CSM: Certified Scrum Master Certification

Module 1: The CSM Learning Objectives fall into the following categories:

• Lean, Agile, and Scrum
• Scrum Master Core Competencies
• Service to the Development Team
• Service to the Product Owner
• Service to the Organization

Module 2: Scrum Theory and Scrum Roles

• Describe how the values of Scrum — focus, courage, commitment, openness, and respect — are present in a specific Scrum event, artefact, or role.
• List at least three rights and five responsibilities of the Product Owner, Development Team and Scrum Master.
• Describe how the values of Scrum — focus, courage, commitment, openness, and respect — are present in a specific Scrum event, artefact, or role.
• List at least three rights and five responsibilities of the Product Owner, Development Team and Scrum Master.
• Discuss at least two reasons why the Product Owner is a single person and not a group or a committee.

Module 3: Scrum Events and Artifact Transparency

• Give one example of how a Scrum Team will inspect and adapt and increase transparency at each of the Scrum events.
• Describe at least three responsibilities for the Development Team, Product Owner, and Scrum Master during Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Retrospective.

Module 4: Sprint and Increment

• Describe at least two reasons why the Sprint goal does not change during a Sprint.
• Define the outcome of every Sprint and describe at least three reasons why that is important.
• Discuss at least three reasons why the Increment must be brought to the current definition of “Done” regardless of whether the Product Owner chooses to release the Increment.

Module 5: Scrum Events

• Discuss the focus of the activities of the Product Owner and Development Team during the two topics of Sprint Planning: the “What” and the “How.”
• Practice writing a Sprint Goal and identify at least two benefits of having a Sprint Goal.
• Discuss at least three ways the Daily Scrum differs from a status meeting and why the various constraints exist to support the Development Team.
• Identify at least three possible structures the Development Team could use to run the Daily Scrum within the time-box.
• Describe at least three of the activities that take place during the Sprint Review that pertain to work beyond what has been completed in the Sprint.
• Identify at least three potential outcomes for a Sprint Review.
• Explain at least three distinct responsibilities for the Scrum Master during the Sprint Retrospective.

Module 6: Scrum Artifacts

• Describe at least two responsibilities of the Development Team, Product Owner, and Scrum Master in the development and maintenance of the Product Backlog.
• Identify at least three essential characteristics of the Product Backlog. 1.22. list at least four attributes of a Product Backlog item.
• Identify at least three essential characteristics of the Sprint Backlog. 1.24. explain how the Sprint Backlog can be changed, who can make changes and the limits of these changes.
• Identify at least two reasons why multiple teams working on the same Product Backlog must have a shared and consistent definition of “Done.”
• Describe at least three opportunities where the Scrum Team might adapt their definition of “Done” to meet new insights or circumstances.
• Explain the importance of a strong definition of “Done” and describe at least two risks associated with a weaker definition of “Done.”
• Outline at least one way to create a definition of “Done.”

Module 7: Scrum master Core Competencies

• List at least three ways the Scrum Master could facilitate for the Scrum Team
• Demonstrate at least three techniques for facilitating group decision making
• State a distinction among facilitating, teaching, mentoring, and coaching.
• List at least three different challenges facing a self-organizing team.
• Practice the implementation of at least one Retrospective technique that could help to resolve a challenge faced by a self-organizing team.

Module 8: Service to the Development Team

• Define servant-leadership
• Describe three scenarios where the Scrum Master acts as the servant-leader for the Development Team.
• Discuss at least one scenario in which the Scrum Master, acting as a servant-leader.
• Improved at least one aspect of the Development Team.
• Identify possible violations of Scrum by a Product Owner or stakeholder who is applying
• Excessive time pressure and illustrate how to address them.
• Define technical debt and explain the impact of accumulating technical debt.
• List at least five development practices that will help Scrum Teams deliver a high-quality
• Product Increment and reduce technical debt each Sprint.
• List at least three ways development practices may impact the Development Team’s
• Ability to deliver a potentially releasable Increment each Sprint.

Module 9: Service to the Product Owner

• Identifies at least three collaboration techniques that a Product Owner can use to work with the Development Team or stakeholders.
• Explain at least three ways the Scrum Master could support the Product Owner.

Module 10: Service to the Organization

• Discusses at least two ways that the Scrum Master assists the Scrum Team with responding to impediments.
• Discuss at least three common organizational impediments outside the scope of a team that can affect the effectiveness of Scrum Teams.
• Describe at least one example of a major organizational design change implied by implementing Scrum.
• Discuss why Scrum does not have a project manager and what happens to traditional project management activities.
• Describe at least two stakeholder behaviors that support the Scrum Team’s success and at least two behaviors that do not support the Scrum Team’s success.
• Describe at least two benefits that could be lost if Scrum is only partially implemented.