The Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) Guide

The Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) Guide

by Fred Heath
Released July 2021
Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
ISBN: 9781800205567

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Go from absolute beginner to passing your PSM I exam first time with this comprehensive guide. Packed with practical examples, this book is updated for the latest Scrum guidelines to turn you into a Scrum Master!

Key Features

  • Go from absolute beginner to exam-ready with detailed explorations of Scrum use-cases
  • Understand the different applications of agile concepts, and how to best apply them to your business
  • Discover expert tips and work with real-world examples to pass the PSM I certification exam first time

Book Description

Ever wondered why you’d use Scrum over other process frameworks? Or what makes Agile just so agile? Or why you should bother with the PSM certification? This book has you covered.

The Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) Guide is a comprehensive tutorial that will not only introduce you to the basics of Scrum, but build you up to be ready to pass your PSM I exam first time round. Where other books avoid detail, this guide provides you with detailed practical examples to take you from being an apprentice to becoming a master.

Assuming you’re a total beginner, this book will introduce you to Scrum methodologies with detailed use cases, teaching you the secrets of Scrum in such a way that you’ll be well-equipped for the PSM I exam.

This book demonstrates the real-world applications of Scrum in a variety of scenarios, all with practical examples.

You’ll understand why the structure of your Scrum team matters, what you can achieve with properly planned sprints, and how to create and manage sprint and product backlogs. The chapters are regularly concluded with quizzes relevant to the exam, reinforcing the values you learn on your journey. Finally, it concludes with some exam preparation and myth-dispelling to make sure you have an edge when it comes to earning your certificate. This is a guide that’ll ensure you won’t fall behind in an ever increasingly agile world.

What you will learn

  • Get to grips with Agile development and Scrum from the ground up
  • Understand the roles and responsibilities within the Scrum team
  • Discover how to conduct Scrum events and create Scrum artifacts
  • Explore real-world scenarios and use cases for Scrum in action
  • Develop an in-depth understanding of how to run a successful sprint to deliver results quickly
  • Be fully prepared and able to pass your PSM I exam first time

Who this book is for

Assuming no prior knowledge of Scrum, this book is for professionals who want to build a strong foundation in Scrum practices with the intention of passing the PSM I exam. If you're a product owner or project manager looking to stay relevant in an agile world, this book is essential to helping you become a Scrum Master.

