Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills

Become a Better Facilitator to Improve Scrum Team Interactions

Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills™ is an interactive course designed to help Scrum practitioners develop a facilitator’s mindset, proficiency in facilitation skills, and learn when and how to select effective techniques for various circumstances. Strong facilitation skills enable better problem-solving, more effective Scrum events and greater team alignment, all leading to better outcomes.

A key tenet of Scrum is to put problem-solving and decision-making in the hands of the Scrum Team. The Scrum Framework creates venues for this to happen and the Scrum Values help create an environment in which each Scrum Team member’s voice can be heard. However, team interactions don’t always go well. Sometimes team members lose sight of goals, don’t fully engage and/or can’t reach agreement. Effective facilitation can guide the team toward their desired outcomes.

Course Overview

In this one-day* skills-building course, participants will learn how to become better facilitators to improve interactions with their Scrum Teams, stakeholders and customers. They will focus on how to adopt facilitation as a stance and enable the Scrum Values. Students will address a series of common Scrum-related scenarios by applying several facilitation techniques that they can add to their collection of agile practices. They will create and leave with their own facilitation “plan” to improve their next team discussion or Scrum event.

Become a Better Facilitator to Improve Scrum Team Interactions

Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills™ is an interactive course designed to help Scrum practitioners develop a facilitator’s mindset, proficiency in facilitation skills, and learn when and how to select effective techniques for various circumstances. Strong facilitation skills enable better problem-solving, more effective Scrum events and greater team alignment, all leading to better outcomes.

A key tenet of Scrum is to put problem-solving and decision-making in the hands of the Scrum Team. The Scrum Framework creates venues for this to happen and the Scrum Values help create an environment in which each Scrum Team member’s voice can be heard. However, team interactions don’t always go well. Sometimes team members lose sight of goals, don’t fully engage and/or can’t reach agreement. Effective facilitation can guide the team toward their desired outcomes.

Course Overview

In this one-day* skills-building course, participants will learn how to become better facilitators to improve interactions with their Scrum Teams, stakeholders and customers. They will focus on how to adopt facilitation as a stance and enable the Scrum Values. Students will address a series of common Scrum-related scenarios by applying several facilitation techniques that they can add to their collection of agile practices. They will create and leave with their own facilitation “plan” to improve their next team discussion or Scrum event.

Course Learning Objectives

• Develop facilitation skills and a facilitator’s mindset 
• Learn the facilitation principles that experienced facilitators fall back on when interactions are difficult 
• Understand the roles that facilitation principles and the Scrum Values play in enhancing healthy collaboration in Scrum Teams
• Explore how facilitation can address challenging scenarios most Scrum Teams encounter
• Apply facilitation skills and techniques to improve the Scrum events and other interactions
• Understand how to encourage diverse perspectives, while bringing the team together to reach decisions 
• Experience the elements of group dynamics and how they influence the decision-making process 
• Leave class with a toolbox of facilitation techniques and understand how to apply them in different circumstances

Who Should Attend this class?

This course is ideal for:

• Scrum Masters and any Scrum Team member interested in learning how to use facilitation to enhance their team’s success
• Scrum Coaches, Agile Coaches and Consultants

This course is not suitable for professionals with little Scrum knowledge or experience.

Professional Scrum Certification

All participants completing the Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills course will receive a password to attempt the Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills assessment. PSFS class participants who attempt the PSFS assessment within 14 days of the class and do not score at least 85% will be granted a 2nd attempt at no additional cost.

PMI PDU Credits

Students of Scrum.org courses are able to claim Project Management Institute (PMI) PDU credit: 7 PDUs after attending a one-day Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills (PSFS) course. Please note that PMI PDUs are earned for course attendance and not for passing a Scrum.org assessment. Students can claim PDUs under PMI's "Education courses provided by other third party providers” category. You can claim your PDUs online at https://ccrs.pmi.org.