Diversity and Social Responsibility

Our Commitment

Scrum.org is committed to conducting business in a socially responsible way. This means we take deliberate action to align our day-to-day activities with both our mission and the needs of society as a whole. We believe socially responsible people and teams are better equipped to solve complex problems and make the world a better place. As a result, our staff and Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) Community are accountable for acting in integrity with our Social Responsibility Commitment and the pillars of our Social Responsibility strategy.

Pillars of Social Responsibility

Social Responsibility is a term with far reaching implications. In order to have focus and create transparency we have defined three pillars that guide how we aim to make the world a better place. We realize more is possible and endeavor to increase our ability to create good in the world through additional dimensions in the future. For now, we are focused on:

Amplifying Awareness & Advocacy
Enabling Diversity & Inclusion
Creating Economic Opportunities

Below you can learn more about these pillars of our Social Responsibility strategy and discover the initiatives we have underway.

Amplifying Awareness & Advocacy

We seek to continuously learn so that we can share insights and build greater awareness of issues impacting knowledge workers. Our desire is to amplify the voices of those marginalized and build a greater capacity to usher in an equal and just future of work.

Featured Awareness & Advocacy Initiatives

We have witnessed many people who are leveraging Scrum as a way to help with personal and family challenges and are working with them to help tell their stories about what they are doing and how others may learn from them. Here are some examples:

Webinar: How Scrum can help Conquer Neurodiversity Challenges
Using Scrum at Home - How Scrum can help Conquer Neurodiversity Challenges - Sally Waters’ husband Francis has ADHD, and even with medication he was struggling to cope with adult life. Most productivity systems lasted less than a week. It was only after Sally found out about Scrum and implemented it at home that he was able to move forward. This webinar recording explores, through a variety of personal anecdotes, how well Scrum can work at home for both couples and families struggling with these issues.
Blog Article: Asperger's and Scrum
Asperger's and Scrum - One of our Professional Scrum Trainers shares a story of 6 year old Charlie, a twin and one of strongest and most inspirational people he has ever known and how Charlie and his family are using Scrum as a way to help Charlie in his daily life.
Blog Articles: Using Scrum to Help with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Part One and Part Two - This two part series discusses what it’s like to for one couple to live with ADHD, what coping strategies they have tried, how they started using Scrum and what effects it has had on their lives so far.

Enabling Diversity & Inclusion

We strive to enable diversity & inclusion within Scrum.org Staff, the PST Community, and our larger community of Professional Scrum learners. Additionally, we seek to amplify why diversity and inclusion is an essential component of people and teams working together to solve complex problems.

Featured Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives

Increase PST Community Diversity
Similar to stories of people increasing their confidence in taking on a new career once they saw people that looked like them in the role they dreamed about, we believe enabling learners to engage with experts like them creates deeper connection and longer term learning relationships. For this, and many other reasons, we seek to increase the overall diversity of the PST community. Learn more about how we are prioritizing diversity in our PST candidate program. Share your thoughts and input on what we at Scrum.org can do to better support you and others who bring more diversity to the community.
Create Gender Balance within the PST Community
In addition to enabling overall diversity of the PST community, we are placing specific attention on gender balance by working with organizations like Women in Agile and through joint initiatives across agile communities to improve and increase opportunities for women. Learn more about how we are supporting women who are interested in becoming PSTs.
Enabling Native Language Assessment Taking
We continue to invest in integration and testing of the use of Google as a translations tool to allow assessment takers to gain Scrum.org certifications using their preferred language. Learn how to enable and use the Google Translate Plugin when taking any of our assessments.
Accommodations for Physical or Intellectual Disabilities
We take these considerations very seriously, and examine each case individually. If you are preparing to take one of our Scrum.org assessments and require special accommodations, please contact support@scrum.org regarding your specific circumstances and we can advise you on next steps. If you are looking to take training and require special accommodations please let your trainer know ahead of time and they will do what it takes to support you. If you don't know how to contact the trainer or want to connect prior, let our support team know and we can assist you. Here is a story of one student who is visually impaired successfully attended Scrum.org training and achieved the Professional Scrum Master I certification.
Partnership with Women in Agile Podcast - Scrum.org supports Women in Agile through sponsorship of its podcast series. The Women in Agile podcast series supports and amplifies the work of outstanding women in the Agile community. Throughout the series, passionate, creative, and intelligent people from all genders come together in inspiring conversations, to advance equality and inclusion for all.
Events - The Scrum.org commitment to diversity and social responsibility includes adhering to standards for determining which events and activities we will support. Our pledge is to enable a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment for all.

Creating Economic Opportunities

We endeavor to open doors and make connections for those underprivileged and underemployed so that they have access to a fair wage and career opportunities that offer joy and fulfillment.

Featured Economic Opportunity Initiatives

Training and Education with Year Up
Year Up is an organization committed to providing underserved young adults with equitable access to economic opportunity and mobility, and connecting them with a pathway to a professional career. Scrum.org has partnered with Year Up to provide the Applying Professional Scrum training course to Year Up students. This article highlights 3 students who grew their professional careers and education through Year Up including participating in the Applying Professional Scrum training course.
Supporting Military Veterans and their Families
In an effort to support those coming back into the private sector and the families of those serving to protect countries around the world, the Scrum.org PST community are helping many organizations around the world to provide education opportunities to those who have served and are now struggling to make the transition back to private life. This article provides just one example of these efforts.
Partnership and Support for Grow with Google Program
Grow with Google helps ensure that the opportunities created by technology are available to everyone. Through free tools and training, we help people get the right skills to find jobs they want, advance their careers and grow their businesses. Since launching in 2017, we’ve trained more than five million Americans on digital skills. And through a network of more than 7,500 partner organizations–including local libraries, schools, and nonprofits–more people across the country can reach their full potential. And Scrum.org is excited to be able to help Google with this program adding Scrum and Agile thinking to their Project Management Certification Program.