Become a Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
Learn how to use the Scrum framework to get more stuff done with your team, with better quality, to deliver products to your customer sooner, with a team that can adapt easily and has high morale and stability, so there is less risk and greater return.
Course Level
The first step in the Scrum Master Track. Often the best fit for anyone new to Scrum.
Prerequisites
None. Just an open mind and willingness to learn and have fun in a safe and supportive place.
No Powerpoint
Unique, hands-on approach to learning. Experience what it’s really like to do Scrum.
Upcoming Workshops
Learn the Scrum framework from someone who has walked the walk, and will help well beyond the initial course when you have "yes, but in real life…" questions. Don’t settle and pay for fast food Scrum courses when becoming a Certified Scrum Master. Invest in healthy, full-meal training, with take-home recipes for success and ongoing support during and after the certification course.
High value return on your investment, not bargain basement Scrum training
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.
What our students say
"Definitely the Yoda of the Scrum universe." ... "Having been a scrummaster for a while, I was looking to get a refresher - but I got a whole discovery out of it."... "This course was exactly what I was looking for!" ... "Mark is the real sh*t. He’s lived through the pain points and knows where the bodies are buried."
Get exclusive bonuses with our Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum training
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.
Personal coaching
Get professional input on the unique issues you’re facing at your organization in a coaching session with Mark after training.
Resources
When you’re confused about Scrum or Agile, you can access reputable information, including a Glossary and Resource Library.
Community access
A safe online space to ask questions and get experienced answers when you run into challenges with Scrum and Agile.
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.
Money-back guarantee
You’ll gain valuable skills and learning from our certification workshops, or we’ll refund your registration price.
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.
Frequently asked questions
You can be a Scrum Master without any training, sadly to say. Being a Scrum Master a tough position to throw anyone into without support and resources, but it’s not an uncommon occurrence. Many of our alumni students came to us for Scrum training because they had no idea what was expected of them or how to do a good job with their project and teams. Our students find that the online class helps prepare them for the CSM exam and to apply their Scrum knowledge to organization projects.
To be a Certified ScrumMaster®, the Scrum Alliance requires that you attend and participate in at least 14 hours of CSM training delivered by a Certified Scrum Trainer and pass the certification exam.
None of that, including CSM certification, guarantees that you’ll be an effective Scrum Master, which should be the goal far more than just holding the title as a Scrum professional. That’s why we believe in going above and beyond so the online 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 CSM certificate. We invest and provide continual learning so you can be effective and excel in your Scrum Master position.
Obtaining a Certified Scrum Master certification comes with a multitude of benefits. It enhances your career prospects, empowers you to guide your team more effectively, and allows you to contribute to a progressive change in organizational culture. Further, it’s a testament to your commitment to personal growth and continuous learning.
- Comprehensive Understanding of Scrum Principles
Earning a Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) certification equips professionals with a thorough understanding of Scrum principles and process. Through comprehensive training, they become proficient in coaching Scrum teams and facilitating communication, and they learn where Scrum can be used and what its limits are.
- Enhanced Career Opportunities and Credibility
In the job market, Scrum Master certification enhances one’s career opportunities and boosts their credibility. It sets them apart in the pool of job applicants, demonstrating a commitment to continuous learning and professional growth. Certified Scrum Masters are in high demand across multiple industries due to their ability to help teams be more effective.
- Better Team Collaboration and Performance
A Scrum Master acts as a facilitator, removing obstacles that hinder the team’s performance. They foster an environment where open communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution are encouraged. Their leadership ensures that the team stays motivated, focused, and works towards achieving common project goals, which results in improved productivity and better project outcomes.
- Fostering a Change in Organizational Culture
By promoting and supporting Scrum principles, a CSM helps shape an organization’s culture. They inspire a shift towards a more flexible, adaptive, and collaborative environment where change is not only expected but embraced. This is key to an organization’s ability to keep pace with the rapid changes and uncertainties in the business environment.
- Increased Project Success Rate
The Scrum framework is designed to address complex problems while delivering high-value products. With an effective Scrum Master facilitating communication and helping the team resolve issues and manage risks, a higher project success rate is achieved.
- Access to a Global Scrum Community
Becoming a Certified Scrum Master also grants you access to a global community of Scrum professionals for knowledge exchange, learning, and staying updated with the latest trends and best practices that support Scrum.
- Investment in Personal Growth
The journey to becoming a CSM is not merely about adding another certification to your resume. It’s an investment in personal growth. Through the process, you’ll develop crucial soft skills such as leadership, effective communication, problem-solving, and adaptability. These skills are transferable and valuable, regardless of your career path.
No. While Scrum is popular in the world of professional 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 Master does not have to be a programmer/developer. The Scrum expert’s role is to be the coach for the team, not the coder.
Serve their team. Not literally, like bringing coffee and running to the printer (although those are thoughtful too), but in the broad sense a Scrum Master is a servant-leader. They facilitate the various Scrum events and work with their team to identify obstacles, then help the team resolve them so they can perform efficiently while completing the project.
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.
Judge. Punish. Assign. Blame. Reward. Prioritize. Instruct. The list goes on. But perhaps one that will surprise many people is that a Scrum Master should not solve problems for their team. (Did that catch you off guard?) Instead, the Scrum Master should help their team identify issues and work together to resolve them. Subtle difference, but critically important.
To maintain your Scrum Alliance® certifications, you are required to earn Scrum Education Units (SEUs) by completing educational training or learning opportunities. It’s easy to do and will help you stay relevant (and competitive) in the market. One hour of activity = 1 SEU. Any initial certification training does not qualify for SEUs, however if you take the same training again, it could.
There are many opportunities for earning SEUs that don’t cost money, and don’t require special courses.
We are happy to offer several free resources that qualify for SEUs, including:
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The Guide to Effective Agile Retrospectives This eBook and accompanying email series help you take Retrospectives from groans to grins. You could reasonably claim 2 hours of reading the book, and 10 hours of taking action with the email exercises. Free with newsletter subscription.
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Our Lean Coffee Events Hang out online and have a virtual coffee with CST Mark Levison. Bring your Scrum questions and challenges. A great opportunity to meet and interact with Mark, even if you haven’t attended his training yet. Free for newsletter subscribers.
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Notes from a Tool User Reading blog posts counts too! We have a wide variety including posts featuring a fictional new Scrum team and all the mishaps they face, features on Anti-Patterns, and how to be successful beyond the basic Scrum framework
Find these and more free resources here.
For more detailed information about Scrum Education Units, visit the Scrum Alliance® SEU information page, or contact us with your questions – we’d be happy to help!
Upcoming Workshops
Learn the Scrum framework from someone who has walked the walk, and will help well beyond the initial course when you have "yes, but in real life…" questions. Don’t settle and pay for fast food Scrum courses when becoming a Certified Scrum Master. Invest in healthy, full-meal training, with take-home recipes for success and ongoing support during and after the certification course.