Effective Scrum
Are you lost in Fake Agile, with too many “best practices”? Effective Scrum is a map and a compass to get out. It’s a tool to help you understand where your team is currently at, then decide what steps you can reasonably take next to get to your goals.
Can you relate?
- Our ScrumMaster is also our Project Manager … they’re still behaving like the person in charge.
- I hate Scrum because I spend all of my time in meetings.
- I’m frustrated with our Scrum team’s Product Backlog Refinement… our Product Owner doesn’t have clear priorities.
- Our Scrum Sprint Planning really bogs down … it’s a huge waste of time.
- My development team wastes a lot of time estimating user stories that we don’t understand.
- Our Product Owner is bad at maintaining realistic scope for our product… it’s challenging to deliver.
- Sprint Reviews are boring… we almost fall asleep.
- I’m frustrated that our Product Owner doesn’t have a clear vision of the product we’re trying to build.
- Scrum Sprint Retrospectives call for improvements but they never get made… so why do we bother to hold them?
- Our ScrumMaster is also our Product Owner… is that right? I’m confused.
If you’ve experienced any of the above, then our upcoming release of Effective Scrum will help you and your team get to the next level of Scrum and remove the confusion and guesswork.
Who is Effective Scrum for?
- Frustrated ScrumMasters who know the job isn’t about being focused on numbers or metrics, and they know they could make a difference.
- Burnt-out Product Owners who are pulled in six directions at once by their stakeholders.
- Managers who can see that the current version of Scrum/Agile isn’t working.
All of these people feel the pain of their current process. They know that their system is broken, and they want to make a change, however, they’re overwhelmed by the volume of information and don’t know where to start. They also don’t know who to trust.
Does your team lack a product vision? Then now would be a good time to create one, or at least dig it out of the closet and dust it off.
Are your people on many teams/projects at the same time? That’s not actually practicing Scrum. We show you how (and why) to turn the work into actual Scrum, or show you what do instead.
Don’t worry, even if Scrum isn’t the right thing for your team right now, most of what you will learn is still applicable. The really hard part about Scrum isn’t the mechanics of the events, it’s understanding how to work effectively with the people on your team to deliver the product your customer needs.
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.
I've been to a few Scrum courses for the past year and I must say that this was the best course I have attended. Gracefully covered the entire subject with the right depth.
Rafael SToronto
I've taken many courses over the years and this was the most educational, enjoyable experience with valuable activities and worthwhile, well-researched content.
Ron WEdmonton
The simulations and exercises were extremely useful in the understanding of the concept. Mark made the course thoroughly enjoyable. Extremely pleased by the techniques used and the content of the course.
Dhaval SOttawa
Mark is an awesome instructor. A very patient instructor that welcomes all questions. He is definitely the Yoda of the Scrum universe.
Ting-Yu LToronto
Mark did a great job over the course of two days. It was a good balance of information distribution and practice of that information in small groups. The concepts covered were tied to real life work situations and that made it easier to see how you would play the role of scrum master in those situations. I appreciated the time Mark allowed for questions and discussion of the topics covered in class. The breaks offered provided a good balance with being on the camera and learning online for two days. I would recommend this course and Mark as an instructor to anyone interested in learning more about Scrum and the role of scrum master.
Jessica SVirtual
Very knowledgeable and very fun and interesting way to deliver the content.
Eric SToronto
Mark was informative, fluid, and presented material in a lively and interactive manner. This allowed free flow of dynamic ideas to emerge.
Jennifer TPrivate Client
Loved the pace and interactions. Also loved that all questions are not answered, leaves room to think and apply to your particuler workspace.
Alain WMontreal
Excellent instructor. Would highly recommend.
Kyle TToronto
Human and flexible.
Xavier SMontreal
Mark is a great trainer and I really enjoyed the last 2 days and really learned good knowledge. I will encourage SCM or other. Training have good value.
Zafar SKitchener-Waterloo
Passion to share his knowledge, good class set-up and dividing the class.
Erol TMontreal
I'd hire you.
