The Certified Scrum Master Training (CSM) course consists of two days of presentation, group discussion and experiential/interactive exercises designed to effectively teach Scrum principles and practices. There are no powerpoint slides and the lecture aspect of the course is kept to a minimum. The value of Scrum comes from doing it, so the class focuses on action. At the end of the training the participants will have the confidence and understanding to begin to socialize Scrum at their own organization and support development teams in improving their processes. Upon graduation, attendees will each receive official designation as a "Certified Scrum Master", a title bestowed by the Scrum Alliance.

The Scrum Master role is very different to a project manager. The role emphasizes facilitation, leadership and collaboration over traditional command-and-control activities. A good Scrum Master will be a process facilitator, a servant leader to the team and a change agent within the organization. As a process facilitator and servant leader the Scrum Master's role is to maximize the team's efforts toward its goals while removing the impediments that stand in its way. As a change agent the Scrum Master is responsible for socializing Scrum at a wider level, educating customers and other stakeholders and steering the entire organization towards essential change. Being a Scrum Master is a full-time job. This course won't make you into a Scrum Master, but it will give you a deeper understanding of the role, and of Scrum in general. The CSM certificate is a first step on the path to the more meaningful title of Certified Scrum Practitioner, a pathway that takes a minimum of one year.

This two-day course teaches the principles and practices that make Scrum Masters effective facilitators and productivity enhancers. The course itself uses the principles of Scrum, where the learning outcome is driven by the needs of the participants through a combination of expert instruction and self-directed learning. Opportunities to refect and adapt the direction of the course are offered at reglar intervals. At the end of the training the participants will have the confidence and understanding to begin to socialize Scrum at their own organization and support development teams in improving their processes.

Day 1

1. Scrum in Practice
• Doing it. Practice will lead theory on this course
2. Scrum Theory
• The Essence of Scrum – concepts, principles and a new way of thinking
• The Mechanics of Scrum – framework, roles, ceremonies, artifacts & flow

Day 2

1. Scrum Tools
• Vision Statements, Product Backlog Management, Story Writing, Estimation, Task Boards, Burn Downs, Velocity Graphs
2. Scrum Master Coaching Skills
• Case studies and exercises to raise awareness of the responsibilities and limitations of the Scrum Master
3. Q & A
• Outstanding questions as prioritized by the students

While the course title implies this course is only for Scrum Masters, in fact all those who will be working as part of a Scrum team, as well as Product Owners and management will benefit from the principles and practices taught on this course.

Please read What is Scrum? by the Scrum Alliance and The Essence of Scrum by Tobias Mayer. Both are very short articles, but will set the context for the training.

Please see the CSM class list on our Public Courses page for dates and locations.