APS Applied Professional Scrum August 16-17 EST Live Virtual Training

COURSE OVERVIEW

Applying Professional Scrum (APS) is a hands-on course that provides the foundational knowledge needed to work with Scrum in a highly practical way. The course is a combination of instruction and team-based exercises. During the exercises, students work in Scrum Teams over a series of Sprints to learn Scrum while using Scrum. They experience first-hand how the Scrum framework improves their ability to deliver value compared to traditional methods. This course was previously known as Professional Scrum Foundations.

All participants completing the Applied Professional Scrum class will receive a password to attempt the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) assessment. If you attempt the PSM I assessment within 14 days and do not score at least 85%, you will be granted a 2nd attempt at no additional cost.  You are also entitled to a 40% discount on the PSM II assessment.

Course Description

During the class, students experience Professional Scrum. They experience new, agile ways of working that enable teams to deliver more value, satisfy stakeholders, and work better together. Students work together as a team in a series of Sprints to solve complex problems, facing similar challenges that they face outside of class and learning how to use Scrum to address them. These Sprints enable students to see the practical application of Scrum and to understand the value of an Agile mindset. Additionally, they expose common missteps and misunderstandings in using Scrum, allowing students to develop an awareness of the associated symptoms and how to correct them. Students not only learn Scrum; they learn how to use Scrum well.

The Applying Professional Scrum course is the perfect introduction, reboot, or refresher to Scrum. It is excellent training for organizations, teams, and individuals wanting to experience the benefits of Scrum, or for those interested in continuing their learning with more advanced training.

Course Objectives

• Learn about Agility and how Scrum differs from traditional plan-driven work models.
• Develop an Agile mindset by focusing on professionalism, experimentation, and outcomes.
• Learn (or relearn) the fundamentals of Scrum and how to apply them correctly.
• Develop an understanding of what it is like to use Scrum and if it is right for your team.
• Learn how to be a great Scrum Team member or how to support a great Scrum Team.
• Leave the class with ways to identify common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Course Topics

• Agility as a new way of working
• Exploring the Scrum Framework
• Planning and forecasting with Scrum
• Getting started with Scrum

Who should attend

Applying Professional Scrum is a course designed for anyone to deepen their understanding of what is important to be successful with Scrum.  Whether this is your first time learning and experiencing Scrum or you’re an active practitioner looking for a refresher, this course has something for you.

Come join us if you:

• Are at a company that is going agile, and you’re trying to figure out how to fit into this new paradigm
• Have an ever-increasing amount of work, and it’s not clear where to put your focus
• Are joining a team that is already using Scrum, and you want to understand how it works
• Believe there’s a better way to work
• Want to sharpen the skills and improve your use of Scrum

The course also provides the foundational atScrum knowledge needed for those wishing to continue their education with role-focused (Scrum Master, Product Owner, Developer, Leader) training classes.

Course Topics

• Scrum theory and principles
• The Scrum framework: roles, rules, and artifacts
• Working with people and teams
• Coaching and facilitation
• The role of the Scrum Master

Objectives

Students are challenged to think in terms of Scrum and the Scrum principles to better understand what to do when they return to their workplaces.

• Students will have a clear understanding of the mechanics of Scrum and their coherence from the empirical foundation of Scrum.
• Students can act as a Scrum Master for Scrum Teams and stakeholders from an in-depth understanding of servant-leadership.
• Students can effectively start up Scrum or increase its effectiveness if already underway.

Target Audience

The training may be interesting to all involved in software development using the Scrum framework but has been specifically conceived for those responsible within an organization for running or introducing Scrum.

The class targets the people within an organization accountable for getting the most out of Scrum, including Scrum Masters, managers, and Scrum Team members.

Format

Students work in teams. They learn through team assignments, discussions, and hands-on exercises.

Prerequisites

Attendees make the most of the class if they:

• Have studied the Scrum Guide (required)
• Have passed the Scrum Open assessment
• Have a solid understanding of Scrum either through working on a Scrum Team or through having taken part in a Professional Scrum Foundations or similar course
• Have been on or are closely involved in building or enhancing a software product or application using Scrum
• Have read one of the Scrum books of Ken Schwaber or the book “Scrum – A Pocket Guide” by Gunther Verheyen

Assessment and certification

The Applied Professional Scrum class has the following associated credential Professional Scrum Master level I (PSM I)

All participants completing the Applied Professional Scrum course receive a password to take the PSM I assessment.

These industry-recognized certifications require a minimum passing score on the associated rigorous assessment. Scrum.org maintains a public list with everyone holding a PSM I and PSM II credential.

Microsoft® uses the PSM I assessment to validate knowledge as part of its Silver and Gold Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) competencies.

John Gillespie

About The Trainer

John Gillespie is a Professional Scrum Trainer with Scrum.org. He is one of only a few Scrum trainers globally able to offer the full range of Scrum.org courses. John has numerous LinkedIn recommendations from happy clients.

John has better than 10 years of experience with Scrum and 25+ years of experience in delivering complex software systems. John led the development of Fleet Bank’s (Bank of America) first online banking application and more than 10 lottery system implementations globally. His classes are filled with numerous examples he has garnered on the front lines of software development over the past 25 years.