Sinan SPrivate Client
Excellent material and great passion from Mark. The training went above my expectations.
Bryan TMontreal
Created an atomosphere that encouraged participation and active learning in a variety of ways that were effective, comfortable, and fun.
Stuart SOttawa
Great facilitator, very knowledgeable.
Jay TEdmonton
Great course, absurdly knowledgeable instructor. Does pushups.
Igor TToronto
Mark is a very knowledgeable and respectful instructor. He kept the information interesting and engaging, and was great at adapting the focus of the content to align with the needs of the participants. The course overall accomplished its goal of providing me with a good feel for the role of a Scrum Master.
Dean TVirtual
Very knowledgeable, very friendly, very easy for the rest of us to learn from.
Doru TToronto
Very helpful for our specific problems. Excellent responding to questions with good examples. Sense of humour. Fun but thorough course.
Tina SPrivate Client
Everything was excellent. I loved how the backlog basics were in the story board for the course. Excellent life examples in the course.
Tony SOttawa
A facilitated journey teaching the A-Z of what a ScrumMaster is, how they work, and what they do. A course structured using the tools of scrum to actively reinforce the concepts while learning in a fun low stress way. Mark is quite the character.
David WOttawa
Awesome, highly recommended!
Simran WVancouver
Mark did a great job of making the course informative and engaging. The continued participation by everyone else made it a lot more interesting.
Gordon WOttawa
Mark is great trainer, and explained all the terms in a way for us to easy understand.
Cynthia SVirtual
Engaging. Very well explained concept. Very knowledgeable and good teaching technique in going over materials with ideas/concepts and letting us reinforce and discover in exercises.
Angela WOttawa
Mark's depth and breadth of knowledge is very high and our ability to absorb was only limited by the time we had available and the wide scope we were discussing. The prepared material was good and the exercises were focused. Mark was great at keeping us on track by allowing limited divergence but then bringing us back into focus on the material - frequently by committing to providing follow-up references to address the question.
David WVirtual
He rocks! I like a lot of the tips given by him.
Fagner SMontreal
The teach went further to clarify question and add valuable information from other Agile methodology.
Marco SMontreal
Energetic. Applied scrum in practice by helping lead us to answers in many modules.
Laura LVancouver
Very knowledgeable of the subject matter. Kept the pace of the course quick, which is good.
Tarek ROttawa
Marks experience and depth of knowledge made the detailed examples easy to relate to.
Pralaya SEdmonton
Mark was an excllent instructor, was able to give clear examples to explain theory.
Samanthi SOttawa
Mark was full of energy. There was never a moment where what we were discussing wasn't interesting.
Swetha RKitchener-Waterloo
I thought the instructor and course was excelelnt and very enlightening.
Aengus MEdmonton
Mark is very knowledgeable and is great at simplifying and illustrating abstract concepts.
Thierry LMontreal
Mark is very good in delivering the Scrum Training. Thank you for not repeating the mechanics!! Thanks for assidting with the dimensions around [Private Client] environment
Jack SPrivate Client
Mark Levison was an engaging and highly knowledgeable instructor. The course was very relevant to product owners.
Jeremy WEdmonton
Training style great. Open to discussions and various viewpoints. Helpful. Wants to make sure we all understand. Takes time to discuss further if required. Manages the agenda/time with group consensus/agreement.
Meredith SToronto
Mark is knowledgable and engaging. What I liked the most was that he stood his ground if anyone challenged what he taught (respectfully) and offered an explanation why.
Andrea MOttawa
Excellent. Taught and gave a great understanding of Scrum.
Cameron MEdmonton
Mark Levinson is an excellent instructor and provides concrete examples and references to the material. This course was engaging and informative.
Moira ROttawa
Mark is very knowledgeable and did a great job. I like the frequency of the breaks. With the frequency of breakout rooms, jumping around documents, it was clear he was prepared.
Matthew RVirtual
He is very motivated. Mark kept us engaged as the day went fast. He was respectful and was active listener, paid attention to cues when we did not understand.
