Effective Scrum
- 4 min read
Sprint Planning from Hell
Does your team's Sprint Planning seem like a complete and utter waste of time? Most of the time, the planning isn't the real problem.
Read full articlePut an End to Ineffective Scrum
Deliver the right value with high quality, without feeling micromanaged or wasting time in pointless meetings.
8000+
Students certified
96%
Client retention rate
20+
Years of Agile experience
AI Is Not Fixing Your Bottleneck
Reserve My Spot
Typing was never the problem
We will talk about the effects of GenAI, where it can help and what risks it introduces. You will leave with a clearer way to use GenAI without falling into speed theatre and false velocity trap.
We've helped 8000+ people find success using Scrum
Proud to be the trusted training provider for many of the largest financial, insurance, software, and education organizations, as well as all levels of Canadian government.
Mark was recommended to me from a colleague and I honestly was delighted of how much I learned from the course. I have been as a project manager for a number of years, and I really felt that I was able to understand how to apply this to my current work and also even how to work within my working style.
Joyce KVirtual
This course is valuable to anyone who would like to be introduced to Scrum. It was a well spended 2 day course and was very helpful. Mark is very knowledgeable and a very good coach.
Ronald HOttawa
Came in with a cynical view and attitude and left with nuggets of insight. That is quite an accomplishment for any instructor!
Mojtaba HOttawa
Mark Levison’s Agile Pain Relief was a wonderful, immersive introduction into the world of Scrum. He is an engaging, thoughtful and well prepared instructor. The course activities were interactive, informative and really served to engrain and apply Scrum knowledge. I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to become a CSM.
Wes KVirtual
Loved this course! Mark is very thorough and attentive as a teacher. He leveraged Mural in such interactive ways, which allowed him to understand the students well and shape the class accordingly. He is like the Jedi master of scrum and insanely advanced methods of leaderless collaboration and accomplishment. He's also the king of super nerdy jokes, which made the class fun and brought out the super nerd in everyone.
Lia GVirtual
This course helped me understand the principles of Agile and how to implement it to achieve better performance with any team while having a good time. Really like the balance between the exercises and the theory.
Pierre LMontreal
This is one of the best courses I took. I liked the 'hands on' scrum technique. I liked the open discussions and how the instructor motivated people and kept them engaged.
Magda SOttawa
Great facilitator. Challenged my thinking. Very absorbing discussion. Very engaging considering it can be a very dry topic, as evidenced by the webinars I've listened to.
Aimee LToronto
Course was great and enjoyable. Lots of make you think kind of questions.
Andrew FOttawa
It was a pleasure learning with Mark. The scrum-like structure of the course made it interactive and fun.
Florent GToronto
Very good course, well balanced and very interactive.
Alexandre GMontreal
This was agreat intro to formal scrum fundamentals. Mark was always engaging.
John LKitchener-Waterloo
Great course and material, I loved the theoretical information with was applied on day 2. Mark did a great job of relating everything to real work examples.
Michael FToronto
The instructor did an excellent job in my opinion. He did a really good job of focusing on sections where there was more confusion and really helped make everyone feel comfortable to share and ask questions.
Sylvain FVirtual
Hands on experience in the subject helps to communicate most of the inportant message throughout the course.
Wael FToronto
Mark is a knowledgeable and fun person. He was able to clearly explain the concepts and facilitiate discussions and progress.
Teodor HPrivate Client
Well prepared, knows how to put practice into play and have passion for ideas/critical thinking.
Jamie HOttawa
The CSM course was extremely valuable in understanding the theorotical and practical concepts and techniques necessary to start my journey as Scrum Master. Mark was a knowledgeable and flexible facilitor.
Erik GToronto
Mark was very well prepared with the material and handled questions well. You gave us enough information to address our own issues without giving us the solution.
Ramiz IPrivate Client
Mark is very insightful, knowledgable, and humourous. The topic was well covered and a delight to engage with. Great balance of peer interactions and instructor led discussions.
Peter HOttawa
It was a very helpful course and it met my expectations.
Vinicious GVancouver
The course and exercise were well designed to add value compared to reading about Scrum. Mark is an effective presenter, keeping things interesting and (often) entertaining.
Gordon EPrivate Client
It was great! Very well explained and engaging.
