From CAL 1 to CAL 2: Is Certified Agile Leadership® II Your Next Step in Agile Career Advancement?

Agile methodologies have transformed how organizations operate, emphasizing adaptability, collaboration, and continuous delivery. At the heart of successful agile transformations lies effective leadership. For those who have embraced foundational agile leadership principles, the question naturally arises: what's next? The Scrum Alliance's Certified Agile Leadership® II (CAL 2) offers a compelling answer, serving as the advanced credential designed to deepen your expertise and guide complex organizational change.

This article will explore the evolution of the Scrum Alliance's CAL program, delve into the specifics of CAL 2, and help you determine if this advanced certification is the right strategic move for your professional growth and agile leadership career path.

Understanding the Scrum Alliance CAL Program Evolution

The landscape of agile leadership certification has evolved to meet the dynamic needs of the market. Based on extensive market research and feedback, the Scrum Alliance refactored its Certified Agile Leader® (CAL™) program into a more streamlined and sequential learning track: Certified Agile Leader 1® (CAL 1™) and Certified Agile Leader 2® (CAL 2™).

This significant restructuring, which redesigned learning objectives and content, aimed to ensure a cohesive, concise, consistent, and sequential journey for students. As a direct consequence, previous CAL Ess, T, O, AEVP, and PW courses were discontinued as of April 15, 2024, with a final upload deadline of April 30th, 2024 for CAL E/T/O certifications. This strategic shift reflects Scrum Alliance's commitment to providing a clear and impactful agile leadership career path for professionals at various stages of their journey.

Certified Agile Leadership® 1 (CAL 1) Refresher: The Foundational Skills

The Certified Agile Leadership® 1 (CAL 1) course serves as the bedrock of agile leadership education within the Scrum Alliance framework. While the specific curriculum details are extensive, it’s understood as the prerequisite and foundational step that equips leaders with essential agile principles, practices, and mindsets required to lead agile teams and foster initial organizational agility. It's designed to provide a broad understanding of agile values and how they impact leadership roles, preparing individuals to influence and proactively advance agile programs within their organizations.

Certified Agile Leadership® II (CAL 2): The Advanced Credential and Its Prerequisites

The Certified Agile Leadership® II (CAL 2) is a globally recognized, advanced credential launched by Scrum Alliance in 2017. This certification is specifically designed for leaders who aspire to deepen their expertise in Agile transformation, foster profound organizational agility, and master the nuances of complex, adaptive leadership skills. It signifies a leader’s commitment to advanced Agile practices and their ability to guide organizations through intricate cultural transformations.

To embark on the CAL 2 journey, Certified Agile Leader 1 (CAL 1) is a mandatory prerequisite. This ensures that participants build upon a solid foundation of agile leadership knowledge and experience. Unlike many other certifications, the Certified Agile Leadership® II does not involve a traditional exam; therefore, its Exam Code is N/A. The focus is on immersive learning and practical application, often delivered through interactive workshops.

Key Differences and Enhanced Learning Objectives: What CAL 2 Adds

Building upon the foundational skills of CAL 1, the Certified Agile Leadership® II program elevates a leader’s capabilities through a focus on advanced concepts and practical application. CAL 2 is not just about understanding agile; it's about being an agile leader capable of driving significant organizational change and personal growth.

Here's what CAL 2 adds:

• Advanced Organizational Strategy and Design: The program provides a comprehensive understanding of organizational design and strategy, emphasizing their interrelation to drive business success. Participants explore key concepts, practical frameworks, and case studies to develop effective strategies and design structures that support organizational goals. This includes learning to inspect and transform organizational structure and design to enable rapid adaptation and customer focus.
• Exponential Thinking and AI: In today's fast-evolving technological landscape, CAL 2 fosters exponential thinking, particularly relevant in the age of Artificial Intelligence. It equips leaders to navigate unprecedented change and leverage emerging technologies strategically.
• Deep Self-Discovery and Personal Leadership Development: CAL 2 challenges leaders to explore what leadership means to them personally, identify effective leadership styles for their unique objectives, and embark on a journey of self-discovery. It focuses on introspection and applying agile principles to cultivate a distinctive and impactful leadership presence, enhancing personal leadership competencies and people management skills.
• Driving End-to-End Value Delivery: The curriculum covers modules like Organisational Strategy and Delivery, focusing on vision alignment, strategic formulation, and change management. Leaders learn to leverage techniques to deliver end-to-end value while continually assessing and improving support systems for that value delivery.
• Risk Mitigation and Market Dominance: The program aims to empower leaders with crucial agile skills to thrive in today's fast-paced markets, driving better ROI, mitigating risks, and maintaining a competitive edge through enhanced agile capabilities.

