Private team training · Certified Scrum Trainer® (CST) since 2006
Experience Matters: Scrum Training for Teams That Want More Than a Two-Day Slide Deck
Your team can pass the test and still go back to "process theater." My private workshops give your team a toolbox of real-world methods, practiced in a safe setting and then tied to your work in the debriefs. I stay available afterward for the part training usually skips: "the class said this, reality is that, now what?"
Tell me what's going on. If I can help, I'll tell you how. If I can't, I'll point you to someone who can.
Most clients start with a 20-minute call. Prefer email? Send me the team and the problem. A few sentences is enough, and I reply within one business day. If I'm not the right fit, I'll say so. On your own? Reserve a seat in a public class, $97 .
People from these organizations have taken my classes
Logos are trademarks of their respective owners. They show where past attendees work; no endorsement or affiliation is implied.
Sound familiar?
- Your teams were certified, and delivery is still slow and quality still uneven.
- They run the meetings and use the lingo, but there's little real collaboration or problem-solving.
- They know the rules of Scrum and not the "why," so they can't adapt when reality gets messy.
- Your leaders and your teams don't share a language, so every conversation starts from scratch.
- You're the one who has to explain to your leaders why the investment isn't paying off.
That isn't a people problem. Most certification classes teach theory and send everyone home. Capability comes from practicing on your own work, with someone who has done it.
What waiting costs
- Teams stay busy, not productive. You keep paying salaries for motion that doesn't ship.
- Frustration grows. People can tell they aren't succeeding, and engagement drops with it.
- Another certificate round won't fix it. Repeating the same kind of class gets you the same result.
What you get
Private, in-house workshops, usually two days (or four half days), in person or on Zoom. Choose one: I don't run hybrid, because a mixed room is a worse experience for everyone, and ask me why on the scoping call.
- Certified or custom: Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), the Scrum Essentials microcredential, or a workshop built around your situation.
- A toolbox, not a lecture. We spend little time on Scrum theory. Your people learn methods they can use right after class, and practice them away from the pressure of work.
- Your context, in the debriefs. I learn what your team faces before class. After each section we connect what you just practiced to your real work, so people leave with ideas for Monday.
- "Why," not just "how." Your people learn to think like problem-solvers, not follow a script.
- Simple and clear. I make complex scenarios easy to understand, so it sticks.
- Follow-up, included. A week or two later I spend a few hours with your leaders and the cohort, to work through the real-world issues people have run into and decide what comes next. This is where my experience pays off.
How it works, and what it costs
- Scoping call. We talk about your team, your goals and whether I'm the right trainer.
- Pre-call with your leaders (online or on-site). We talk about leadership's needs: for themselves, for the organization and for the attending team members. I carry that into the debriefs so they land close to home. For on-site classes I fly in the morning before.
- Two days of training. Or four half days. On-site, I fly out the day after.
- Follow-up, included: a week or two later. A few hours with your leaders and the cohort, for the "now what?" questions.
Private class for your team: from $5,000 for a team of four. About $10,000 for 8–10 people, with a per-person fee up to 24. Travel outside Richmond is a fixed fee, quoted up front. Pay by invoice or card.
On your own? One seat in a public class (anyone can sign up): $997. Exam fee, two years of Scrum Alliance membership and SEUs included. Public classes run when four or five people reserve, live online or in person.
The follow-up is included, at every size. A week or two after class, I spend a few hours with your leaders and the cohort. We look at what happened when people tried it for real, and decide what to do next. If you want help after that, monthly advisory is the lightest way to keep going.
I'm not the cheapest option. If price is the only thing that matters, I'll point you to good trainers who are.
I'm Richmond-based: see Scrum training and consulting in Richmond, Virginia.
Reserve a seat, $97, counts toward the $997 seat
Year-end prices: use your 2026 budget, easily
Book by Nov 30, 2026, pay one invoice in 2026, use it by March 31, 2027. Invoice only. Public-sector or school buyer? Spend this quarter's training budget.
| Offer | Regular | Year-end |
|---|---|---|
| Private class, 8–10 people | $10,000 | $8,500 |
| Private class, 6–7 people | $7,500 | $6,400 |
| Private class, 4–5 people | $5,000 | $4,250 |
| Train and sustain: class (8–10) + 90-day Advisory Lite | $16,750 | $15,000 |
| Advisory Lite, 3 months prepaid, start by Feb 1 | $6,750 | $6,250 |
Doesn't apply to mentoring, the Tune-Up or Async Advisory. Paying by invoice? Email me and I'll send an invoice and a W-9.
