Bottom line: your customer will be impressed and so will your boss when you use the Scrum framework with product ownership. What’s in CSPO certification for you? More satisfaction, the joy of building a great team, less stress, and better career options.
At work have you ever…
- Struggled to say ‘no’ to a stakeholder?
- Been pressured to get more products delivered, faster?
- Felt challenged on your prioritization choices?
- Been told everything is number #1? (With each Stakeholder having a different #1.)
- Struggled to have the team move in the same direction as each other, let alone you?
- Cringed at inflicting a feature factory on your team?
- Wondered why your team never builds the products you asked for?
- Felt management didn’t care (or, worse, didn’t trust you)?
Did you read the Scrum Guide, the canon law of Scrum, and realize that it says nothing useful about product ownership? It’s freeing, because you’re unconstrained, but also stressful and you’re maybe thinking, “What should I be doing right now?”
The problem isn’t you or your team.
Sure, it might be your stakeholders 🙂, but it’s more likely the system you’re trying to work within. Studying Product Ownership can be like snake oil sales. Everyone claims, “My approach will solve all your problems, all of the time,” but most courses don’t give you sources or anything with clear steps or evidence of results. You read about Lean Startup, Lean UX, Discovery, Product Vision, and all kinds of Maps and User Stories, but it’s confusing and you’re starting to question cost vs benefits.
That’s because you’re working in the real world, not a theoretical one. With real people: real stakeholders, customers, the team and even managers. With that reality comes pressure, unrealistic expectations, and a myriad of other problems. It’s not your fault, nor your stakeholder’s (most days) or the customer. The system that you’re part of creates these project outcomes. Fixing the problems isn’t easy, so you need an evidence-based plan that helps you find your path through the mess and isn’t based on wild promises and opinions.
You can sit through boring PowerPoint and get your Product Owner certification from a trainer who has never built a real product, never spent time on useless features, and who abandons you once the course is over, OR…
… you can discover for yourself why Mark Levison is considered an Agile and Scrum pioneer, and “the one to learn from” in Canada. He invests in your success and provides ongoing support and resources, above and beyond the Product Owner certification training.
How to make your Products suck less with Scrum Product Owner certification training.
We’ve been told that we shouldn’t use the word “suck” on a professional page. Maybe, but let’s be real, that’s why many people wonder about Scrum in the first place, in the hopes that it will solve all the problems that… well… suck.
Are you looking for Certified Scrum Product Owner training?
We do that, but if that’s all you want, you’re in the wrong place. A Scrum trainer can hit all the learning objectives and get you certified at bargain basement prices, but a digital badge isn’t going to help you deal with the lack of structure and guidance that Scrum provides a new Product Owner.
Discount Scrum certification won’t take away that fear of not knowing how to handle an angry customer banging at your door. For that, you want to learn from a professional Agile and Scrum expert so you understand how to survive as a Product Owner, every working day.
Mark gives you everything you need to earn your Scrum Product Owner certification but then he takes Scrum many steps further. Because what you really want is a clear plan on how to fulfill your role, and then guidance and support in your Product Ownership journey. Especially as you hit snags (Is that a stakeholder asking for a new product feature delivered tomorrow?).
That’s just one way that Mark is different as a professional Scrum and Agile instructor, and the preferred choice of many major organizations and industries including government, software, banking, finance and education, to name only a few.
You’re going to have questions during the CSPO learning course,
but also throughout your Scrum career after you settle into the real work.
- What is the first thing I should do with my team and stakeholders next week?
- How to answer when asked “When will this feature be ready? An exact date please.”
- It feels like I’m being turned into an order taker. Is this normal?
- What other traps are out there for me to fall into?
- My stakeholders don’t understand my customers; what do I do?
Learn how to navigate the Scrum framework as a Product Owner, from someone who will help well beyond the initial course and CSPO certification, when you have “yes, but in real life…” questions like those above. Don’t settle and pay for fast food Scrum. Invest in healthy, full-meal training, with take-home recipes for success and ongoing support during and after the CSPO course.
Become the Scrum Whisperer – your team will thank you.
- Take one of our immersive Certified Product Owner workshops.
- No previous Scrum experience required for our training course. We provide Scrum preparation materials so you can feel comfortable right away.
- Not just for software development. We’ve helped many normal people learn what Product Ownership with Scrum looks like.
- Unique, hands-on approach to learning and practice. Know what it’s actually like to be a Scrum Product Owner, in a safe and supportive learning environment.
- No extra costs for the certification. Certification fees plus two years of Scrum Alliance membership are included in your Scrum Product Owner training.
We provide a plan to make your product better, starting right after the workshop.
Humans forget, so we cue up support to remind you of key content after your course, so you retain what you learned and you’re challenged to take action.
