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.

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Great energy. Interesting course material.
Julie CToronto
Experienced person. I like the overview and compassion.
Michal RKitchener-Waterloo
Very informative. Well presented. Good tempo.
Robert MOttawa
I have appreciated using the scrum to the training course itself.
Ionut MMontreal
Very smart and knowledgeable about not only Scrum but also Agile practices. Didn't mince words and instilled confidence in us that we could make his advice work for us.
Simon LOttawa
Awesome course. I will be able to apply a number of concepts immediately to help our effectiveness at work.
Daryl PEdmonton
Good course, lots of excellent content, examples and materials. Would recommend. Mark is a good facilitator who is honest and understanding about the technical and organizational challenges.
Charles MVirtual
After 24+ years of traditional thinking, this was refreshing and new. Can't wait to begin implementing at work. Thanks, Mark!
Kristine NEdmonton
Excellent. Taught and gave a great understanding of Scrum.
Cameron MEdmonton
Really dynamic! Use scrum tools to control the flow of the course which is a good example.
Marc LMontreal
Mark is very patient and gives very good explanations. Setup the environment to be very friendly.
Zac LVirtual
Well presented - effective - open to discussion - provides information that shows us better methods and resources for self learning.
Bedros NMontreal
Very knowledgeable and great communication skills to explain complex concepts in simple ways.
Ricard MToronto
Mark is Great! I took a CSM course from him 11 years ago, hence I picked this course again 11 years later.
Justin LVirtual
Knowledgeable, prepared, interactive.
Anca MMontreal
Mark has an engaging style and a ton of experience which he shares freely.
Wanda PMontreal
Having been a scrummaster for a while, I was looking to get a refresher - but I got a whole discovery out of it.
Philippe LMontreal
Great facilitation techniques often used as a regular classroom teacher (i.e. rephrasing, simplificaion, observing, hinting, investigative learning).
Mike PMontreal
Excellent communicator and educator who encourages students to think through questions. Thorough course material to get student "Ready to Rock"
Sue LToronto
This course helped me get a significant understanding of what Scrum is, how it can be applied in my real life work environment and what benefits could I have from it. The instructor was passionate about the subject, which helped me stay focus and interested.
Vincent MVirtual
Awesome instructor, great course.
Kristie KPrivate Client
Great instructor - very clear and easy to follow. Makes you think.
Linda LOttawa
Very well organized; clear instructions; experienced instructor; useful prep work; dynamic and encouraged individuals participation; perfect breaks; excellent material.
Ana PVirtual
Very informative, with humour. Easy to understand for non-technical folks.
Tetyana OOttawa
Great class. Great instructor! I will recommend!
Kim KMontreal
The variation of types of exercises kept things interesting, much better than answer questions.
Michael GOttawa
Mark is very good. Has a lot of working experiences and real life stories.
Wilson MEdmonton
Mark is a great instructor, using real life examples makes easy to understand better what the scrum methodology is and how to apply it to our roles.
Robin MVirtual
Thank you. It has been one of the most interesting courses I have attended.
Hemant KToronto
Well done, Mark. We laughed a lot and you made this real for us.
Joshua SKitchener-Waterloo
Mark's facilitation style was extremly engaging and his knowledge deep. I like the way he builds the scrum framework into the training workshop agenda. No power point, lots of discussion and releveant examples. I appreciate very much the time Mark took to address my question for which he had no existing reference.
Renee OKitchener-Waterloo
This was a great course that I will recomment to others! A lot to cover in a short period of time, and I managed to understand most if not all material. I'm excited to take my learnings with me and apply to my role at my company!
Lesleanne BToronto
Very engaging instructor and scenarios.
Christine APrivate Client
Mark was good - foundatian of knowledge and his experiences made for good practical examples.
Mike AMontreal
Mark has a way to engage the group that is positive and unique. His ability to be flexible in the two days with regards to training makes the course fun.
David HOttawa
Mark is totally wonderfully weird and knowledgeable.
Sarah MOttawa
Fantastic instructor and glad that it was run as Scrum (clever!)
Kareem SKitchener-Waterloo
Whether you have 0 days or 10 years of product owner experience you're guaranted to learn a lot from this course.
Luke NOttawa
The material/presentation were top notch. Demontrations/examples were very good. Instructor is enthusiastic, knowledgeable.
Norm RKitchener-Waterloo
Very patient. Really liked the group activity where we had to work in Sprints on user stories.
Anita AVirtual
Mark is a great instructor for a difficult topic. The course was great to establish Agile/Scrum basics.
Hansil SPrivate Client
Mark was great explaining the concepts of Scrum. Practical solutions with testing and QA Implementation.
Ramya RKitchener-Waterloo
Mark, you rock. Loved the course.
Jan SVancouver
(Instructor was) very pragmatic and opened your mind and steer conversation, so you can figure it out, instead of reading through material.
Priya PPrivate Client
I was impressed. The most valuable thing was not the principles (already knew most intellectually) but the instructor's zen master answers to challnges/questions. This aided in more intutive knowledge.
David AEdmonton
Instructor was very welcoming and inclusive. He's very positive and polite. More importantly, he's knowledgable and experienced.
Dyan LToronto
No nonsense, practical approach, dynamic, very instructive.
Yanick BMontreal
Very effective and experienced instructor. Well organized.
Sam MOttawa
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
Excellent reinforcements of concepts and techniques on Agile-related challenges. Mark delivered the course at an excellent pace. I thoroughly enjoyed the session as he kept the team engaged wih useful examples and in-depth topic knowledge. Great reinforcement of Agile concepts.
Seeha GPrivate Client

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.

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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:

April 13-14, 2026

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May 14-15, 2026

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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.

GenAI for Systems Thinking

Learn the basics of using Generative AI as a tool to support Systems Thinking in your ScrumMaster role. Explore how to leverage GenAI to help uncover patterns, and think more deeply about the systems your team operates in.

Ongoing Support

Your learning doesn’t stop when the workshop ends. You get lifetime access to all course materials, plus a followup email series designed to reinforce your learning objectives and help you apply what you’ve learned on the job.