-team retrospectives help address systemic issues affecting collaboration, coordination, and flow – the latter in CIPSA Scaled Kanban. See here.

In fact, in the early stages of scaling, it’s CIPSA retrospectives that will bring the most value to your team. 

10. Never, ever and under no circumstances choose a “branded” framework over practical result.

The philosophy behind CIPSA emphasizes practical implementation. It’s a framework with ample guidance on how to proceed with hands-on software tools and scaling. 

Thorough explanation has been given on the implementation part taking real-world projects. This enables you to learn in the most effective way. 

What good is a “brand” if you can’t apply your learning in a hands-on manner from Day-1?

What good is a “brand” if you’ve paid loads of money, but have no real-world, practical use?

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In conclusion, I’ll say the following. 

Many organizations proudly claim they have “Scaled Agile” and doing “Agile Transformation,” yet what they often have is a collection of independent Agile teams moving in different directions in Brownian motion. 

I’ve asked many Scaled Agile Practitioners who have been certified on “branded frameworks”:

• Can you show me a Scaled Backlog?
• Can you show the cross-team dependencies in a Scaled Agile Team?
• Can you show how you add the Meta-Events and how to track them?
• Can you create an integrated Burn-down/up chart for the entire team?
• Can you demonstrate how to allocate scarce, yet critical resources and resolve overallocations?
• And many more practical ones.

They don’t know and can’t demonstrate. And it’s certainly not their fault. 

They’ve just got a “branded certification” to show to their employers. They’ve flocked to it due to end-less marketing, promos and sometimes even film-actors parroting it! But it has no real-life value, no practical use other than “some branded tags”.  

Some believe that simply adding more Scrum or Kanban teams automatically leads to scalable delivery. It does not! Some others assume that coordination will somehow emerge organically once teams adopt Agile practices. The ground reality is far different and harsher. 

My experience in multi-team Agile environments in early last decade, learning from professionals who use my courses over the years, and above all the professionals pursuing the Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA) course teach me the following:

True learning, implementation, and delivery happen in a practical, hands-on manner. No other methods come close. The best companies in the world understand this and ask their engineers to do it hands-on from the very beginning. 

If you are serious about understanding how Agile truly works at scale, there is no better way to learn than by immersing yourself in the CIPSA course.

👉 [Enroll Today] Pay via PayPal/Bank transfer. Email: managementyogi@gmail.com. Enroll in 24hrs.

CIPSA Certification:

[1] NEW Scaled Agile Certification Course: Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA)

[2] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - CIPSA Certification  

[3] New Practical Scaled Agile Framework – The CIPSA Framework Guide