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Advanced Certified ScrumMaster®

Taught by: Chris Li
Discover advanced scrum master techniques and problem-solving while renewing your membership with Scrum Alliance. Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® is delivered by Scrum Alliance-certified trainers whose coverage and exploration of advanced facilitation, coaching, and teaching are unmatched.
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28 - 29 April, 2025 |
 09:00 EDT |
 9 hrs/day
$895
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Course details


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Online

*** 100% live instruction from one of the world's first providers of the A-CSM ***

This two-day A-CSM class expands on the Certified ScrumMaster™ (CSM) certification to provide Scrum Masters and agile leaders with practical tools and skills designed to enhance their effectiveness in teams and organizations.  This course has been meticulously designed with up-and-coming coaches and trainers in mind. Using hands-on exercises and dynamic interactions, this course introduces and reinforces important concepts to help address the real-world problems that Scrum Masters face daily. Students bring both their talents and unique contextual challenges to the class, sharing their experiences and knowledge with one another, guided by one of the world's leading advanced Scrum Master trainers.  

 

Learn from a World Leader in Advanced Scrum Master Training

Chris Li

Chris Li is the world's premier provider of advanced Scrum Master courses, working with teams and students all over the United States in improving their Scrum adoption and effectiveness as agile leaders.  Chris developed the first A-CSM Certification course approved by Scrum Alliance in North America, and his CSP-SM is also the first classroom-based CSP-SM course in North America.

He has over 20 years of technical delivery experience in IT services. Passionate for developing teams and supporting delivery, he has a background in software development using both agile and traditional approaches.  Chris frequently speaks at agile conferences and supports initiatives of the world’s major agile organizations.

 

Why SparkPlug Agility?

SparkPlug AgilitySparkPlug Agility is proud to support you, the agile professional that desires to continue to grow their skills as a Scrum Master.  Our set of Scrum Master certified courses has been designed to complement one another, creating an integrated and progressive learning experience from the CSM through to the CSP-SM.   We have a passion for supporting those agile leaders on the ground every day - helping them take their skills to the next level with practical knowledge and techniques that make an immediate impact on the hearts and minds of their organizations.

Our team brings a unique perspective to the industry, with a combination of delivery and consulting experience from various sectors:

  • Technical delivery background
  • Federal and commercial experience
  • Active in international agile community

 

What You Get With Your Registration

When you register for this class, your registration fee includes the following:

  • Training class and supplies
  • Certification fees

This course is eligible for up to 20 PMI PDUs and 20 Scrum Alliance SEUs as follows:

  • Up to 4 hours pre-course learning
  • 16 hours of live online instruction

 

Get your CSP-SM with SparkPlug Agility

Racing School LogoLooking to complete your path to CSP-SM?  SparkPlug Agility offers one of the first CSP-SM courses ever developed!  Register for both a SparkPlug virtual A-CSM and virtual CSP-SM course for one special rate of $2499 through our "Racing School" program.  Stay for 5 days and take the CSP-SM course April 30-May 2, or register for any other SparkPlug virtual CSP-SM to get the bundled rate.  Contact us at [email protected] for more information about this unique opportunity to complete your Path to CSP, or you can register for the program here.

 

Discounts and Payment Plans

SparkPlug Agility is proud to offer a range of discounts and special offers for groups, Veterans, First Responders, and Full-Time Students. Use this form to apply for a course discount.  Payment plans and purchase order payment options are also available, contact us directly to discuss your options!

What Our A-CSM Students are Saying

"Chris is Awesome! Great knowledge, great teacher, great at engaging the group"  -Ian F. 

"It sounds like a cliché, but the entire course was a highlight. Best training experience that I’ve had." -Steve S.

"I think everything was absolutely great. Each exercise was highly informative. I have gained great knowledge. Chris shares his own personal experiences and merge them with real life situations. His approach to students’ questions is so professional. It was definitely the best Scrum course I have attend with lots of dialogue and hands on experience. I highly recommend this course." -Yavuz T.

"I liked the back-to-back format of A-CSM and CSP-SM. This intense immersion helps me to really get honest with myself and create improvement plans."  -Che H.