Donald HToronto
The combination of hands-on practice and excellent facilitation style made this course enjoyable, useful and very applicable to my day to day life as a Project Manager. The content was carefully curated and meaningful discussions were had
during the session. It was engaging, interactive and insightful! I would highly recommend Mark and the Agile Pain Relief company for anyone looking to do their CSM training and pass the exam!
Valerie GVirtual
Great course material and energetic instructor.
Chris HPrivate Client
A fantastic approach to teaching Scrum and agile practices.
Jordan LToronto
Mark's enthusiam was contagious. His energy and humor brought Scrum alive! I enjoyed the examples and many aspects we covered.
Michelle HKitchener-Waterloo
Great Class! Learning in a dynamic and fun way with interesting and useful context and examples.
Suzelle FMontreal
Very informative and fun learning session.
Kim KPrivate Client
A wealth of useful and interesting knowledge.
Sarah HEdmonton
Instructor is super knowledgeable and shared his wealth of expertise in a meaning manner.
Randy GPrivate Client
The teach went further to clarify question and add valuable information from other Agile methodology.
Marco SMontreal
Course provided a comprehensive review of Scrum and how it should play out in the real world.
Lexie YOttawa
Marks experience and depth of knowledge made the detailed examples easy to relate to.
Pralaya SEdmonton
Instructor was well organized and touched each topic in a sequential matter that was logical.
Joe PMontreal
I really liked that although we did a paper website exercise we used it as a tool for conversation and there wasn't pressure to complete and present it to the group.
Angela GToronto
Crisp and concise in delivery. Captivating and inspiring. Obviously very knowledgeable and experienced.
Jason LToronto
Great session overall. Appreciate your openness and honesty.
Lisa FToronto
The material/presentation were top notch. Demontrations/examples were very good. Instructor is enthusiastic, knowledgeable.
Norm RKitchener-Waterloo
Mark explained things well. He's nice. There are valuable discussions during the course, that I saw others problems and experiences.
Hoo LKitchener-Waterloo
Really liked it, will recommend to others.
Alexey SToronto
The instructor is very knowledgeable in the subject and kept us motivated and alert during the course. The course itself covers lots of material which is necessary for someone who wants to become a successful scrum master.
Elena RVirtual
Really dynamic! Use scrum tools to control the flow of the course which is a good example.
Marc LMontreal
Covered a little of everything. Was always interesting.
Regis LMontreal
Mark is very engaging and keeps things interesting during the course.
Adam MToronto
The instructor and course were generally excellent – the curriculum was thorough, and the instructor was engaging. I definitely feel like I came out a lot more knowledgeable
about Scrum and both the PO and Scrum Master roles (despite the fact that this was not Scrum Master training), and I have lots of ideas percolating on how to implement Agile strategies in my work and with my team.
Natasha HVirtual
Appreciated the flexibility of discussing things out of order as team comments took us there. Enjoyed interactive format, no slides. Helpful workbook.
Annette GPrivate Client
Interesting, engaging, practical exercises.
Olga HMontreal
Brilliant approach to coaching.
Serguei LToronto
It is very well organized and timed. The teacher has a really deep, hands-on knowledge about the subject.
Alberto MPrivate Client
Course was great and enjoyable. Lots of make you think kind of questions.
Andrew FOttawa
It was a pleasure learning with Mark. The scrum-like structure of the course made it interactive and fun.
Florent GToronto
Very good course, well balanced and very interactive.
Alexandre GMontreal
This was agreat intro to formal scrum fundamentals. Mark was always engaging.
John LKitchener-Waterloo
Great course and material, I loved the theoretical information with was applied on day 2. Mark did a great job of relating everything to real work examples.
Michael FToronto
Mark was recommended to me from a colleague and I honestly was delighted of how much I learned from the course. I have been as a project manager for a number of years, and I really felt that I was able to understand how to apply this to my current work and also even how to work within my working style.
Joyce KVirtual
The instructor did an excellent job in my opinion. He did a really good job of focusing on sections where there was more confusion and really helped make everyone feel comfortable to share and ask questions.
Sylvain FVirtual
Hands on experience in the subject helps to communicate most of the inportant message throughout the course.
Wael FToronto
This course is valuable to anyone who would like to be introduced to Scrum. It was a well spended 2 day course and was very helpful. Mark is very knowledgeable and a very good coach.