Why me
- CST since 2006, when fewer than 25 existed. I've helped bring up over 100 trainers.
- 35+ years in the trenches as a CPO and entrepreneur. I teach what works.
- Honest about fit. If I'm not right for you, I'll say so and point you to a trainer I trust, many of whom I've mentored.
Comparing trainers? Print the 10 questions to ask any Scrum trainer and ask me too.
What others say
"I took my first scrum class from Mike in 2008, and I still use the skills he taught me today. And it was about far more than skills — it was inspiration. The class was interactive, engaging, and real."
— Howard Sublett, Former CEO, Scrum Alliance
"Michael has a natural ability to teach in a manner which creates positive results."
— Carolyn Weaver, Project Mgr/Scrum Master
"He manages to make what I considered complex scenarios in Agile simple and clear."
— Leann Harris, CSM, CSPO
"Mike asks questions to help you gain understanding on your own rather than feeding you the answers."
— Kara Silva, Agile Coach
Many of my advisory clients first met me in a class, often years earlier.
Case study
From a few certificates to one shared language
The president of a large gaming company had some people certified, but needed everyone across the organization using the same words, so teams could act and move forward in real alignment. The president attended the training and became certified too.
Over a few months I ran multiple training sessions. The work reached delivery teams and leadership teams, and grew into mentoring and consulting where it was needed.
Teams started shipping every two weeks. Meetings held for their own sake stopped. Training became consulting, then advisory engagements, and they've referred me to others.
"The classes brought clarity and alignment at all flight levels so we could Focus. #deliver."
— Executive, large gaming company
Case study
A CIO initiates the class, so the work after it has cover
The CIO of a large organization initiated a two-day private CSPO class and recommended the first attendees: a cross-functional group of six from data, marketing and finance systems, taught on Zoom with a co-facilitator. Their reason was to show everyone that leadership at the top backed what needed to happen after the class.
We spent little time on Scrum and most of it on a toolbox of methods. Participants practiced in a non-work setting, and in the debriefs after each section we made soft connections to their real work. By the end, two teams had presented a one-page proposal on an obstacle in their own organization, and had taken an idea to a small app prototype in three short Sprints.
They left with a plan to show their prototypes to the CIO, and a follow-up coaching session was planned for about two weeks later. I'm not claiming a business result from those two days. The follow-up is where we find out what happens when the tools meet real work. How a private CSPO class works, online or on-site.
Questions
Why a person instead of AI?
Experience matters. AI can explain the Scrum Guide. It can't see that your team is skipping the hard conversation, or know when to push and when to let the room work it out. I've taught this since 2006 and spent 35+ years doing the work.
Why does a trainer's experience matter?
Because the class is the easy part. The value is in the answers to "that won't work here" and "what do we do when…", and those come from having seen it fail and succeed in many organizations. That is also why I stay available after the class.
Do you run public classes?
Yes, when there's a group. Reserve a seat for $97 (refundable, and it counts toward the $997 public-class seat). When four or five people confirm, I schedule the class and open the remaining seats. If no class runs within 90 days, you get your $97 back. Reserve a seat →
Have four or more people? Book your own class, from $5,000. I can open the empty seats to people from other organizations, and your team will hear what everyone else is running into. It's usually reassuring.
Can you train a team that isn't certified yet?
Yes. Many private groups start here. We can run a certified class (CSM or CSPO) or a custom workshop. If your focus is the ScrumMaster role, read What a CSM class is like. For the Product Owner side, a private CSPO class is the fit, and the follow-up with leaders and the cohort is included.
Is this the right fit if my problem is leadership?
Possibly not on its own. If the issue is alignment at the top, start with executive advisory. Often the two go together.
Not ready to commit?
Book a 20-minute call, or email me the team and the problem. I'll tell you honestly whether I can help.
Not sure this is the right fit?
- The problem is at the top, not the team: see executive advisory.
- It's about you as a leader: see 1:1 mentoring, three sessions for $497.