Since I moved to Scrum.org, we have introduced several new programs. I’m happy to announce that we are changing one program, Professional Scrum Master (PSM), to better serve the needs of different customers. The PSM program will continue to include a course, an assessment, and a certification. But the PSM course will be split into two levels: PSM I and PSM II. These two courses will correspond to the two PSM assessments, already known as PSM I and PSM II.
For the past several months, Scrum.org has been busy developing a PSM I course with David Starr of Pluralsight. David is an expert in Scrum, a Microsoft MVP, and also one of the leading lights in Application Lifecycle Management. We’ve designed the course for people who are just learning Scrum and people who need a re-grounding in Scrum. The course is purely focused on the essence of what Scrum is and is not. It consists of drills that peel the onion until the attendees know Scrum at every level, inside and out. I am excited that we will be releasing the course in early 2011.
The PSM I course will correspond to the PSM I Assessment, which measures an individual’s knowledge of Scrum fundamentals. (This assessment is based on the Scrum Guide, the authority regarding Scrum and its roles, events, artifacts, and rules.)
Scrum.org has also developed an intermediate-level Scrum course, PSM II. This course is for people who are struggling with Scrum implementation and usage. It provides a touch of Scrum refresher but then quickly moves onto how to put Scrum into practice. Topics include emergent architecture, done and undone, total cost of ownership, self-organization, scaling, enterprise adoption, product backlog management, and change management. This course is built on top of the course previously known simply as “PSM.” And, of course, the PSM II course corresponds to the PSM II Assessment.
The PSM assessments have proven to be valuable. To learn more about the philosophy behind our assessments, click here. Companies are using them to measure their own employees’ knowledge of Scrum as well as that of people who wish to work for and with them. We at Scrum.org are excited that companies like Construx are now providing themselves, their partners, and their customers with vouchers to take PSM assessments. Importantly, people are also using the assessments to validate and update their Scrum knowledge. The more people measure their understanding of Scrum, the more they can ultimately improve it.
Ken Schwaber's Blog: Telling It Like It Is 