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 (I actually work with clients for a living!), please read this (including an 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 feel free to register and pay now (thank you!).
Certified Scrum Master Workshop Overview
What does it mean to work with a Certified Scrum Trainer?
It guarantees that you are working with one of less than 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. And learning more about it. Always.
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 February, 2008.
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).
Remember...
You will walk out of this two day workshop with what you put into it. Pay attention, participate, and think about things we discuss -- and you will become a Certified ScrumMaster. I will even teach you the secret handshake if you want (this closely guarded secret is worth the price of admission alone!).
The journey -- your journey -- has just begun once you become a CSM. This is a journey I continue to walk every day.
I invite you to contact me if you have any questions before enrolling.
If you'd like to see more information about my style (and it does come across during the workshop), check out my Implementing Scrum site (or blog, depending on your interpretation). I maintain it on a regular basis. The site is gaining momentum in our industry, and lessons are being learned from it.
Teaching is something I enjoy doing. And it reminds me of the important basics I need to remember as a Certified Scrum Practitioner who works with teams on a daily basis. I do not teach this workshop as my full time job; I really do work with teams on a daily basis to help them implement Scrum, and I teach in order to help others who are sincerely interested in getting started using Scrum.
What next?
If you are interested in becoming a CSM, please continue reading.
My current list of "public workshops" is listed here. You can also view the public workshops I have done (around the world!).
Please contact me to let me know if you are interested in being notified when the next workshop is publicly available.
If you are interested in hosting a workshop in-house for your team, please contact me directly for current pricing and schedule availability. I will deliver the normal two-day workshop and can also be available before -- or after -- the workshop to talk about specific opportunities for improving or introducing Scrum within your organization.
Below are more details about my workshop. Please review and let me know if you have any questions.
Purpose
To teach someone how to be a ScrumMaster in their organization.
Overview
This is your opportunity to learn about Scrum –- in the real world -– from one of the top industry experts. Come prepared to challenge old beliefs and be open to new ways of thinking about how you approach work in the future.
Objectives
At the successful completion of the workshop, you will be certified as a ScrumMaster and have an understanding of how the various roles and responsibilities can be applied in the real world to your current and future projects. You will receive a PDF version of the Scrum Certification material and a one year membership to the Scrum Alliance.
Prerequisites
- Have read one of the Scrum books
- Understand the basics of project management
- Understand requirements and requirements decomposition
- Have been on or closely involved with a project that builds or enhances a product
- Want to know more about how Scrum works, how to use it, and how to implement it in an organization
- For anyone with these skills; not just experts.
Topics
The topics can vary from workshop to workshop. The main reason for this is due to the fact that each audience has different needs and requirements.
Possible topics include:
- Intro Material
- Scrum 101
- Scrum Master Role
- Product Owner Role
- The Team
- “Done”
- Retrospectives
- New Ideas and Questions
- Backlog and User Stories
- Estimation and Planning
- Experience Reports
- High Performing Teams
- Change Hurts
- Conflict and Feedback
- Agile Management
- Next Steps
Audience
This workshop is mainly geared towards people who are interested in becoming a Certified ScrumMaster. I'd also recommend it for Product Owners or team members who may be working on Scrum teams in the future.
Roles within your current organizations can include:
- Architects
- Analysts
- Developers
- Documentation Specialists
- Executives
- Managers
- Project Managers
- Testers
- Team Members.
Duration
Two days.
Note: Please plan on attending both days for the entire time (8:30 - 4:30 local time).
Instructor
Michael Vizdos is an agile consultant and practitioner who works with software development teams to help move from waterfall to more iterative and incremental techniques. He is a Certified Scrum Trainer and has worked with Ken Schwaber and many other Certified Scrum Trainers in the past. He has been in the industry and worked internationally for over seventeen years. Michael has written a book about Enterprise Project issues, and speaks internationally at conferences on a regular basis. He is the founder and creator of www.implementingscrum.com.
I often co-teach with other Certified Scrum Trainers and am available to do this if you are interested. It always helps to have some different available perspectives during these two days!
How to enroll
Please click here.
Implementing Scrum Site
Want to learn more about Scrum? I maintain a site located at www.implementingscrum.com which is a FREE service to the community. Please Subscribe to Implementing Scrum by Email and receive any new comics or other announcements we publish on a regular basis.
Last updated: February 25, 2008