Table of contents

  1. The Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) Guide
  2. Contributors
  3. About the author
  4. About the reviewer
  5. Preface
    1. Who this book is for
    2. What this book covers
    3. Download the color images
    4. Conventions used
    5. Get in touch
    6. Share Your Thoughts
  6. Section 1: The Scrum Framework
  7. Chapter 1: Introduction to Scrum
    1. What is Agile software development?
    2. What is Scrum?
    3. The value of an iterative and incremental approach
      1. The waterfall legacy
      2. Iterative and incremental software development
    4. Why should you choose Scrum?
    5. Introducing PSM assessments
      1. Scrum organizations and their history
      2. The PSM I assessment
    6. Summary
    7. Further reading
  8. Chapter 2: Scrum Theory and Principles
    1. The foundation of Scrum
    2. The pillars of empiricism
      1. Inspection
      2. Adaptation
      3. Transparency
    3. The Scrum values
    4. The House of Scrum
    5. Summary
    6. Questions
  9. Chapter 3: The Scrum Team
    1. Identifying a Scrum Team
      1. Defining a Scrum Team
    2. Introducing the Scrum Master
      1. Scrum Master responsibilities
      2. Things outside the Scrum Master realm
      3. Scrum Master Q&A
    3. Working with the Product Owner
      1. Product Owner responsibilities
      2. Things outside the Product Owner realm
      3. Product Owner Q&A
    4. Getting acquainted with the Developers
      1. The Developers are self-managing
      2. The Developers are a cross-functional group
      3. Developer structure
      4. Developer responsibilities
      5. Things outside the Developers' realm
      6. Developer Q&A
    5. Summary
    6. Questions
  10. Chapter 4: Scrum Events
    1. Getting ready to Sprint
      1. Deciding on the Sprint duration
      2. Setting the Sprint Goal
      3. Defining Done as working and potentially shippable software
    2. Starting the Sprint with Sprint Planning
      1. Sprint Planning for the Scrum Master
      2. Sprint Planning for the Product Owner
      3. Sprint Planning for the Developers
    3. Keeping on the right track with the Daily Scrum
    4. Inspecting the product during the Sprint Review
    5. Inspecting the team with the Sprint Retrospective
    6. Summary
    7. Questions
    8. Further reading
  11. Chapter 5: Scrum Artifacts
    1. Understanding the value of Scrum Artifacts
    2. Creating and managing the Product Backlog
      1. Making a commitment – the Product Goal
      2. Creating Backlog items as user stories
      3. Creating Product Backlog items as features
      4. Refining the Product Backlog
    3. Creating and managing the Sprint Backlog
      1. Making a commitment – the Sprint Goal
      2. Planning for the Sprint
    4. Producing a Product Increment
      1. Making a commitment – Definition of Done
    5. Summary
    6. Questions
    7. Further reading
  12. Section 2: Scrum in Action
  13. Chapter 6: Planning and Estimating with Scrum
    1. Managing the art of estimation
      1. Choosing an estimation scale
      2. Creating a baseline
      3. Playing Planning Poker
      4. Estimating backlog items using the bucket method
    2. Planning ahead with the product roadmap
      1. Envisioning the product journey with a product roadmap
    3. Forecasting with velocity and burn charts
      1. Calculating team velocity
      2. Burndown charts
      3. Burnup charts
    4. Summary
    5. Questions
    6. Further reading
  14. Chapter 7: The Sprint Journey
    1. Refining the Product Backlog
      1. Learning how to apply order to the Product Backlog
      2. Scrum Master duties for Product Backlog refinement
    2. Preparing for the first Sprint
    3. Tracking progress with a Scrum Board
    4. What to do when the Sprint Goal is not achieved
    5. Managing defects
      1. Dealing with defects in the current Sprint
      2. Dealing with defects from previous Sprints
    6. Canceling the Sprint
      1. What to do with the Sprint Backlog items
      2. How to wrap up a canceled Sprint
    7. Summary
    8. Questions
    9. Further reading
  15. Chapter 8: Facets of Scrum
    1. Learning software development practices for Scrum
      1. Source control model for continuous integration
      2. Continuous delivery and continuous deployment
    2. Leveraging testing methods for Scrum
    3. Applying Scrum to remote teams
    4. Managing technical debt
      1. How is technical debt created?
      2. How to pay back technical debt
    5. Scaling Scrum
    6. Summary
    7. Questions
  16. Section 3: The PSM Certification
  17. Chapter 9: Preparing for the PSM I Assessment
    1. Getting ready for the PSM I assessment
      1. Fundamental information about the assessment
      2. What you will need to take the assessment
      3. How to prepare for the assessment
    2. Taking the PSM I assessment
      1. What happens after the assessment
    3. PSM I mock assessment
    4. Mock assessment answers
    5. Summary
  18. Assessments
    1. Chapter 2 – Scrum Theory and Principles
      1. Answers
    2. Chapter 3 – The Scrum Team
      1. Answers
    3. Chapter 4 – Scrum Events
      1. Answers
    4. Chapter 5 – Scrum Artifacts
      1. Answers
    5. Chapter 6 – Planning and Estimating with Scrum
      1. Answers
    6. Chapter 7 – The Sprint Journey
      1. Answers
    7. Chapter 8 – Facets of Scrum
      1. Answers
    8. Why subscribe?
  19. Other Books You May Enjoy
    1. Packt is searching for authors like you
    2. Share Your Thoughts

Product information

  • Title: The Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) Guide
  • Author(s): Fred Heath
  • Release date: July 2021
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781800205567