Over the last 10 years, John has been guiding organizations including Oracle, Bank of America, US Navy, Wells Fargo, Publix, BNY-Mellon, JP Morgan Chase, and Warner Music.

He is based in New York City and offers Scrum training courses with certification all over the world. He trains and coaches Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Development Teams, and organizations in their transition to Scrum and Agile.

John is always happy to arrange private training for your company. Please reach out to find out more.

What Clients Have To Say About John:

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Professional Scrum Master training taught by John in conjunction with Scrum.org. John is one of the most effective and concise instructors I have had the pleasure of being taught by. He was able to take the potentially overwhelming amount of agile framework information and deliver it to a class of people who had an extremely diverse set of backgrounds and skill levels. He was able to take complex subjects, explain them directly and with emphasis on the most important and functional information. I left this short course feeling extremely well prepared to start engaging the Scrum framework professionally and to guide other teammates on its use as well. I look forward to hopefully enrolling in more of his classes as the opportunity presents itself professionally. Thank you, John!

Gavin Frei Merchant Success Manager at Shopify Plus

I had the opportunity to learn from John in his Professional Scrum Master class. John was not only extremely knowledgable about the framework of SCRUM, but he brought years of experience consulting various organizations to achieve their vision. The experience and stories breathed life into the material and made the class that much more impactful to my learning. I absolutely recommend John to anyone who is interested in learning how to cultivate high performing teams through the SCRUM framework.

Jared Blake, PMP, PSM I  Business Program Manager at Microsoft

“John provided our group of 8 new Product Owners an excellent course. We discussed real-life scenarios, John’s experiences, and how to put the classroom material together with his experience into our business model. It was an excellent experience. Additionally, this course provided the material and requirements necessary to pass the 80 questions Professional Scrum Product Owner I exam. I passed the exam one day after the course ended! Thanks for your expertise and for such a great course, John!”

– Peter Gorman. U.S. Department of Homeland Security

“I took the Professional Scrum Master certification training from John. This training is for folks who would like to understand the basics of scrum framework and dive deep in roles/responsibilities for a scrum master. John is an amazing teacher who focuses on explaining the course with examples and use cases. He is always open to questions and encourages them (either in class or over the email). He made the entire learning process very interactive, which made it so easy to understand.  I highly recommend taking the class with him.”

– Swati Gupta. Oracle

John has an encyclopedic knowledge of what it takes to be a Scrum Master, as well as plenty of real-world examples to contextualize that knowledge. After spending the two days with John during his course, I was able to not only pass the PSM I exam but more importantly, I was able to bring his guidance back to my organization and help us improve our own practices. It also helps that he is a nice guy, a patient instructor, and impossible to stump with a question. I recommend John to anyone looking to improve their knowledge of Scrum.

Brecken Hipp QA Analyst at Dataworks Development, Inc.

John was a very patient and informative instructor. He made sure that everyone understood every concept before moving forward, and took the time to answer any questions that were asked with great detail.

Thank you for the great class!

Hanna Heaps, PSPO Business Product Analyst at PayScale, Inc.

John is a skilled Scrum instructor. His presentation makes everyone feel comfortable, no matter their skill level or experience; John’s disarming charm accepts everyone where they are. He also has a deep well of real-life experience with project management that he humbly draws from to refresh whatever content he’s dispensing. A skilled practitioner and trainer, making the world better one Scrum at a time.

Tommy Poole

I took John’s Professional Scrum Product Owner course to sharpen my Scrum/Agile knowledge and to learn more about the Product Owner role in a Scrum environment. John is extremely knowledgeable and was very accommodating to the class. You could tell he really is passionate about teaching the subject. He made sure to answer all of our questions and provided numerous resources to help advance our Scrum knowledge. Additionally, he gave useful advice and real-life insights on how we could improve our Scrum practices at our jobs (and made me realize how little Scrum we actually exercise). I would highly recommend his courses if you’re interested in furthering your career in Scrum.

Brandon Kumagai Scrum Master at Elektrobit (EB)

John is an amazing Agile coach and trainer. His two days of training ( BNY employee training) was priceless in learning agile. I still remember how confused and resistant faces (to adapt to agile) changed to smiles, and everyone relaxed. This was only possible due to the way John encouraged questions and patiently cleared each doubt without being too focused on completing his training modules for day 1. Once the group doubts were cleared, the next day we not only finished the all the training modules but had time for questions. I for one thoroughly enjoyed his coaching. Even after the training, he was fully available to hand hold anytime and help us succeed as the organization worked its way to adapt to Agile. He is a great trainer, mentor and someone who made me love Agile and made it so easy for me to understand and apply. I thoroughly recommend John to anyone who wants to go the Agile way, both individual or organization.

Pinky Padi Lead Mgr- App Devp (VP) at BNY Mellon

More

If you need more information, check out the following options:

• Check out the PSPO course description on the Scrum.org website
• View upcoming Professional Scrum Product Owner courses
• Read what it takes to be a Professional Scrum Trainer

Contact

• Phone:
  Email:       john@agile-ity.com
  Website:   www.proscrumtraining.com
  LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/johntgillespie 
• Contact me to discuss bringing courses to your location and how your organization can leverage Scrum to improve your business agility.
• Contact support@scrum.org for general information