Clarification of the Product Owner responsibility

October 23, 2014, 7:31 pm

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Hi,
I have a technical question about something I found in the Scrum Guide:

"The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team."

I don't want to be picky, but this could mean two things:

The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product.
The Product Owner is responsible for the work of the Development Team.

Or:

The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product.
The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the work of the Development Team.

So is the PO responsible for THE WORK of the development team (responsible for the performed work) or for MAXIMIZING the work of the development team (responsible to ensure they're as productive as possible in their work?)

I assume it's the first one, it makes more sense. But since I'm preparing for the assessment, I don't want to miss a question by not understanding this right. Thank you for any input you might have.

Alan

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Sprint Planning meeting in scaled scrum

January 12, 2015, 11:55 am

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Hi All,

I want to know the opinions for scrum masters about the Sprint planning meeting in scaled scrum.
In my organization we have 4 scrum teams working together on one product (as of now work is independent of each other but soon work will be interdependent).

My Question is the sprint planning session should be done with all teams at a time or it should be separate session for individual team.

I am looking your experience before making a final call.

PSM Advice, Tips, Pain Points

January 13, 2015, 10:28 pm

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Hi Everyone

I am working to put together a 2 hour course at work for passing the PSM. I've looked through most of the posts that deal with PSM strategies for being successful on the exam.

I just want to ask the community is there any additional advice for passing the exam (other than study the Scrum guide, take the Scrum open multiple times, etc.) such as areas that you struggled with. Any tips that were given by someone who took the exam that were helpful. Exam questions that stick out in your mind.

I just wanted to get some fresh new thoughts.

Thanks.

2015 Updates

January 17, 2015, 12:49 am

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HI,
i came across this message from scrum team,
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In 2015, Scrum.org will refine the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) assessments, PSM I and PSM II, in line with following objectives:

PSM I tests practice-level insights and knowledge of Scrum required for anyone entering a Scrum Team to know how to participate.
PSM II tests the ability to apply the knowledge demonstrated through PSM I. It tests the ability to develop software effectively in a Scrum team and optimize common development issues based on the values of Scrum and the basis of empiricism and transparency.
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How will this affect my ongoing preparations for the PSM 1 assessment?

Passed PSM1 - Some Thoughts

October 20, 2014, 3:40 am

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I passed my PSM1 Exam on 15-Oct-14 with 97.5% marks. I have benefited immensely from the different posts on this forum and I believe it is my duty and a privilege to share my thoughts about how to prepare for this exam.

1. As has been emphasized in various posts on this forum, read and internalize the Scrum Guide. Every concept explained in Scrum Guide needs to be understood well. As an example, you should know whether a particular concept applies to Scrum Team or the Development Team.

2. For understanding the Scrum Guide I created a strategy which worked very well for me. The Scrum Guide has 18 major topics (or headings). Starting from the top (“Definition of Scrum”), break down each topic into multiple logical sub-topics and write all the sub-topics down on a piece of paper, one in each row. As an example the topic on Sprint Review can be broken down into 4 sub-topics - "Sprint Review Definition", "Duration of Sprint Review and Scrum Master's Role", "Elements of Sprint Review" and "Goal of Sprint Review". This is just an example and you can break down each topic into one or more sub-topics based on your understanding. In my case I broke down the Guide into 40 sub topics. Now every day pick a sub-topic at random from the list and see if you know and understand it well. If you know the topic well put a tick against the topic for that day otherwise put a cross. Then pick another sub-topic at random and repeat the procedure. Keep doing this until you have covered all the sub-topics. The next day do the same exercise again. I emphasize that the topics should be picked at random and not serially. The day you have all ticks and no crosses, you are ready for the exam.

3. Do Open Assessment multiple times until you are consistently scoring 100%. Additionally do the Open Assessment for Developer until you are consistently scoring 100% in this as well.

4. I found the videos on http://scrumtrainingseries.com/ highly informative and enjoyable. These videos are short and cover all the basic concepts of Scrum in an easy to understand manner.

5. Go through all the posts on this forum related to PSM1 exam. The posts are highly informative and almost all the tricky questions have been discussed in these forums

6. Don't use TestTakerOnline. It’s a waste of time and money. It’s based on older version of Scrum Guide and this caused a lot of problems for me. Also I found the Scrum Master Training Manual by Mgmt. Plaza more confusing than helpful and at times at odds with the Scrum Guide. I would advise not to use it.

7. I found the format of the real exam very satisfactory. The user interface was good and there was an option to bookmark questions and revisit bookmarked questions. About 15 questions were from Open Assessment.
In the end I want to take the opportunity to thank all the Scrum Experts who have taken time out to answer different questions on this forum. Your valuable inputs have played a prominent part in helping us clear the examination. We all value your guidance immensely and hope we will continue to benefit from your experience.

I hope this will prove helpful to those who are preparing for PSM1 Exam. I wish you all the best for the exam.