 

Class will run from 9 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time / 8 AM to 5 PM Central Time each day.

To be eligible for certification, participants are required to attend the full class.  If a participant misses any part of the course, they may be required to do an additional assignment, or potentially lose their certification eligibility.  Should your schedule prevent you from attending the entire class, our team will work with you to schedule another class on a different date.

 

Cancellation and Transfer Policy

Student cancellations and transfers for virtual courses are available until 48 hours before class begins at no charge. Within 48 hours of the start of class, there is a $50 late change fee for any cancellations or transfers.

  • No-Show Policy - No refunds or transfers for registrants who no-show for a course. ​
  • Should the organizer cancel the course for any reason, all registrants will receive a full refund.


Please contact us at [email protected] for any cancellation and transfer requests.

Below is a summary of the topics covered in our A-CSM course. The learning experience covers all of the Learning Objectives identified by Scrum Alliance, presented in an interactive and exercise-based format.  

Agenda

Pre-Course Learning
Our course includes a short assignment prior to class to help prepare you for course discussions, drawing ties to your own context.  Please plan to spend up to four hours completing this pre-course assignment.

Reset
We will focus on “resetting” the elements of Scrum covered during your CSM course, including concepts, roles, events, and artifacts.  This provides a common understanding of Scrum topics to build on for the rest of the course.

Foundations
This module goes deeper into the fundamentals of Scrum, including values, principles, Scrum alternatives, and Empirical Process Control.  We will explore ways to effectively communicate these topics to others who may be new to Scrum.

Concepts
Scrum Masters often face challenging questions about the role of Scrum Masters, and the changing dynamics of teams within an agile transformation. This module arms you with tools and information to approach these situations, including conflict characteristics, visioning, agenda building, and understanding the differences between Facilitation, Coaching, Mentoring, and Training.

Coaching
Scrum Masters are often required to function in the capacity of an agile coach.  By building on the previous module, we practice techniques to enhance your coaching capabilities and be a more effective coach within your organization. 

Decisions
Making decisions as a group can be challenging.  We outline decision-making frameworks that you can use with your teams to suspend judgment, integrate the viewpoints of others, and to poll and visualize a group’s decisions.

Teamwork
There is a big difference between a group of individuals working on a similar effort and a “real team.”  We define the characteristics of a team, focusing on attributes necessary for a group of co-workers to truly become a team.  We look at ways to enhance team development, including crafting working agreements and introducing team development models.

Challenges
Scrum Masters deal with challenges, roadblocks, and impediments all the time. In this module you will learn tools and techniques used to explore problems, evaluate impediments, and identify root causes.  We also take a closer look at re-formulating a “Definition of Done,” and ways to scale Scrum for a multi-team environment.

Presentation
Our A-CSM course includes an interactive presentation simulation based on the real-world scenario of responding to a customer.  This exercise helps solidify your learning by showcasing your strategic and tactical approaches in a supportive team environment, gathering valuable feedback on your opportunities for growth. 

Self
We close the course with areas of personal reflection and evaluation relative to Scrum values.  By assessing your own driving factors and personal goals, we start to build your own action plan for the next steps in your organization and your career as an agile leader. 

Class photo

This course is designed for the Scrum Master who has the desire to grow their skillset and become more confident in the concepts and techniques necessary to progress their career.  For those looking to differentiate themselves from the pack, A-CSM certification arms Scrum Masters with new skills, and also an industry-recognized distinction from other Scrum Masters. Agile coaches, consultants, program and project managers, facilitators, and technical leaders can all benefit tremendously by building on their CSM certification with the A-CSM.

Everyone is welcome to take this course, and there are zero restrictions on registering for the class.  However, to receive your A-CSM certification from Scrum Alliance students must have an active CSM certification and satisfy the following requirements:

  1. Complete the A-CSM course
  2. Demonstrate at least 12-months of Scrum Master experience by uploading your role-specific experience to your Scrum Alliance Profile

This is an advanced class.  Please come ready to participate, share your experiences, work hard, and have fun!  There will be a pre-class homework assignment, so be sure to coordinate your schedule to allow time for this activity.


 

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