Lyne LOttawa
Focused and aware of how much Scrum content needed to be covered to provide attendees with a thorough Scrum/Agile understanding.
Fran WKitchener-Waterloo
Mark is a great instructor and his unique British style made the two day training more interesting.
Jing WEdmonton
Mark has a very engaging style of delivering content and making learning fun peppered with real life examples.
Anurag TOttawa
Mark did a great job of keeping the class engaged and deployed many useful techniques to get the course material across.
Tharaneesan NPrivate Client
Awesome. Enlightment for pain points like overtime, too many WIP, motivation, etc.
Susie LVancouver
Excellent instructor and very knowledgeable. I feel much more prepared for a process that I am already a part of.
Shamir REdmonton
I've been to a few Scrum courses for the past year and I must say that this was the best course I have attended. Gracefully covered the entire subject with the right depth.
Rafael SToronto
Mark did a great job over the course of two days. It was a good balance of information distribution and practice of that information in small groups. The concepts covered were tied to real life work situations and that made it easier to see how you would play the role of scrum master in those situations. I appreciated the time Mark allowed for questions and discussion of the topics covered in class. The breaks offered provided a good balance with being on the camera and learning online for two days. I would recommend this course and Mark as an instructor to anyone interested in learning more about Scrum and the role of scrum master.
Jessica SVirtual
Very knowledgeable and very fun and interesting way to deliver the content.
Eric SToronto
Mark was informative, fluid, and presented material in a lively and interactive manner. This allowed free flow of dynamic ideas to emerge.
Jennifer TPrivate Client
Loved the pace and interactions. Also loved that all questions are not answered, leaves room to think and apply to your particuler workspace.
Alain WMontreal
Excellent instructor. Would highly recommend.
Kyle TToronto
Human and flexible.
Xavier SMontreal
Mark is a great trainer and I really enjoyed the last 2 days and really learned good knowledge. I will encourage SCM or other. Training have good value.
Zafar SKitchener-Waterloo
Passion to share his knowledge, good class set-up and dividing the class.
Erol TMontreal
I'd hire you.
Sinan SPrivate Client
Excellent material and great passion from Mark. The training went above my expectations.
Bryan TMontreal
Created an atomosphere that encouraged participation and active learning in a variety of ways that were effective, comfortable, and fun.
Stuart SOttawa
Great facilitator, very knowledgeable.
Jay TEdmonton
Great course, absurdly knowledgeable instructor. Does pushups.
Igor TToronto
Mark is a very knowledgeable and respectful instructor. He kept the information interesting and engaging, and was great at adapting the focus of the content to align with the needs of the participants. The course overall accomplished its goal of providing me with a good feel for the role of a Scrum Master.
Dean TVirtual
Very knowledgeable, very friendly, very easy for the rest of us to learn from.
Doru TToronto
Very helpful for our specific problems. Excellent responding to questions with good examples. Sense of humour. Fun but thorough course.
Tina SPrivate Client
Everything was excellent. I loved how the backlog basics were in the story board for the course. Excellent life examples in the course.
Tony SOttawa
A facilitated journey teaching the A-Z of what a ScrumMaster is, how they work, and what they do. A course structured using the tools of scrum to actively reinforce the concepts while learning in a fun low stress way. Mark is quite the character.
David WOttawa
Awesome, highly recommended!
Simran WVancouver
Mark did a great job of making the course informative and engaging. The continued participation by everyone else made it a lot more interesting.
Gordon WOttawa
Mark is great trainer, and explained all the terms in a way for us to easy understand.
Cynthia SVirtual
I've taken many courses over the years and this was the most educational, enjoyable experience with valuable activities and worthwhile, well-researched content.
Ron WEdmonton
Engaging. Very well explained concept. Very knowledgeable and good teaching technique in going over materials with ideas/concepts and letting us reinforce and discover in exercises.