A typical CAL 2 course, such as a 16-hour online program, is designed to be highly interactive, fostering deep learning and practical application of these advanced concepts.

Who Benefits Most from CAL 2?

The Certified Agile Leadership® II certification is tailored for a wide range of professionals seeking to master agile leadership and drive significant impact within their organizations. It’s particularly valuable for:

• Executives and Senior Managers: As the primary drivers of organizational change, these leaders benefit from CAL 2's focus on organizational design, strategic formulation, and guiding deep-rooted Agile transformations. It validates their ability to oversee complex cultural shifts and foster exponential thinking [4].
• Agile Coaches: Experienced coaches looking to expand their influence beyond team-level coaching to organizational-level strategy and leadership development will find CAL 2 invaluable. It equips them to better guide senior leaders and facilitate large-scale agility [4].
• Scrum Masters and Product Owners: For those in these key roles, CAL 2 offers an opportunity to hone their capabilities to navigate complex business environments, empower their teams more effectively, and better support their organizations' strategic agile initiatives. It helps them move beyond tactical agile to strategic agile leadership [6].
• Mid-level Managers and Aspiring Leaders: Individuals responsible for influencing organizational agility and achieving sustainable success within their domains will gain the competencies to empower teams and proactively advance agile programs across diverse job functions and organizational levels [6].

Essentially, anyone eager to challenge their perceptions of leadership and redefine their approach beyond conventional agile solutions will find the CAL 2 program profoundly beneficial [5].

Navigating Your Agile Leadership Career Path with CAL 2

For professionals committed to an agile leadership career path, Certified Agile Leadership® II represents a significant milestone. It's more than just a certification; it's a validation of advanced capabilities in fostering organizational agility and leading complex transformations. This globally recognized credential is highly regarded within the Agile community, especially among senior leaders and executives driving organizational change.

Achieving CAL 2 reinforces your ability to guide organizations through complex cultural transformations, making you a key asset in today's rapidly changing business environment. It demonstrates your commitment to continuous personal development and your readiness to tackle the intricate challenges of modern leadership, positioning you for roles that demand strategic thinking, advanced people management, and the ability to inspire a culture of adaptability and innovation.

Conclusion: Is CAL 2 the Right Next Step for Your Professional Growth?

If you've successfully completed CAL 1 and are looking to push the boundaries of your agile leadership capabilities, the Certified Agile Leadership® II is undoubtedly a powerful next step. It's designed for those who seek to not only understand agile at a deeper organizational level but also to embody adaptive, strategic, and self-aware leadership.

CAL 2 equips you with the advanced tools, frameworks, and mindset to inspect and transform organizational structures, drive end-to-end value, and foster an environment of continuous adaptation and innovation. It's an investment in developing an impactful leadership presence that can navigate complex markets and secure a competitive edge.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the prerequisite for Certified Agile Leadership® II (CAL 2)?

The mandatory prerequisite for the Certified Agile Leadership® II (CAL 2) course is successful completion of the Certified Agile Leader 1 (CAL 1) certification. This ensures participants have a foundational understanding of agile leadership principles before delving into advanced concepts.

How has the Scrum Alliance CAL program evolved?

Based on market research and feedback, the Scrum Alliance refactored its Certified Agile Leader® program. It transitioned from previous courses (CAL Ess, T, O, AEVP, and PW) to a more cohesive, concise, consistent, and sequential learning track comprising Certified Agile Leader 1 (CAL 1) and Certified Agile Leader 2 (CAL 2). The older courses were discontinued as of April 15, 2024.

What are the key learning areas covered in CAL 2?

CAL 2 focuses on advanced agile leadership skills, including Organisational Strategy and Delivery (vision alignment, strategic formulation, change management), and Developing as a Leader (personal leadership competencies, people management skills). It also emphasizes exponential thinking, organizational design, self-discovery in leadership, driving end-to-end value, and risk mitigation.

Who should pursue Certified Agile Leadership® II (CAL 2)?

CAL 2 is ideal for executives, senior managers, and Agile coaches responsible for overseeing deep-rooted Agile transformations. It also greatly benefits Scrum Masters, Product Owners, mid-level managers, and aspiring leaders who aim to influence organizational agility, empower teams, and navigate complex business environments.

Does Certified Agile Leadership® II (CAL 2) involve a formal exam?

No, the Certified Agile Leadership® II (CAL 2) certification does not require a formal exam. The program focuses on immersive, interactive workshop learning and practical application of advanced agile leadership concepts. Its Exam Code is N/A.

What is the typical duration of a Certified Agile Leadership® II course?

A Certified Agile Leadership® II course is typically an intensive program. For instance, an online course may be structured as a 16-hour program, often spread across multiple days, designed to provide comprehensive learning and practical application of advanced agile leadership skills.