Pre-course Reading: A-CSM

This 2-days workshop is part of the advanced Great ScrumMaster Academy program so you are expected to spend significant time preparing yourself before the class, where we validate your learning and practice situations from the ScrumMaster journey. Certification is an optional part of this program and to get certified you have to: 

1. Demonstrate your knowledge/skills/experience as described in the Learning Objectives and get them validated by the trainer during the class.
2. Demonstrate at least 12-months of ScrumMaster experience by uploading your role-specific experience to your Scrum Alliance Profile (any time after the class).

Some topics may be well known and an internal part of your day-to-day work, some others may be new or bring a different perspective. Join the class with an open mind, the ways of learning are unexpected. 

Note that, an important part of the class is trainer learning validation. In case of gaps, you get feedback so you can inspect and adapt on that part and demonstrate your learning. If the gaps are too big to inspect and adapt in two days, it may end up with some recommended follow-up learning/coaching followed by trainer validation. However this is a possibility, it is not expected to happen too often and most of the active ScrumMasters will make it if they do the class preparation well. 

Please spend time reading through given concepts and reflect on them. You are encouraged to join local meetups and work on specific learning objectives with a group of Agile enthusiasts there.

The questions in italic shall help you to cross-check your understanding.

Agile and Scrum Background

• Refresh your memory: Scrum Guide and Agile Manifesto.
• Review and reflect on the Scrum Guide revision history. (What are the trends there? Where is Scrum going?)
• Read and reflect on Schwaber, Scrum Development Framework, OOPSLA Business Object Design and Implementation Workshop, 1995. (What changed from 1995? What remains the same?)
• Read and reflect on Lean principles: https://less.works/less/principles/lean-thinking.html(What are the similarities? What is different?)

Team

Be familiar with the core team concepts (part of my CSM class so you can use notes in your CSM workbook or as described in The Great ScrumMaster: #ScrumMasterWay book):

• Be familiar with the Tuckman’s Team Development Model and evaluate it from the ScrumMaster point of view.  (How would the ScrumMaster approach team in each stage?)
• Understand the Five Dysfunctions of a Team model and evaluate it from the ScrumMaster point of view. (What can you do as a ScrumMaster to help the team to fix each dysfunction?)

Servant Leadership

• Watch the videos or read the following books:
  • David Marquet, Turn the Ship Around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivwKQqf4ixA
  • Dave Logan, Tribal Leadership: https://www.ted.com/talks/david_logan_on_tribal_leadership

ScrumMastery 

Be familiar with the ScrumMaster concepts (part of my CSM class so you can use notes in your CSM workbook):

• Be familiar with the ScrumMaster State of Mind concept. (In which situations would you use each approach?)
• Think about examples from three levels of #ScrumMasterWay concept My Team, Relationship and Entire System. (Where are you most of the time? What can you start at the other levels?)

For more details, you can read The Great ScrumMaster: #ScrumMasterWay book.

System Thinking

• Read about System Thinking.

Agile Product Ownership

Refresh the basics (part of my CSPO class):

• Get familiar with the following Agile Product Ownership concepts.
• Be able to explain basic concepts i.e. Splitting Patterns, User Story, Relative Estimates.

Additional resources: 

• Watch some of the Agile Product Videos
• Understand the concept of Impact Mapping

Scaling

Be ready to: 

• Discuss and compare at least three different Scaling frameworks (i.e. LeSS, Nexus, Scrum@Scale). 
• Compare Feature and Component teams

Other

Be familiar with technical practices of Extreme Programming and be able to explain them to the team. 

Additional recommended reading (after the class)

• The Great ScrumMaster: #ScrumMasterWay
• Patrick Lencioni - The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• Craig Larman and Bas Vodde - Large-Scale Scrum: More with LeSS