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

Earlier in this article, I articulated about Product Goal, which is part of the Product Backlog – be it CIPSA Scaled Scrum or CIPSA Scaled Kanban. 

While Product Goal is a key goal, another key goal is the CIPSA Sprint Goal. 

As the Product Goal is part of the Product Backlog, the CIPSA Sprint Goal is part of the CIPSA Sprint Backlog. It’s different from the Sprint Goal that you’d have learned from typical team-level Scrum framework.

At scale, the goal for the entire CIPSA team will is not equivalent to the individual Scrum Team’s Sprint Goal. 

In this article, we will know what a CIPSA Sprint Goal means for a large scaled Scrum team and clarify common misconceptions about this goal. 

Among many, I’ve outlined the following points. Detailed understanding will be part of the CIPSA Certification Course. 

CIPSA Sprint Goal – What It’s and What It’s Not! 

1 # Not Long-Term, but Short-Term

Unlike the Product Goal, the CIPSA Sprint Goal is not long-term. It is a short-term objective for the current CIPSA Sprint, helping the CIPSA Team make progress toward the Product Goal! 

As it’s specific to the CIPSA Sprint, it has to be achieved by the end of the CIPSA Sprint, which is of short duration. 

2 # Not Individual Team Goals, but One Shared Goal

The CIPSA Sprint Goal is not a collection of separate Team Sprint Goals. It is one shared goal for the entire CIPSA Team. The individual Scrum Teams will still have their own Team Sprint Goals, which will be part of their individual Team Sprint Backlogs. 

The CIPSA Sprint Goal provides a common direction across those teams, rather than allowing every team to optimize only for its own work. Local optimization, while ignoring the entire CIPSA team, is a big NO. With that attitude and behavior, CIPSA is not going to work. 

3 # Not Independent of Product Goal, but Aligned with Product Goal

The CIPSA Sprint Goal does not exist in isolation. It should contribute toward achieving the Product Goal. This goal provides the longer-term direction for the product. Again, if you’ve read the Product Goal article, read to know the differences. 

4 # Not Task-Focused, but Value-Focused

The CIPSA Sprint Goal is not about completing a list of tasks. It describes why the Sprint is valuable and provides a common purpose for the work undertaken by multiple and individual Scrum teams. 

5 # Not Outside, but Inside 

The CIPSA Sprint Goal is inside the CIPSA Sprint Backlog. Similarly, the CIPSA Kanban Goal will be part of the CIPSA Kanban Backlog. It’s clear and visible to the entire CIPSA team. 

6 # Not a Replacement for Team Sprint Goals, but an Overarching Goal!

This is another area I want to emphasize. The CIPSA Sprint Goal is overarching goal for the entire CIPSA team. 

The CIPSA Sprint Goal does not eliminate individual Team Sprint Goals. Rather, the CIPSA Sprint Goal sits at the scaled level, with individual Team Sprint Goals supporting it. 

7 # Not the Final Destination, but a Step Toward the Product Goal

The CIPSA Sprint Goal is not the ultimate goal of the CIPSA Team. It represents one step toward the Product Goal. Multiple CIPSA Sprint Goals can therefore contribute to achieving the Product Goal over successive Sprints.

8 # Not CIPSA Sprint Backlog Driving, but CIPSA Sprint Backlog Driven

This another area where team makes mistakes. You first decide on the CIPSA Sprint Goal. This goal should drive the items to be taken for the CIPSA Sprint Backlog. It’s not the other way around. 

9 # Not Strategic, but Tactical

As we have seen before, the Product Goal is strategic in nature. It’s there to meet an organization’s strategy. CIPSA Sprint Goal, on the other hand, is tactical nature.  

CIPSA Sprint Goal – Summary Table

In summary, CIPSA Goal is another indispensable as this article has clearly informed. The CIPSA Sprint Goals are taken one at a time to achieve the Product Goal. 

The above points that we just learned is summarized in the table below.

Conclusion

To put it very simply, you can have this one line.

Product Goal →👉 CIPSA Sprint Goal →👉 Team Sprint Goals →👉 Work Done →👉 CIPSA Integrated Increment

This hierarchy is particularly important for CIPSA. As you would have noticed by this time, one Product Goal can be supported by multiple CIPSA Sprint Goals. And each CIPSA Sprint Goal can be supported by multiple Team Sprint Goals.

CIPSA – What It's and What It's Not Series:

All Articles in What It's and What It's Not - CIPSA

CIPSA Certification:

[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

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]

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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