Scrum Narrative and PSM Exam Guide

Preface

In the last decade, I witnessed many successful Scrum transformations in the software industry. I coached many teams that served customers in different segments and saw the way these customers became convinced of the benefits of this new way of working.

Scrum continues to be an effective way of working. This new way is rapidly making its way into many organizations, in particular the software development divisions, due to the transformational results it delivers. So, there is increasing need for today’s professionals to understand the transformation Scrum brings to their way of working.

The authentic source to know about Scrum and the approved body of knowledge on Scrum is ""The Scrum Guide” authored by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber. The sixteen-page Scrum Guide is packed with rich, insightful content. Yet for new entrants or those with minimal exposure to Scrum, the guide is too dense to absorb.

A storybook for Executives

The first part of this book narrates Scrum in a lightweight and engaging fashion. It is an executive summary for organization leaders. While many books on Scrum position it as a collection of roles and practices, this book introduces Scrum's transformational roots that bring in a newer way of working with far reaching effects.

A coaching book for Professionals getting into Scrum. The second part delves deeper into the finer aspects of Scrum, which is required for professionals working on the ground. It walks through the stages of the Scrum Journey from Starting, Executing, to Closing. Unlike many books that are limited to the mechanics of Scrum, this book addresses plenty of practical questions including business management, team and task management, product engineering, etc. This understanding goes beyond the Scrum theory and enhances job skills.

An all-in-one guidebook for PSM 1 Certification

This entire book is an all-in-one guidebook for PSM 1 assessment preparation. PSM 1 is a high-quality Scrum certificate administered by Scrum.org that is guided by Ken Schwaber, one of the original co-authors of Scrum. Unlike many other Scrum certificates, PSM is not a vanity means to claim Scrum knowledge, but a rigorous assessment of the knowledge in the original Scrum.

Though there are multiple scattered materials available, there is no comprehensive guide for PSM assessment preparation. This book is a one-stop source including guidance on understanding Scrum, registration, preparation, and extensive practice. The book augments the Scrum narrative with exam preparation tips, quick tests, and a full-blown assessment mimicking the real assessment. It provides 250+ PSM 1 assessment-related questions to practice.

What is unique about this book?

Sticks to the authentic version of Scrum: There are many sources available that teach Scrum and provide training material for the PSM. It is common for them to provide a muddied version of Scrum associating it with activities, artifacts, and sub-techniques that are not prescribed or endorsed by the Scrum framework. Some of them even misinterpret Scrum fundamentals. Such sources may add confusion and cloud your attempt to understand Scrum. Also, such an understanding will make one choose incorrect answers in the PSM assessment. This book articulates the original, unpolluted Scrum framework as defined in its authentic source “The Scrum Guide.” Wherever there are exceptions or additional pointers, they are highlighted by a DE-TOUR tag.
Anchors the learning using an Active Learning technique: This book helps the reader to absorb the deeper meaning behind Scrum by means of Active Learning. Active Learning used in this book refers to not just passive reading of the content, but taking frequent pauses to answer questions about what was just read, and then thinking, analyzing, and inferring the meaning through answering those questions. These granular interpretations are usually not evident in normal reading, but pop out when backed by questions around them.