The Professional Scrum Master training course leaves delegates feeling more confident in five key areas:
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- The fundamentals of Scrum theory and principles.
- The Scrum framework.
- Cross functional self-organising teams.
- Coaching and facilitation.
- Maximising the effectiveness of a Scrum team.
Professional Scrum Master Course Content
Theory and First Principles
Delegates explore the uncertainties of software and how an empirical process of regular inspection and adaption is an effective strategy to manage it. We’ll contrast the Scrum approach of frequently refining an imperfect plan, with the traditional approach of anticipating every variable through up-front design, architecture and requirements analysis.
The Scrum Framework
We define and describe the core elements of Scrum and relate them back to agile principles and empiricism:
- Scrum roles: product owner; development team; scrum master. Focus is placed on the accountabilities of each role and, therefore, great teams are built on a foundation of clear responsibilities.
- Scrum artefacts: product backlog; sprint backlog; increment. We see how transparency of the situation is the starting point for making effective decisions that lead to productive outcomes.
- Scrum events: sprint, sprint planning, daily scrum, sprint review, sprint retrospective. We show how each event is designed to allow people to inspect and adapt specific things, and the importance of maintaining focus.
- Definition of Done: This core concept is explored through a scenario for a life-critical product in a regulated environment and we ask teams to create a definition of done. This raises the question of what to do when items on the definition of done take a long time, or involve external dependencies.
Product Delivery with Scrum
We use a case study for a new product with an established vision and commercial context. Delegates learn a toolbox of techniques used to facilitate as Scrum Masters during product planning and delivery:
- User story mapping helping stakeholders and product owners to generate a product backlog.
- Relative sizing with story points to help develop and understand technical implementation and risk.
- Ordering product backlogs by value; size; return on investment; risk; dependencies; development cohesion.
- Release planning with velocity and product burndown charts, while agreeing with stakeholders at the start how scope and date changes are managed as the product evolves and new information comes to light.
People and Teams
What motivates commitment to the product, organisation and team? What if you didn’t have to rely on bonuses to drive people towards achieving results? How can you be sure that people are working hard even when you are not checking up on them? We explore a range of tools, techniques and theories designed to help establish healthy team dynamics.
Coaching and Facilitation
Coaching is a key part of the Scrum Master role. As a result, delegates use active listening and open questions to reveal problems and they coach individuals and teams to make a plan to resolve them. We present a simple coaching framework and apply it in an exercise that puts theory into practice.
Professional Scrum Master Outcomes
Delegates, therefore, leave with a comprehensive understanding of the practices and accountabilities of the Scrum Master role, knowing how to get started in fulfilling it. Experienced Scrum masters leave with renewed confidence and a collection of new techniques to try.
The course is especially useful for people who are, or want to become, a Scrum Master. It’s helpful, therefore, to be familiar with the basics, and to those who have existing experience with software engineering teams benefit from exercises designed to expose the choices at hand. Typical attendees include:
- People who are about to become Scrum Masters, having previously carried out roles such as project manager or software engineer.
- Experienced Scrum Masters who want to consolidate their knowledge and share ideas for effective techniques.
- Programme managers, portfolio managers, delivery managers, heads of department, and other senior leaders who need to learn how to effectively support their Scrum teams.
- People who deal with clients that have requested a Scrum approach, and so need to understand what it means.
Delivered as a private class the course is pitched at an appropriate level. For example, experienced teams can quickly re-establish the basics and then spend more time considering the detail of their approach.
We are a friendly team of practitioners and we like to provide a personal level of support, before, during and after the Professional Scrum Master training course:
- Pre-course reading designed to expose questions so that they can be explored in class.
- Contact details allowing delegates to ask questions to the trainer before and after the class.
- Access to a comprehensive set of guidance after the course so that delegates can apply what has been learnt.
- Digital course effectiveness surveys with results sent out to delegates and sponsors straight after the class.
We can offer Professional Scrum Master
Training Course as a private Live Virtual Classroom for distributed teams. For more information on what we can do for you and your organisation, please enquire.
(£850 + VAT)
Materials Included:
- Access to Agility in Mind Academy
- Pre-course reading
- Post course reading
- Practise questions
- Trainers contact information
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