DEV3L on Certified ScrumMaster
Tags: agile, csm, scrum
Published: 2021-02-01 00:00:04

---
title: DEV3L on Certified ScrumMaster
published: true
description: Certified ScrumMaster training focuses on the process of Scrum. This two-day training course focused mainly on theory, practices, team accountabilities, and the processes within Scrum.
tags: agile, csm, scrum
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/4jhv3vud48yr60vsoqnf.jpg
---

Certified ScrumMaster training focuses on the process of Scrum. This two-day training course focused mainly on theory, practices, team accountabilities, and the processes within Scrum. The course I took was facilitated by [Chet Hendrickson](https://twitter.com/chethendrickson), the co-author of Extreme Programming Installed and the first signatory on of [Manifesto for Agile Software Development](https://agilemanifesto.org/). Scrum can be applied outside of Software Development, but Chet focused heavily on its aspects within this domain.

# Certified Scrum Master - Day 1

Introduction / Meet & Greet

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsvopTXWMAUjBTr?format=jpg&name=medium)

"Estimation is a fool's errand" - value, what you get out of something should be more interesting than what you pay for it

Many waterfall shops out there

"Don't have to apologize for the things that happen in your house" - Chet is down to earth

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Cynefin - [Dave Snowden](https://twitter.com/snowded)

- Simple/Obvious (waterfall/pmi/sdlc)
- Complicated (kanban)
- Complex (scrum/agile/xp)
- Chaotic (exploit)

Complacent zone - fall into chaos

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsvwVwvXUAMf47d?format=png&name=medium)

"Nothing changes requirements like running software" - [Kent Beck](https://twitter.com/KentBeck), we don't know what we need to build

Individuals are the source of complexity

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**Conway's Law** - software mirror organization

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eswy39vXMAU5gdT?format=jpg&name=medium)

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**Sprint** is timeboxed experiment

"Resource" not humanizing

**Deadlines** are usually only concrete in project - made up

*Requirements == Wants*

"Waterfall Story" - Analysis & Design hit the date!

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EswDEexWMAI257D?format=jpg&name=medium)

In most basic form, Scrum is about figuring out how much trouble you are in

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**Technical Foundation - BDD & TDD**
- Quality is Job #1
- Automated Acceptance Tests
- Simple Design - high cohesion, low coupling
- Refactoring
- Unit Tests

**Externality**
- cost of slop on further development
- Pigovian Tax

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**Product** - Are we building the right thing?

**Project** - Are we on time and budget?

"Scrum, a framework for product development"

**Project Goal** - why are we here

**Sprint Goal** - iteration goal relation to project goal

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**Roles/Accountabilities**:
- Stakeholders (outside)
- Product Owner (the what)
- Scrum Master (process)
- Developers (the how/how much, doers) #wholeteam

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EswqbpyWMAAFiOa?format=jpg&name=medium)

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EswqqCqXEAgmPHh?format=jpg&name=medium)

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EswsjU_XUAQQu-x?format=jpg&name=medium)

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EswzM4vW4AIRP0u?format=jpg&name=medium)

Purpose it to be effective, not efficient

Shared services, answer to question "How can we go slower"

"Here is our plan, you should not believe it" - planning over plan

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*Sprints*, shorter the better

**Planning Horizons**:
- Release
- Sprint
- Daily

**Sprint Planning** - 1 hour * Length in Weeks
- -> refined product backlog
- <- goal, sprint backlog, what+how, dod

Commit to the goal, not the plan

Last responsible moment

**Daily Scrum** 
- timeboxed ~ 15 min
- developers talk to each other
- "hope" to achieve for the day

"Three Questions" no longer apart of the guide

# Certified Scrum Master - Day 2

**CSM Cert**
- 2-day class
- not very hard test (37/50) within 90 days

*This is the beginning of the journey*

Standup is not a serial interrogation - should be a daily inspect and adapt event

Guided Missle (inspect and adapt) vs Cannon Ball

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**Sprint Review**
- timeboxed - 1 hour * Length in Weeks
- team + stakeholders
- what next?
- -> Product Increment (dod)
- <- Updated Product Backlog + Status

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Es09F5mUwAASj8K?format=jpg&name=medium)

**Sprint Retrospective**
- timeboxed - 45 min * Length in Weeks
- developers + sm (+ po)
-> Working Agreements
<- Updated Working Agreements

Scrum Master either facilitates or participates - not both

Safety prerequisite

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Es1JZorVkAUhGs0?format=jpg&name=medium)

*Agile Retrospectives* by [Diana Larsen](https://twitter.com/DianaOfPortland) & [Esther Derby](https://twitter.com/estherderby)

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Es1EhXoU0AMWpbv?format=jpg&name=medium)

**Prime Directive**:
Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand.

One concrete change

*Retrospective anytime* - pull the andon cord whenever necessary

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Toyota Flow System

Goal is effectiveness, not scrum

**Backlog Refinement** (Rule of Two Feet)
- all hands
- single
- three (dev + po + test)

Diversity fuels problem solving

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Es1P9-cW4AIr17J?format=jpg&name=medium)

Done is binary - yes/no

**Artifacts**
- Product Increment (real thing)
- Product Backlog (ordered options)
- Sprint Backlog (pbi + plan)

![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Es1uwdXW8AEAopA?format=jpg&name=medium)

Throw it away, it'll come back if is interesting

More Jenkins, less Jira

**Visualizations**:
- Burn Up
- Burn Down
- Kanban Board

**Agreements**
- Definition of Done (dod)
- Working Agreement

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"Risk is the water in which the agile fish swims" - [Ron Jeffries](https://twitter.com/RonJeffries)

Turn on a dime, for a dime

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Reference Journal Events: [Day 1](https://twitter.com/dev3l_/status/1354560682969194498), [Day 2](https://twitter.com/dev3l_/status/1354898220741238787)

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![](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/n3wox7sq20r6vywvaiyw.png)