About the Professional Scrum Master II Class

This week Scrum.org launched the brand new Professional Scrum Master II class! For the past eight months, together with the Scrum.org staff, we've been turning our "Scrum Master Advanced"-class into an official Scrum.org course. As described in the article "The Making of the PSM-II Class" it was an incredible journey!

As new course stewards, we are now responsible (with Stephanie Ockerman and Simon Reindl) for the entire Professional Scrum Master curriculum (both PSM-I and PSM-II). A great position to support Scrum.org in fulfilling its mission of improving the profession of software delivery.

The article "The Making of the PSM-II Class" describes the road towards and process of creating the class, this blog post will focus on the content of the class itself. We'll share the 'why' of the PSM-II class, the objectives and an overview of what you will learn.

Why a PSM II Class?

We care deeply about what Scrum makes possible. We've seen it transform teams and unleash organizations. But we also see that even experienced Scrum Masters struggle to find ways, stances and behaviors that make this possible. This is why we developed an advanced class where we wanted to deepen and broaden the understanding of Scrum and the role of the Scrum Master.

We wanted to "practice what we preach" and facilitate the class as Scrum Masters for Scrum Masters. This means that the class is all about creating transparency where it matters (e.g. how "Done" is our increment? How are we enabling self-organization? How can we improve how we inspect and adapt?) and building on the knowledge that is already in the group - two key aspects of Servant Leadership. As a Scrum Master you can use every PSM-II exercise with your own Scrum Team and organization.

We also decided to move away from a theory- or 'best practice'-driven approach. Rather than "sending information" and acting as "experts", we opted for a style that is best described as "assisted discovery of local solutions". Using plenty of Liberating Structures and serious-and-fun exercises, we wanted to build and structure what the group already knew.

In a Nutshell

The PSM II course is an advanced Scrum Master class designed to support Scrum Masters in their professional development. After the class, you will be eligible for the PSM II assessment certification. If you pass the assessment, you will gain the industry recognized PSM II certification. This certification doesn't expire and makes you part of an elite community of less than 1,800 PSM II badge holders worldwide.

The PSM II is an advanced course helping you to better understand the stances that characterize an effective Scrum Master and Servant Leader while diving deep into how they serve the Scrum Team, Product Owner, and organization. The class teaches you about related practices and skills to enable them to have the right types of conversations and how to apply them to become a better Scrum Master.

It should be noted that following this class does not make you an 'Advanced Scrum Master' of any kind. This class is not required for your professional journey as a Scrum Master. But it is designed to support you in that journey if that is what you are looking for.

Differences with the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) Class

The Professional Scrum Master (PSM) class is focused on the 'Why' of Scrum and Professionalism. It serves as a great introduction to the Scrum Framework and the role of the Scrum Master. This makes it an excellent class for people new to Scrum and/or people starting as Scrum Masters.

The Professional Scrum Master II (PSM-II) class is a continuation of the journey into Scrum. It delves into the challenges that Scrum Masters face and reflects more deeply on how the principles and values of Scrum inform what a Scrum Master should (not) do in those situations.

Class Objectives

As part of its mission to improve the profession of software development, Scrum.org sets high standards for Professional Scrum trainers, classes, courseware, assessments, and certifications. Professional Scrum courseware is designed to be transformative. You will be offered improved insights and views of Scrum. You will be guided in growing a deep understanding of the principles underlying the subject of a class and the ability to choose and apply techniques and practices that best implement these principles.

The role of us as the trainer is to facilitate bottom-up knowledge creation and to help you to think within the Scrum framework. The objectives we want to achieve are:

• Offer practices, tools, skills, and stances that make an effective Scrum Master;
• Learn how the Scrum principles and values help guide Scrum Masters in the decisions they make;
• Experience how the Scrum Master acts as a servant-leader and improves their ability in this role;
• Discuss what the Scrum Master can do to support Development Teams and Product Owners to become more effective;
• Show ways that the Scrum Master can help to change the environment making it more conducive for Scrum Teams to be successful with greater agility;
• Provide tips and techniques for the Scrum Master to work with the rest of the organization in support of their Scrum Teams.

The PSM-II class is not about teaching you new things about the Scrum Framework or useful complementary practices, but about improving what Scrum Masters (often) already know. We have designed the class for experienced Scrum Masters that already have a thorough understanding of the Scrum framework. This makes it particularly beneficial for people with at least one year of Scrum Master experience.

What You Will Learn

Over two days, you will learn about areas critical to growing as a successful Scrum Master. You'll learn how the principles and values of Scrum help guide Scrum Masters in the decisions they make and how the Scrum Master can help change the environment of Scrum Teams, creating an environment for agility to thrive. The Scrum Master role is complex. It requires the ability to switch between stances in order to be effective, such as:

• The Scrum Master as a Teacher
• The Scrum Master as a Coach & Mentor
• The Scrum Master as a Facilitator
• The Scrum Master as a Change Agent

As a Scrum Master, you need to be able to identify, and effectively apply which stance would benefit your team the most depending on the situation.

As a Scrum Master, part of your role is to help management and other stakeholders across your organization understand the benefits of Scrum and Agile. Therefore, it is imperative that you have the information and background that is needed to gain credibility in order to be an effective change agent. Throughout the class, we will provide stories, exercises, facilitation techniques (such as "Liberating Structures"), resources and more. There will also be time to provide peer-coaching on challenges that you and your classmates may be experiencing today.

Go and Experience it!

If you're a Scrum Master or Agile Coach with about a year (or more) of experience under your belt, go and explore this new class. Find a trainer to your liking or in your area, and deepen and expand your understanding of Scrum. And let us know what you think. What did you like? What can be improved? Let's work together to spread Professional Scrum and make a dent in the universe together.