iSQI Scrum Master Pro

About the Course

Over the past few years, Agile has quickly risen to prominence as organisations strive to realise value quicker by adopting its rapid iterative approach. This internationally certified course is designed to immerse students in the fundamental principles of Scrum, allowing them implement best practice and avoid falling into bad habits that can significantly impact project delivery, quality and cost.

This course provides an understanding of the Scrum philosophy and principles, practical knowledge of Scrum, including roles, meetings and artefacts. It also prepares students to confidently apply Scrum methodology in their organisations as a way of managing issues and roadblocks

After successfully completing the course and passing the exam, delegates should:

• Have the tools to effectively work within a Scrum team and environment
• Recognise, define, and work within the concepts of the Scrum framework
• Be prepared for the role of Scrum Master in their organisations
• Assist their organisations in adopting Scrum frameworks and methodologies
• Have the tools to address, resolve, and take the lead on Scrum issues in their projects
• Have the knowledge required to sit the International Scrum Master Accredited Certification exam
• Plan, coordinate and run agile projects and sprints.

Who is it for?

The course is suitable for most people involved in either traditional or agile environments, including:

• Testers, BA’s, Developers and Team Leaders looking to take a step up in their career in Agile;
• Agile Project Managers looking to formally accredit their skills as a Scrum Master;
• Project Managers looking to build and adapt their skills for Agile project work.

Entry Requirements

The course is suitable for all people working in agile projects who want to become Agile Scrum Masters overseeing projects and sprints:

• A basic understanding of the role of IT;
• A basic understanding of the systems development process

The Exam

The Certified Agile Scrum Master Pro exam is designed to evaluate a candidate’s knowledge, understanding and ability to apply concepts included in the syllabus.

• Duration: 60 minutes (15 min time extension for non-native speakers available on request)
• Type: 40 multiple-choice questions
• Pass mark: Minimum total score: 65% (26 correct answers)
• Language: English

Course Content

• Origins of Scrum as a Project Management Framework
• Scrum Methodology
• User Stories
• Planning
• Sprint
• Review, Retrospective and Enterprise Projects
• The Scrum Master

Syllabus - Key points

The syllabus concentrates on making you an effective Scrum Aster in readiness for your next project and sprint. Key points are based on

• Understanding Scrum as a lightweight agile project management framework and what the Scrum Master needs to implement and manage the framework to effectively facilitate the team through the Scrum process;
• Identify the attributes of Scrum, the Scrum values, core practices, artefacts and ceremonies as the Scrum Master needs to understand these key activities to facilitate, guide and mentor teams and help them to become self-managing and self-organising;
• Recognise the format and content of User Stories and how they are estimated and prioritised in order to coach and mentor the team in producing clear and concise User Stories and Acceptance Criteria;
• Appreciate Scrum Planning and the importance of planning in the Scrum Process, as the Scrum ‘Master has to understand both the release and sprint planning process so that they can effectively facilitate these meetings and manage progress against plan and consequential risk;
• Comprehend sprints and the design development and testing within a sprint as the Scrum Master is required to support these processes and be available to remove roadblocks for the team;
• Know why retrospectives and continuous improvement is important to be incorporated into each sprint.

Next steps

Holders of the Certified Agile Scrum Master Pro Certificate may wish to consider:

• The iSQI Certified Agile Tester – an intensive 5-day course addressing all aspects of the Agile life cycle and getting delivery right
• The ISTQB Agile Extension (Foundation level) – a 2-day course that takes testers form traditional methods to Agile
• The iSQI Certified Agile Business Analyst – a 2-day course that takes both new and experienced business analysts from a traditional background into the world of Agile.