Exclusive bonuses we provide in Scrum Product Owner certification training…
Not sure the Scrum framework and Product Owner role are for you?
We get it. You’re scared that being a Scrum Product Owner will be a daunting amount of work. Or that it will take a long time to see any benefits from the CSPO certification. And what happens if you fail as Product Owner? The mere thought is enough to turn you away and procrastinate certification training a little longer.
Don’t put off becoming a Certified Scrum Product Owner. All the project problems you have in your role now will still be there later, and even worse, if you delay training.
You’re fearing the unknown of becoming a Certified Scrum Product Owner. Does that seem like a healthy and useful thing to do?
Mark helps take out the scary parts of training and certification. Life doesn’t come with guarantees and all the answers, but the right training will help you anticipate the unknowns of being a CSPO and know in advance how to confidently deal with them. Our Certified Scrum Product Owner training course will equip you with the knowledge, management skills, and resources necessary to successfully complete your project.
Invest in making things better for your teams and organization. Learn from the Scrum expert who can coach you on exactly how to do that, so you can handle what comes your way at work, and make it more rewarding. Mark will teach you Scrum concepts and leave you with key takeaways to improve your product ownership.
Become a Scrum Product Owner: FAQs
What training is needed to be a certified Scrum Product Owner?
You can be a Scrum Product Owner without any training, sadly to say. It’s a tough position to throw anyone into without support and resources, but it’s not an uncommon occurrence. Many of our CSPO students came to us for training because they had no idea what was expected of them or how to do a good job with their project and teams.
To be a Certified Scrum Product Owner® and obtain your CSPO certificate, the Scrum Alliance requires that you attend and participate in at least 14 hours of CSPO training delivered by a Certified Scrum Trainer. The CSPO training can be in an online virtual classroom or an in-person course.
None of that, including CSPO certification, guarantees that you’ll be an effective Scrum Product Owner, which should be the goal far more than just holding the title. That’s why we believe in going above and beyond so the Scrum Product Owner training isn’t just a one-time thing. With Agile Pain Relief, you get included follow-up support and resources, and access to a whole professional community who help take you beyond merely being assigned a job and getting a certificate. We invest and provide continual learning so you can be effective and excel in your Scrum Product Owner position.
Does a Scrum Product Owner need to know coding?
No. While Scrum is used primarily in the world of software development, it’s also used successfully in many industries outside of that, including education, healthcare, and aviation, to name a few. Even in software, the Scrum Product Owner does not have to be a programmer/developer. Their role is to help the team know what excellent product to build, not build it for them. Being a Scrum Product Owner requires leadership skills and the ability to support teams on product development.
What do Scrum Product Owners do all day?
The Product Owner never lives the same day twice. Where the Certified Scrum Master focuses on taking a team beyond critical Scrum and Agile foundations and principles, and coaching them to build the best Scrum team, Scrum Product Owners focus on working with teams to build and deliver the best products possible. Some days the CSPO spends most of the day working directly with customers, end users and other stakeholders understanding what the latest product needs are. Other days they spend their day with the Scrum Development Team sharing the knowledge of what they’ve recently learned from the customers. In terms of formal Scrum events, they’re responsible for Refining the Product Backlog. That includes deleting old items from the Product Backlog, reprioritizing, and finding new items. A couple of times every Sprint they meet with the rest of their team to conduct the Product Backlog Refinement event. In the event, they might summarize recent changes in priority (or old items deleted). They also work with the team to understand new items, and answer questions in story splitting and estimation. They might meet with team members to be shown the current version of features and provide feedback.
What does scrum stand for?
Many assume that SCRUM is an acronym for something, but it’s not. You may have heard the term “scrum” before in reference to rugby, where it refers to a formation of players. A team that works together to move a ball toward a common goal. Don’t overthink it. The analogy works because of the simplicity of it in both contexts.
What shouldn’t a Certified Scrum Product Owner do?
Say “yes” to every product feature request. Micromanage. Assign. Blame. Reward. Instruct. The list goes on. But perhaps one that will surprise many people is that a Product Owner should not tell the team what products to build. Instead, the Scrum Product Owner should help their team understand the vision for the products or projects, and let them decide how best to bring it to life. Subtle difference, but critically important when acting as Scrum Product Owner. Live and online virtual training can help you gain the knowledge, skills, and certificate necessary to be a successful Scrum Product Owner.
How does Certified Scrum Product Owner differ from SAFe Product Ownership?
Scrum was invented by the people who created the Scrum Alliance. They defined the role of the Product Owner as being the person who has ultimate decision-making authority over the product they’re building. SAFe takes away most of the product owner’s responsibility. Instead of owning the product and working to delight customers, a SAFe Product Owner is left to serve up warmed up User Stories to an unwitting development team.
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