Suggested Reading for Professional Scrum Master™ I
Prove Your Knowledge of Scrum and the Scrum Master Accountabilities
We have gathered content on this page which we suggest you utilize when preparing for the PSM I. These are suggested resources, and you may find resources not mentioned on this page helpful, along with the application of your own experience using Scrum. The PSM I certification focuses primarily on validating your understanding of Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide as well as understanding the fundamentals behind agile leadership.
Prior to taking the PSM I certification a great way to prepare is to attend a Professional Scrum Master training course, taught by a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainer.
PSM I includes questions from the following Focus Areas as defined in the Professional Scrum Competencies.
- Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework:
- Empiricism, Scrum Values, Scrum Team, Events, Artifacts, Done
- Developing People and Teams:
- Self-Managing Teams, Facilitation, Coaching
- Managing Products with Agility:
- Forecasting & Release Planning, Product Value, Product Backlog Management, Stakeholders & Customers
Where to begin
- Become very familiar with the Scrum Guide.
- Valuable series of articles, blogs, videos and more that pertain to the 2020 version of the Scrum Guide released on November 18, 2020.
- Practice walking someone through the Scrum framework.
- Know which agile practices you may have seen or used that are NOT part of the Scrum framework. Teams need to pull in the complementary practices that fit their ever-changing needs, but it is important to know what is and is not required by Scrum.
- Take the Scrum Open Assessment to get a baseline of your knowledge and take it again until you are comfortable with the content. The Scrum Open assessment is a learning tool, and thus feedback is provided during the test.
- Study from the Resources for Growing as a Scrum Master.
- Read the material suggested in the next few sections of this page.
Blogs and Articles
Scrum Values (Download the Poster)
Scrum Accountabilities / Roles
- Accountabilities in Scrum
- The 8 stances of a Scrum Master
- A day in the life of a Scrum Master
- Evolution of the Product Owner
- Evolution of the Scrum Master
- Evolution of the Development Team
Scrum Events:
- 5 Powerful things about the Sprint
- Getting to Done: Creating good Sprint Goals
- Scrum Myth: The Scrum Master must be present during the Daily Scrum
- Sprint Review: Much more than a demo
- 11 ideas to spice up your Sprint Retrospective
- Myth: A Sprint Goal is Optional in Scrum
Articles, Videos, and Podcasts
Books
- Mastering Professional Scrum: A Practitioner s Guide to Overcoming Challenges and Maximizing the Benefits of Agility by Stephanie Ockerman and Simon Reindl
- Scrum: A Pocket Guide by Gunther Verheyen
- Software in 30 days by Ken Schwaber
- Scrum Insights for Practitioners: The Scrum Guide Companion by Hiren Doshi
Practice
- Take the Scrum Open Assessment until you are comfortable with the content. The Scrum Open assessment is a learning tool, and thus feedback is provided during the test.
- You may also find it valuable to take the Scrum Developer Open Assessment and the Product Owner Open Assessment as a way to gain additional perspective on the other accountabilities of a Scrum Team.
- Apply Scrum in your workplace. As you do, stop to reflect on whether you’re taking advantage of all the opportunities that the Scrum framework offers, or if you’re using ScrumBut.
- Be conscious of your decisions as you adapt and evolve how you apply Scrum in the context of your work and your team's old habits. Think about why Scrum is structured the way it is, and how the Scrum framework differs from traditional management practices.
Additional Scrum Resources
- Familiarize yourself with the Scrum glossary.
- Read articles on our Blog, written by our expert Professional Scrum Trainers.
- Join the Scrum.org Forum discussions.
- View the Scrum.org Resources page.
- View the What is Scrum Resource page.
- Build your Scrum muscle memory by engaging in discussions and practicing Scrum fundamentals with your team.