Professional Scrum Master

Get trained by Gunther Verheyen, independent Scrum Caretaker and Scrum practitioner since 2003, in this online PSM class ("Professional Scrum Master").

The Professional Scrum Master class is the cutting-edge course to deepen your understanding of the Scrum framework and the role of the Scrum Master in it. It is the class for awesome Scrum Masters and for anyone responsible for or involved in an effective adoption of the Scrum framework.

The Professional Scrum Master class introduces the principles and (empirical) process theory underpinning the Scrum framework. These are foundational insights upon which the rules and roles of Scrum are explored and discussed. The focus on the Scrum Master role includes advanced thinking tools for servant-leadership and behavioral shifts, product delivery with Scrum, working with people and teams, coaching and facilitation and other aspects of a Scrum Master’s accountability. The services that a professional Scrum Master offers, to the Scrum Team as well as to the organization, are rooted in the understanding and insights offered in the PSM class.

Scrum.org selects only the most qualified instructors to deliver this course and maintains the defined curriculum and materials to assure consistency and quality for students worldwide. All materials used and presented in the class are in sync with the 2020 update of the Scrum Guide. The class includes selected cases from “The Scrum Caretaker Book of Exercises“.

Gunther Verheyen calls himself an independent Scrum Caretaker on a journey of humanizing the workplace (with Scrum). He is a world-leading Scrum expert. He started applying Scrum in 2003, has published two best-selling books on Scrum ("Scrum - A Pocket Guide" and "97 Things Every Scrum Practitioner Should Know") and has closely collaborated with Ken Schwaber, co-creator of Scrum.

Course topics

• Scrum theory and first principles
• The Scrum framework: roles, rules and artefacts
• Product Delivery with Scrum
• Working with people and teams
• The role of the Scrum Master

Objectives

Students are challenged to think in terms of Scrum and the Scrum principles to better understand what to do when they return to their workplaces.

• Students will have a clear understanding of the mechanics of Scrum and their coherence from the empirical foundation of Scrum.
• Students can act as a Scrum Master for Scrum Teams and stakeholders from an in-depth understanding of servant-leadership.
• Students can effectively start up Scrum or increase its effectiveness if already underway.

Prerequisites

Attendees make the most of the class if they:

• Have studied the Scrum Guide (required).
• Have passed the Scrum Open assessment (preferred).
• Have been or are closely involved in software or product development endeavours using Scrum (preferred).
• Have read one of the Scrum books of Ken Schwaber or the book “Scrum – A Pocket Guide” by Gunther Verheyen (optional).

Target Audience

The training may be interesting to all involved in software development using the Scrum framework, but has been specifically conceived for those responsible within an organization for running or introducing Scrum.

The class targets the people within an organization accountable for getting the most out of Scrum, including Scrum Masters, managers and Scrum Team members.

Format

Students work in teams. They learn through team assignments, discussions and hands-on exercises. This course will be taught in English.

Assessment and Certification

The Professional Scrum Master course has two associated credentials: Professional Scrum Master level I (PSM I) and Professional Scrum Master level II (PSM II).

All participants completing the Professional Scrum Master course receive a password to take the PSM I assessment and are entitled to a discount on the PSM II assessment. If participants take the PSM I assessment within 14 days after the class, and do not achieve the 85% certification score, they get 1 free re-attempt.

These industry-recognized certifications require a minimum passing score on the associated rigorous assessment. Scrum.org maintains a public list with everyone holding Professional Scrum credentials.

Trainer

Gunther Verheyen is a longtime Scrum practitioner (2003). After a longstanding career as a consultant, he partnered with Ken Schwaber, co-creator of Scrum, and Director of the Professional Scrum series at Scrum.org (2013-2016). During his time, Gunther redesigned and substantially updated the PSM course material and the PSM assessments.

Since 2016, Gunther is engaging with people and organizations as an independent Scrum Caretaker.

Gunther is the author of the acclaimed book Scrum – A Pocket Guide in 2013, and a second edition was published in 2019. Ken Schwaber recommends that book as “...the best description of Scrum currently available” and “extraordinarily competent.” Several translations of his work are available. In 2020, Gunther published the book "97 Things Every Scrum Practitioner Should Know" with O'Reilly Media. 

When not travelling for Scrum and humanizing the workplace, Gunther lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium.

The class will be online as a Zoom meeting. Gunther limits the technology and increases the learning. Students work in small groups in a Zoom breakout room, using a digital whiteboard. As in a physical environment, Gunther uses a physical flipchart for drawing core Scrum concepts.