Certified Scrum Master Workshop Overview

My name is Michael Vizdos. I am a Certified Scrum Trainer and co-author of probably one of the only geek books that begins: "It was a dark and stormy night...".

Thank you for stopping by and reading this page; it should give you an overview of my Certified ScrumMaster Workshop and answer questions I receive on a regular basis.

If you would like to find out more information about how to engage me outside of the workshop setting, please read this (including a new option of phone support). If you are interested in my professional background, my current resume is available here. You can also review my profile by selecting the LinkedIn icon to the left or click here.

If you know you want to enroll in a workshop already, please click here.

What does it mean to work with a Certified Scrum Trainer?

It guarantees that you are working with one of about fifty people in the world who can certify you as a CSM (Certified ScrumMaster) and that I am also a Certified Scrum Practitioner who works with Scrum Teams on a daily basis. I train because I love teaching people about Scrum.

All CSM Workshops (some people call it a course, I call it a workshop) taught by Certified Scrum Trainers use the same materials as a base for teaching. Everyone who successfully completes the workshop gets access to the Scrum Alliance for a year and gets publicly recognized as a Certified ScrumMaster.

All Certified Scrum Trainers have worked with Ken Schwaber (one of the founders of Scrum) and meet together face-to-face at least once a year (somewhere in the world) to make sure our base teachings and concepts are consistent. You can read more about what all Certified Scrum Trainers are using as a baseline for their materials. This information is current as of our last gathering of trainers in November, 2006.

No matter what you do, make sure your certification is delivered by a Certified Scrum Trainer. If you have any questions... contact the Scrum Alliance directly via email or telephone.

While each Certified Scrum Trainer uses the same base materials for teaching, each of us present it unique and different ways. I consider myself in great company working with the other trainers in the world. And, I encourage you to look at some of the other Certified Scrum Trainers and decide for yourself who you want to work with to receive the training. Talk to other trainers and people who have gone through the training with them.

Does everyone who attends my workshop get certified?

No. You need to be engaged and active in the exercises and conversations. Please.

Are you expecting a Scrum Cookbook?

There is no cookbook for Scrum. I emphasize this often during the workshop.

I use many of the agile techniques I teach in order to develop and present this workshop. One example is the fact that most of my workshops are co-taught (with another Certified Scrum Trainer) and use "pairing" as a technique to actually deliver the workshop. This gives you, my client, two different experienced people to call upon for asking questions and get different views and feedback. We also inspect and adapt after each workshop (and sometimes during the day). We have a lot of material to share with you, and if something feels right to talk about with a certain group of people -- we will spend time and adjust as needed (inspect and adapt).
Last updated: June 11, 2008