Ronald HOttawa
Mark is a knowledgeable and fun person. He was able to clearly explain the concepts and facilitiate discussions and progress.
Teodor HPrivate Client
Well prepared, knows how to put practice into play and have passion for ideas/critical thinking.
Jamie HOttawa
The CSM course was extremely valuable in understanding the theorotical and practical concepts and techniques necessary to start my journey as Scrum Master. Mark was a knowledgeable and flexible facilitor.
Erik GToronto
Mark was very well prepared with the material and handled questions well. You gave us enough information to address our own issues without giving us the solution.
Ramiz IPrivate Client
Mark is very insightful, knowledgable, and humourous. The topic was well covered and a delight to engage with. Great balance of peer interactions and instructor led discussions.
Peter HOttawa
It was a very helpful course and it met my expectations.
Vinicious GVancouver
The course and exercise were well designed to add value compared to reading about Scrum. Mark is an effective presenter, keeping things interesting and (often) entertaining.
Gordon EPrivate Client
Came in with a cynical view and attitude and left with nuggets of insight. That is quite an accomplishment for any instructor!
Mojtaba HOttawa
It was great! Very well explained and engaging.
Donald HToronto
Mark Levison’s Agile Pain Relief was a wonderful, immersive introduction into the world of Scrum. He is an engaging, thoughtful and well prepared instructor. The course activities were interactive, informative and really served to engrain and apply Scrum knowledge. I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to become a CSM.
Wes KVirtual
Loved this course! Mark is very thorough and attentive as a teacher. He leveraged Mural in such interactive ways, which allowed him to understand the students well and shape the class accordingly. He is like the Jedi master of scrum and insanely advanced methods of leaderless collaboration and accomplishment. He's also the king of super nerdy jokes, which made the class fun and brought out the super nerd in everyone.
Lia GVirtual
The combination of hands-on practice and excellent facilitation style made this course enjoyable, useful and very applicable to my day to day life as a Project Manager. The content was carefully curated and meaningful discussions were had
during the session. It was engaging, interactive and insightful! I would highly recommend Mark and the Agile Pain Relief company for anyone looking to do their CSM training and pass the exam!
Valerie GVirtual
Great course material and energetic instructor.
Chris HPrivate Client
A fantastic approach to teaching Scrum and agile practices.
Jordan LToronto
Mark's enthusiam was contagious. His energy and humor brought Scrum alive! I enjoyed the examples and many aspects we covered.
Michelle HKitchener-Waterloo
Great Class! Learning in a dynamic and fun way with interesting and useful context and examples.
Suzelle FMontreal
Very informative and fun learning session.
Kim KPrivate Client
A wealth of useful and interesting knowledge.
Sarah HEdmonton
Instructor is super knowledgeable and shared his wealth of expertise in a meaning manner.
Randy GPrivate Client
The teach went further to clarify question and add valuable information from other Agile methodology.
Marco SMontreal
Course provided a comprehensive review of Scrum and how it should play out in the real world.
Lexie YOttawa
Marks experience and depth of knowledge made the detailed examples easy to relate to.
Pralaya SEdmonton
Instructor was well organized and touched each topic in a sequential matter that was logical.
Joe PMontreal
I really liked that although we did a paper website exercise we used it as a tool for conversation and there wasn't pressure to complete and present it to the group.
Angela GToronto
Crisp and concise in delivery. Captivating and inspiring. Obviously very knowledgeable and experienced.
Jason LToronto
Great session overall. Appreciate your openness and honesty.
Lisa FToronto
The material/presentation were top notch. Demontrations/examples were very good. Instructor is enthusiastic, knowledgeable.
Norm RKitchener-Waterloo
Mark explained things well. He's nice. There are valuable discussions during the course, that I saw others problems and experiences.
Hoo LKitchener-Waterloo
Really liked it, will recommend to others.
Alexey SToronto
This course helped me understand the principles of Agile and how to implement it to achieve better performance with any team while having a good time. Really like the balance between the exercises and the theory.
Pierre LMontreal
The instructor is very knowledgeable in the subject and kept us motivated and alert during the course. The course itself covers lots of material which is necessary for someone who wants to become a successful scrum master.
Elena RVirtual
This is one of the best courses I took. I liked the 'hands on' scrum technique. I liked the open discussions and how the instructor motivated people and kept them engaged.
Magda SOttawa
Really dynamic! Use scrum tools to control the flow of the course which is a good example.