Angela WOttawa
Mark's depth and breadth of knowledge is very high and our ability to absorb was only limited by the time we had available and the wide scope we were discussing. The prepared material was good and the exercises were focused. Mark was great at keeping us on track by allowing limited divergence but then bringing us back into focus on the material - frequently by committing to providing follow-up references to address the question.
David WVirtual
The simulations and exercises were extremely useful in the understanding of the concept. Mark made the course thoroughly enjoyable. Extremely pleased by the techniques used and the content of the course.
Dhaval SOttawa
He rocks! I like a lot of the tips given by him.
Fagner SMontreal
The teach went further to clarify question and add valuable information from other Agile methodology.
Marco SMontreal
Energetic. Applied scrum in practice by helping lead us to answers in many modules.
Laura LVancouver
Very knowledgeable of the subject matter. Kept the pace of the course quick, which is good.
Tarek ROttawa
Marks experience and depth of knowledge made the detailed examples easy to relate to.
Pralaya SEdmonton
Mark was an excllent instructor, was able to give clear examples to explain theory.
Samanthi SOttawa
Mark is an awesome instructor. A very patient instructor that welcomes all questions. He is definitely the Yoda of the Scrum universe.
Ting-Yu LToronto
Mark was full of energy. There was never a moment where what we were discussing wasn't interesting.
Swetha RKitchener-Waterloo
I thought the instructor and course was excelelnt and very enlightening.
Aengus MEdmonton
Mark is very knowledgeable and is great at simplifying and illustrating abstract concepts.
Thierry LMontreal
Mark is very good in delivering the Scrum Training. Thank you for not repeating the mechanics!! Thanks for assidting with the dimensions around [Private Client] environment
Jack SPrivate Client
Mark Levison was an engaging and highly knowledgeable instructor. The course was very relevant to product owners.
Jeremy WEdmonton
Training style great. Open to discussions and various viewpoints. Helpful. Wants to make sure we all understand. Takes time to discuss further if required. Manages the agenda/time with group consensus/agreement.
Meredith SToronto
Mark is knowledgable and engaging. What I liked the most was that he stood his ground if anyone challenged what he taught (respectfully) and offered an explanation why.
Andrea MOttawa
Excellent. Taught and gave a great understanding of Scrum.
Cameron MEdmonton
Mark Levinson is an excellent instructor and provides concrete examples and references to the material. This course was engaging and informative.
Moira ROttawa
Mark is very knowledgeable and did a great job. I like the frequency of the breaks. With the frequency of breakout rooms, jumping around documents, it was clear he was prepared.
Matthew RVirtual
He is very motivated. Mark kept us engaged as the day went fast. He was respectful and was active listener, paid attention to cues when we did not understand.
Lyne LOttawa
Focused and aware of how much Scrum content needed to be covered to provide attendees with a thorough Scrum/Agile understanding.
Fran WKitchener-Waterloo
Mark is a great instructor and his unique British style made the two day training more interesting.
Jing WEdmonton
Mark has a very engaging style of delivering content and making learning fun peppered with real life examples.
Anurag TOttawa
Mark did a great job of keeping the class engaged and deployed many useful techniques to get the course material across.
Tharaneesan NPrivate Client
Awesome. Enlightment for pain points like overtime, too many WIP, motivation, etc.
Susie LVancouver
Excellent instructor and very knowledgeable. I feel much more prepared for a process that I am already a part of.
Shamir REdmonton
Your Guide to Everything Scrum
Mark Levison spent 12 years as a ScrumMaster and Coach, helping teams by chance before he started to systemize it. Armed with an insatiable love for research, he has been studying and teaching Agile since 2001, introducing Scrum, Lean, and Agile methodology to a broad range of individuals and organizations. Mark has helped launch Scrum practice throughout Canada including Government of Canada departments, major financial and insurance institutions, healthcare agencies, and leading payroll, HR services, and software companies.
Students and communities benefit from Mark’s more than thirty years of experience in the IT industry and over two decades of Scrum and Agile expertise, as he brings his uniquely fun and effective teaching style to thousands of individuals and teams so they can be more effective.
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.