What is a ScrumMaster? From wikipedia: "Scrum is facilitated by a ScrumMaster, whose primary job
is to remove impediments to the ability of the team to deliver the
sprint goal. The ScrumMaster is not the leader of the team (as they are
self-organising) but acts as a buffer between the team and any
distracting influences."
It's not just an Agile Project Manager. It's an agile coach with a slant toward the practices of Scrum. I, myself, am an Agile coach. I coach a mixture of Scrum, XP, and Lean. Along with teach developers better software practices and how to be more effective, I also advise management on how the department can be structured better. Business drivers and analysis are probably bigger risks in the software process than the programming part, so that's a big part of my job.
I have decided to earn the certification for the work I am already doing, so I'll be attending ScrumMaster certification training on September 20, and 21. If you are interested in ScrumMaster training, register for the course and come take it with me. The course is in Austin, and the Thursday of the training coincides with an AgileATX lunch.
Regular price for the course is $1195 per person. Register by August 31st and receive a $200 discount (for a per-person price of $995). Here is the full information.