Certified ScrumMaster®

Frequently Asked Questions

• When do we start and end each day? 

The classroom opens at 8:40 AM each day and the class will begin promptly at 9:00 AM. We will end at 6:00 PM each day.

• What should I wear? 

Wear anything that makes you comfortable. There are no rules!

• What should I bring? 

Just yourself. You don't need a laptop, although you are free to bring one.

-          I'm an introvert who is not so big on the whole audience participation thing. Will this class make me uncomfortable?

Participation in any physical exercise is, of course, optional--in fact, the role of "observer" is quite valuable, so feel free to participate at your ability and comfort levels. Remember, people are different and we value that!

• What if I have more questions?

Feel free to contact NTUC @+65 6336 5482 or write [email protected]

Once you register you get access to Prework readings on NTUC Canvas.

The workshop is designed to help you learn everything you need to do as a Scrum Master from day 1 of your job. You will be learning the role of Scrum Master through role-plays and by doing. The whole course is split into 4 Sprints with each Sprint focusing on the following topics:

Sprint 1: Why do we need Scrum and Scrum Master?

The goal of this Sprint is to understand why Organizations need Scrum and why they hire ScrumMaster.

Mental Model

• What is the mental model?

• How are they formed?

• How do mental models change?

• Why is it important for ScrumMaster to understand Mental Models?

Incremental Delivery

• What is the Cost of Delay and Cost of Production?

• What are the factors that cause CoD and CoP?

• How do CoD and CoP impact the ROI of the Organization?

• How does Scrum help in improving ROI by reducing CoD and CoP?

Agile & Empirical Process

• What are Agile and Empirical Processes?

• Why are the various ways to be Agile?

• How to decide what process is good for my product?

Sprint 2: How to Introduce Scrum in an Organization?

The goal of this Sprint is to explore ScrumMaster’s role in helping the organization adopt Scrum.

ScrumMaster as a Systems Thinker

• What is a System and why Organizations are a System?

• What is Systems Thinking?

• Why is it important for ScrumMaster?

• How to develop Systems Thinking?

ScrumMaster as a Change Agent

• How to create a shared need for change?

• Explore the underlying reasons behind Organizations adopting Scrum and how to measure progress.

• How to identify various stakeholders required to support adoption?

• How to identify what are the structural/policy/process changes required to adopt Scrum?

• What are the different techniques to facilitate change?

ScrumMaster as a Facilitator

• What is facilitation – Basic vs Developmental facilitation?

• Different facilitation techniques – Advocacy vs Inquiry

• What are the different focus areas of ScrumMaster

• How does ScrumMaster’s role change over some time?

Sprint 3: Coaching Product Owner to build Product in increments.

The goal of this Sprint is to explore ScrumMaster's role in coaching the Product Owner to deliver the Product in increments.  In the process, participants will understand everything to be done to get started with the first Sprint.

Forming Scrum Team

• What are the responsibilities of Scrum roles?

• What are the skills required to play Scrum roles?

• How to transform your teams into Scrum teams?

• What are the practical difficulties in forming Scrum teams and how to overcome them – Distribution and Scaling?

Class Project

• Identify a product to work on

• Identify roles

• Understand Product vision.

Building Product Backlog

• What is vertical split vs horizontal split?

• What are the various techniques for Split Product Backlog Items(PBIs)?

• What is ScrumMaster’s role in teaching PO about splitting techniques and building Product Backlog?

• Practice splitting techniques on the class project.

Identifying MVP

• Why is it not possible to fix things upfront for complex projects?

• What is Technical Debt and how does fixing things upfront and focusing on estimation cause Technical Debt?

• How to Overcome Technical Debt?

• Why is it good to focus on value delivery instead of fixing the estimation problem?

• What is the MVP?

• How ScrumMaster can help PO identify MVP?

• Apply Story Mapping on a class project to identify MVP.

Sprint 4: Coaching teams to become learning teams.

The goal of this Sprint is to explore ScrumMaster's role in the coaching Development Team to become a learning team. The participants run a couple of Sprints on the class project to understand Scrum end to end.

Sizing Product Backlog

• What is a Release?

• What is a relative estimation and #NoEstimates?

• How do we forecast a release date?

• Why release plan is not cast in stone and release planning should be iterative?

Refining Product Backlog

• What is Backlog Refinement?

• What are the helpful practices for Backlog Refinement?

• Refine the Product Backlog of the Class Project.

Sprint Simulation

• Run a couple of Sprints for the class project.

• Simulate and discuss issues that a team may face during Sprint and learn how ScrumMaster can help the team.

• All course material 

• Mockup tests

• Scrum Master interviews

• Podcast Recordings of Scrum Master challenges

• Weekly webinar recordings and more.

Feel free to contact NTUC @+65 6336 5482 or write [email protected]

This workshop is for anybody and everybody who is tasked with maximizing the effectiveness of teams and wants to learn Scrum to do so. It doesn’t matter who you are as long as you want to get started with Scrum. You are welcome even if you are

-          a software engineer,

-          a mechanical engineer,

-          a manager,

-          a publisher,

-          a wedding planner,

-          an event manager,

-          an experienced ScrumMaster,

-          a going to be ScrumMaster

-          a stakeholder

-          a CXO etc.

Feel free to contact NTUC @+65 6336 5482 or write [email protected]