Regards,
Vimal

PSM1 without classrom training

January 18, 2015, 8:14 pm

≫ Next: First 2 attempts 82% and 84%. Please help with some guidlines.

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Hi,

Can you please let me know if anyone has cleared PSM1 without classroom training ?
What would be the best materials to clear the exam without training ?

First 2 attempts 82% and 84%. Please help with some guidlines.

January 16, 2015, 4:34 pm

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I need some guidelines about preparing for the PSM I certification. I studied the guide and a number of books and I do consistently score 100% on the open exam. However, I tried the test twice and failed. First attempt 82% and second one 84%. Needless to say this is very hard to accept, especially failing for just 1 point.

Is there a strategy I could use that will take my knowledge beyond this and closer to 100%? I really cannot afford to waste another $100. My first language is not English so I guess this does not help either, however, I am sure I can prepare more deeply in such a way to go closer to the 100% mark.

Is there an online test facility (even if a paid service) that provide question styles closer to the PSM I (the open test is a bit far in terms of difficulty) and provide feedback on how you answered?

The Scrum.org feedback provides only statistics and this is not helpful at all, especially since in my case there is no correlation between the 2 exams:

Exam 1:

Scrum Framework 85%
Scrum Theory & Principles 80%
Cross-functional, Self-organizing teams 71.4%
Coaching & Facilitation 100%

Exam 2:

Scrum Framework 92.5%
Scrum Theory & Principles 70%
Cross-functional, Self-organizing teams 78.6%
Coaching & Facilitation 83.3%

Any guidelines are highly appreciated. Thank you.

psm1

January 20, 2015, 8:07 pm

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hi guys ,

I' m a french software seller, and i'd like to pass PSM1, that will surely help me in the dialogue with my team of developpers )

To begin , i've seen that there were also a CSM certification , which seems to be more "superficial"
So , can you tell me teh difference between these two certifications . Is it better to pass both , start with CSM.?

By the way , i allow myself another question , what do you think about web site test like "testtaker.."? Do you know other webisite like this?

Thanks for you help

Regards.

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PSM1 Exam Takeaways & PSM2 Revision

January 21, 2015, 12:30 am

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Just passed the PSM1 course with a score of 68/80 (85%). Used the following for self-study revision:
*Read the scum guide every day for 2 weeks
*Over a three week period completed 3 Open Assessments (Scrum and Developer) per day until I was comfortably completing within 5 minutes and scoring 100%
*Read forum threads around exam questions
*Additional research on burn up/down graphs on Wikipedia & other scrum resources found through Google

I must admit, I found the exam harder than expected and I think its because I operate under a very structured Prince2 methodology at my place of work. I wanted to learn more about Scrum with a view of using it as a framework for some projects going forward.

I'm keen to press on and obtain my Level 2. I noticed there are very few threads around this. Could someone with experience of completing the exam provide some guidance please in terms of revision aids. I'm hesitant based on the $500 exam fee. Thanks in advance,

Am I ready for PSM1?

February 13, 2013, 7:05 pm

≫ Next: Scrum Master is a "management" position?

≪ Previous: PSM1 Exam Takeaways & PSM2 Revision

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Hi community,

I started totally fresh with scrum 2 weeks ago. We need a PSM1 at work and I get asked if I would like to learn this.

So I started reading the guide, all sites mentioned in other posts here and which I could find on the web.

I am still reading stuff, and since 3 days I do several open assesments here and free tests at testtakeronline.com.

All with more then 95%.

What do you think? Am I ready for doing the PSM1 assesment? I mean, with the above knowledge about me, is there any good chance I could handle this assesment with the first try?

Or would it be better to spend 20$ at testtakeronline for the package with 350 questions?

Any comment would be very appreciated! Thanks!


Cheers,
Thomas

Scrum Master is a "management" position?

September 11, 2014, 1:41 am

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I had this question in the open assessment. I am not sure what this answer is. The correct answer seems to say Scrum Master is a "management" position = True. Then in the feedback section it seems to say the Scrum Master does not manage a team. Can someone explain the difference for me? I thought the Scrum Master need NOT be a management position.

Scrum Master is a "management" position?

Correct answer: A)
You chose: B)

Missed correct answer A)True
Incorrect answer B)False
Points: 0 out of 1
Feedback:

The Scrum Master manages the Scrum process. If the Scrum Master is not a management position, he or she may not have the influence to remove impediments. The Scrum Master does not manage the team.

Sprint Review opportunities

January 26, 2015, 2:06 pm

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Hello there,
some time ago I participated in the PSPO course and did the PSPO I.
Now that I have gained some experience as PO, I am preparing for the PSPO II.
In the folder from the course I read:

"Sprint Review 'Inspection' reveals opportunities:
[...]
- Ask for a Sprint to implement the demonstrated functionality, alone or with increments from previous Sprints"

I don't understand this sentence. Why would you implement functionality that you already demonstrated in the Review? If it was demonstrated, it should already be implemented, as implementation should be part of the DoD...
And doesn't an increment always include all previous increments?
And why do you ask for an extra Sprint? Isn't it default to start the next Sprint immediately after the last?

