Overview

The Professional Scrum Master course is the first significant update of the Certified ScrumMaster class that Ken Schwaber introduced and shared in 2002. As in the original, the framework, mechanics, and roles of Scrum are covered. However, students are then taught how to use Scrum to optimize value, productivity, and total cost of ownership of systems and products. They understand how to do so through instruction and team-based exercises. They learn to think on their feet to better understand what to do when they return to their workplaces.

In order to do so, the first-principles of Scrum are covered in depth. Students learn why certain decisions are better than others, and why some support Agility and others return the students to waterfall. Students learn to use productivity metrics of Scrum to monitor the results of their decisions. They are then better equipped to make decisions that optimize the results.

Purpose

The purpose of the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) course is give students the grounding in Scrum and its first principles from which they can make opportunistic decisions about how to use it best. Using Scrum to optimize the results requires a solid knowledge of how it works and why. In this PSM course, numerous team exercises give students a chance to try their hand at using Scrum while guided by fellow classmates and Ken. This gives students the opportunity to think of using Scrum in various situations as well as the changes that are required to do so.

Several advanced topics that build on Scrum’s underlying metrics are included in the course, such as managing risk and optimizing total cost of ownership.

Prerequisites

1) Have read one of the Scrum books.

2) Have studied the Scrum Guide at http://www.scrum.org.

3) Understand the basics of project management.

4) Understand requirements and requirements decomposition.

5) Have been on or closely involved with a project that builds or enhances a product.

6) Want to know more about how Scrum works, how to use it, and how to implement it in an organization.

Structure

• Scrum basics – what is Scrum and its history?
• Scrum theory: why does Scrum work and what are the first principles? How are these different from more traditional approaches and what is the impact?
• Scrum framework, roles, rules, and flow: how the theory is implemented in the Scrum using the Scrum time-boxes, roles, rules, and artifacts. How can these be used most effectively and how can they fall apart?
• Change: what changes does Scrum change in an organization and what is the best way to make them and take advantage of their benefits?
• Increments: A Scrum increment has to be transparent and ready for inspection. What does this mean, what is a “done” increment, and what happens to “undone” work.
• Emergent Architecture: Scrum is empirical. What is the impact of empiricism and emergence on complex architectures and infrastructure development?
• Scrum Planning –and Reporting Plan a project and estimate its cost and completion date.
• Scrum and Change: Scrum is different. What does this mean to my project and my organization? How do I best adopt Scrum given the change that is expected?
• Scrum and Total Cost of Ownership – A system isn’t just developed. It is also sustained, maintained and enhanced. How is the overall cost of this Total Cost of Ownership measured and optimized?
• Scaling Scrum – Scrum works great with one team. It also works better than anything else for projects or product releases that involve hundreds and thousands of people dispersed over the globe. How is this best done and managed?
• Scrum Master: What is the role of the ScrumMaster and how can it best be performed?

Assessment

Following the course, students can take the PSM I assessment to validate their understanding of Scrum and its principles. Students that score high enough will be certified as Professional Scrum Master. 

Scrum Workshop (Day 3)

Stay for an additional 1-day INCREMENTOR workshop to intensify the Scrum learning experience in hands-on group exercises, role-plays, case studies and games. We will have a "zero-powerpoint" policy during the 3rd day and practice and discuss Scrum.