Marc LMontreal
Great facilitator. Challenged my thinking. Very absorbing discussion. Very engaging considering it can be a very dry topic, as evidenced by the webinars I've listened to.
Aimee LToronto
Covered a little of everything. Was always interesting.
Regis LMontreal
Mark is very engaging and keeps things interesting during the course.
Adam MToronto
The instructor and course were generally excellent – the curriculum was thorough, and the instructor was engaging. I definitely feel like I came out a lot more knowledgeable
about Scrum and both the PO and Scrum Master roles (despite the fact that this was not Scrum Master training), and I have lots of ideas percolating on how to implement Agile strategies in my work and with my team.
Natasha HVirtual
Appreciated the flexibility of discussing things out of order as team comments took us there. Enjoyed interactive format, no slides. Helpful workbook.
Annette GPrivate Client
Interesting, engaging, practical exercises.
Olga HMontreal
Brilliant approach to coaching.
Serguei LToronto
It is very well organized and timed. The teacher has a really deep, hands-on knowledge about the subject.
Alberto MPrivate Client
Confused? Burnt Out? Disillusioned?
WE FEEL YOUR PAIN
Whether you're new to Scrum or a struggling Team, we have what you need to be successful. Learning for every level.
New to Scrum
Demystify confusing terms and get a clear understanding of how Scrum helps teams improve. Less jargon, more simplicity.
Certified Scrum Training
Learn by doing. Unique and highly-effective workshops move you from theory to practical, real-life application.
Fix Broken Scrum
If Scrum and Agile aren’t living up to the hype and are making more work for you, learn why and how to fix it.
Your Trusted Resource Center for Everything Scrum & Agile
Learning doesn't begin and end with formal training courses. We provide ongoing support and resources so you can learn at your own pace and improve your workplace, career, and effectiveness.
Effective Scrum
- 5 min read
Unpacking Interruptions- Why Your Team Struggles to Get Things Done
That thing where you’re trying to work but... Surviving interruptions in your team. We look at where they come from and how to eliminate them.
Read full article
Teams
- 10 min read
How to Build a Powerful Team from Scratch
Learn what it takes to go from Working Group to True Team. Hint, there is hard work involved.
Read full article Why choose us
Get exclusive bonuses with our Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum training
map
Future-proof blueprint
A practical plan for Scrum team success, to guide you through your first few months after class and help you be effective long-term.
account_circle
Personal coaching
Get professional input on the unique issues you’re facing at your organization in a coaching session with Mark after training.
menu_book
Resources
When you’re confused about Scrum or Agile, you can access reputable information, including a Glossary and Resource Library.
group
Community access
A safe online space to ask questions and get experienced answers when you run into challenges with Scrum and Agile.
coffee
Lean Coffee
Fun and friendly virtual meet-ups to discuss Scrum and Agile. Hear from Mark and others what has and hasn’t worked for them.
workspace_premium
Money-back guarantee
You’ll gain valuable skills and learning from our certification workshops, or we’ll refund your registration price.
Get Certified
Explore what Scrum is and how to make it work for you in our Scrum Certification training. Hands-on learning will guide you to improve teamwork, deliver quick feedback, and achieve better products and results.
Registration is now open for workshops:
About this course
Focuses on the role of the team and the ScrumMaster. Get the skills and practical experience necessary to improve teamwork, take the exam, and advance your career with a certification that is in high demand today. Often the best fit for anyone new to Scrum.
Learning and Benefits
Relatable Scenarios
Learn on-the-job applications of key Scrum concepts, skills, principles, along with practical solutions that you can apply the next day for difficult, real-life situations.
Respected Certification
Everything you need to earn your Scrum Alliance® ScrumMaster certification, including exam fee and membership, and so much more.
Practical Exercises
With focus on the challenges that real teams face, and tools to dig deeper. You don’t need more boring Scrum theory. You need something you can sink your teeth into to see immediate results.
Jargon-Free Learning
This workshop is not just for software development or people with a computer science degree. We’ve helped many non-software teams with Scrum.
Career Advancement
Use Scrum knowledge to standout at work, get paid more, and impress your customer, all without burning out.
Ongoing Support
Our active Scrum community forum is a safe place to ask questions. Long after you earn the Certified Scrum Master certification, you will have access to the forum, course materials, and additional valuable resources.