Help would be appreciated.

Best,
Ludwig

Incoherence in the Scrum Guide?

January 27, 2015, 1:22 pm

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Hello,
I read through SG and I find there several things which might be incoherent for example:

The Scrum Master is a servant-leader for the Scrum Team.

In my opinion it should be:The Scrum Master is a servant-leader for the Dev Team, PO and Organisation.

Otherwise he is a servant to himself which is unlogical.

On the other side this is not coherent with further description of this section which describes his service to Dev Team, Po and Organisation.

This is even untrue when he is the developer also as he serves to himself but in as a developer he has a separate role so it contradicts either.

Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers,
Romek

Another incoherence in Scrum Guide

January 28, 2015, 2:04 pm

≫ Next: Components of the Sprint Goal

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Hello,

"The remaining events may end whenever the purpose of the event is achieved..."
"Daily scrum is a 15 minute time-boxed event" - which suggests it cannot be shorter and

this answer from open assessment is considered CORRECT. The answer with shorter duration is INCORRECT.

In contrary the rest of the events (apart of sprint) are defined as MAXIMUM amount of time.
Cheers,
Romauld

Components of the Sprint Goal

January 29, 2015, 2:33 pm

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Hi at all,

I have a question regarding the definition of the Sprint Goal.

Scrum Guide says:
"The selected Product Backlog items deliver one coherent function, which can be the Sprint Goal. The Sprint Goal can be any other coherence that causes the Development Team to work together rather than on separate initatives. "

What does this mean exactly?

It is clear that the Sprint Goal contains all Product Backlog Items which have been choosen for this sprint.

But what else can be part of the Sprint Goal? Please can you give me some examples for other things which could also part of the Sprint Goal?

And what is with User Stories which belong to the selected Prodct Backlog items? Are the also part of the Sprint Goal?

And has the Sprint Goal also to contain the Definition of Done?

Best regards,
Iris

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PSM I scope and Open Assessment help

January 29, 2015, 3:12 pm

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Hello,

Reading through many of the posts on the forum regarding the above I have some thoughts:

Open Assessment
- Do not be mislead by scoring there 100%. You just simply memoraized more or less 30 questions. slightly better understanding scrum.
- I constantly get there almost the same set of questions from which you get several, and all the questions are 80
- many commented that the questions are much simpler than real exam. so it is also misleading. Personally I do not understand it - the level should be similar otherwise it gives you false assumption that you are ready for exam


PSM I scope
- the exam confirms BASIC knowledge of scrum
- the description of scope is pretty general, there dobuts if it has burndows or not
- the books mantioned in there might not help much either, for example Agile Retrospectives is rather how to practically conduct the meetings, PeopleWare is a psychology book
- reading multiple times the Scrum Guide as many commented brings us again to memoraize it which might be
important where you refer to exact wording for questions especially for non natives. You might be asked endless list of tricky questions based on the text, but it is pretty stupid thing to do.
- Scrum Guide it is not 100% coherent with itself or might be understood so,
- many people indicate that practise in scrum is required to take the exam - it is nowhere stated on scrum.org.
- How it might help write better software I do not get
Cheers,
Romek

Scrum Slideshow

January 30, 2015, 4:34 am

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I put together a slide show for some co-workers, and I thought I would post it to the forum.

I hope this helps all of you out there trying to improve your knowledge of Scrum by studying for the PSM I.
http://prezi.com/xjyb0yabneiu/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

I am very grateful for everyone that posts and comments on the forum as it helped me improve my understanding of Scrum and also helped me pass the PSM I. Thank you for your help!

Scrum Practitioner Open Assessment

February 1, 2015, 7:15 pm

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Hi everyone,

Unlike the Scrum Open or Developer Open assessments, the Practitioner Open Assessment doesn't provide any feedback on which questions you didn't answer correctly. Is there a reason behind this? Am I allowed to post questions here that I'm not sure about? Thanks!

Sprint Maximum Duration

January 31, 2015, 10:42 pm

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I know it is specifically mentioned in the Scrum guide "Each Sprint may be considered a project with no more than a one-month horizon".
However wanted to understand whether any of you are working on any projects that have more than one month of sprint duration? If yes, does that mean scrum principles are not being followed?

Sprint Backlog Items Not ready for Production Release

February 2, 2015, 3:06 am

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I understand that every sprint the goal is to build a potentially releasable increment of a product. So can a Sprint contain a mix of items
1) that can be released and
2) items that are in progress and are worth releasing in production only in the next sprint when they are fully functional ?
e.g. One of the items can be just about building the screen, however the functionality for populating the values can be built in the next Sprint and only then push it to the production environment