PSM III: Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master III

The Professional Scrum Master III (PSM III) certification validates your deep understanding of how to apply Scrum, Scrum practices, and the Scrum Values. PSM III tests your ability as a Scrum Master in a variety of complex team and organizational situations. Earning the PSM III requires a very high level of Scrum knowledge and extensive experience as a Scrum Master.

Attending a course is neither required nor sufficient for certification. However, attending Professional Scrum Master and Professional Scrum Master Advanced Training is recommended. Similarly, possessing a PSM I and PSM II certification is not required, but is strongly recommended. Evidence shows it is important to pass the PSM I and PSM II to get a good baseline of your level of knowledge. Anyone scoring below 90% on the PSM I and PSM II will find earning the PSM III very difficult.

PSM III: Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master III

Prepare for the Assessment

PSM III questions ask you to know the content and understand the context of the Scrum Guide, then apply your own experience. While the Scrum Competencies are similar to those of the PSM I and PSM II, you will be required to move beyond simple knowledge. You will be asked to describe how you would respond to different scenarios while remaining true to Scrum.    

Scrum.org PSM III Exam Summary:

Exam Name	Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master III
Exam Code	PSM III
Exam Fee	USD $500
Exam Duration	150 Minutes
Number of Questions	24
Passing Score	Pass/Did Not Pass
Format	Multiple Choice Questions
Books / Trainings	Professional Scrum Master Professional Scrum Master Advanced Training
Sample Questions	Scrum.org PSM 3 Exam Sample Questions and Answers
Practice Exam	Scrum.org Certified Professional Scrum Master III (PSM III) Practice Test

Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master Syllabus Topics:

Topic	Details
Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework	Empiricism ◉ In Scrum, empiricism refers to the idea that solving complex problems, or doing complex work, can only be done using an exploratory process rather than relying on predetermined plans. Learn about empiricism and complex work. Explore why trust is important for empiricism to thrive. Scrum Values ◉ For agility to thrive, the culture of the organization must support the fundamental concepts of agility. The Scrum Values - Focus, Respect, Openness, Commitment, and Courage - create an environment where empiricism, self-management and continual improvement are more successful. Scrum Team ◉ The Scrum Team is a small unit of professionals focused on attaining the Product Goal. Scrum Teams consist of a Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developers. Each has a clear set of accountabilities. Learn more about the Scrum Team, accountabilities, responsibilities and why these aren’t called “roles.” Events ◉ The five Scrum Events provide regular opportunities for enacting the Scrum pillars of Inspection, Adaptation and Transparency. In addition, they help teams keep aligned with the Sprint and Product Goals, improve Developer productivity, remove impediments and reduce the need to schedule too many additional meetings. Artifacts ◉ In archeology, an artifact is an object of cultural significance. In medicine, artifacts are something not normally present, or unexpected. In Scrum, our use of the word “artifact” is closer to the way software developers use it: important information needed during the development of a product. Done ◉ The Definition of Done describes the quality standards for the Increment. Learn why getting to Done is so important, what undone work is, if it’s okay to show work that isn’t done to stakeholders, can you present undone work at the Sprint Review and what’s the difference between the DoD and Definition of Ready or acceptance criteria.
Developing People and Teams	Self-Managing Teams ◉ The best way to support a team working on complex problems is to give them the space to determine how to do their work, rather than directing them. Learn about self-managing teams and their characteristics. Explore some myths and misunderstandings about self-management. Leadership Styles ◉ The ways that leaders present themselves and interact with their colleagues can either support agility, or defeat it. Learn the difference between leaders and managers and the traits of an agile leadership style. Explore why we speak more about agile leadership and not servant leadership. Facilitation ◉ Facilitation can be used to lead people toward agreed-upon objectives in a manner that encourages participation, ownership and creativity by all involved. Learn about the principles of facilitation, skills and traits of a facilitator, how to facilitate diverse perspectives and explore some facilitation techniques for the Scrum Events. Coaching ◉ The coach’s job is to be a process expert, enabling those they are coaching to achieve their goals using skills such as developmental conversations, active listening and asking thought-provoking questions. Learn a few of the coaching principles, traits and skills of a coach, and why coaching is beneficial for Scrum Teams. Teaching ◉ Anyone can act as a teacher, helping your colleagues obtain new knowledge or learn new skills. However, if you want to become a very effective teacher, it’s best if you learn a few of the principles of the teaching profession, the skills and traits of a teacher and when teaching can be helpful for a Scrum Team. Mentoring ◉ Mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship in which a mentor provides guidance to a mentee to help the mentee reach their goals. It’s often confused with coaching. Learn why mentoring is beneficial for Scrum Team, mentoring principles, skills and traits of a mentor as well as the traits of a mentee.
Managing Products with Agility	Forecasting & Release Planning ◉ Complex problems and the application of an empirical process requires a specific way of planning, estimating, and forecasting. Practitioners should be able to apply agile forecasting and release planning techniques, and understand the value of different approaches. They should understand which approaches work better in different situations. They should also understand how releases should be planned while dealing with complexity, dependencies, and value creation. Product Vision ◉ The product vision defines the purpose that the product aspires to fulfill. It is defined by the value that the product strives to deliver. Practitioners should be able to describe what a product vision is and what techniques should be employed to both build a vision and make it transparent. They should also understand how to use a product vision to drive strategy and execution, and how to build a vision that motivates, communicates, and provides constraints for delivery. Product Value ◉ The ultimate goal is to deliver value to the customer and stakeholders. But value is complex, made up of long-term and short-term impact, internal and external value, and indirect and direct value. The practitioner should be able to understand how to define value for context, and apply it to the work they and the team do. They should be able to manage others' understanding of value and apply different techniques and practices for defining, communicating and measuring value. They should understand the connection between value and empirical process, and how value should be the driving factor of the Product Goal. Product Backlog Management ◉ The Product Backlog is a key artifact within Scrum. It is an ordered list that describes what is needed in the product. The Product Backlog provides transparency into what is happening to the product for the team, organization, and stakeholders. The practitioner should be able to describe what a Product Backlog is and apply a variety of techniques for managing the backlog. They should also understand how to make the Product Backlog transparent and how to manage stakeholder expectations associated with the backlog. Business Strategy ◉ A product lives within the context of a business strategy. That strategy describes how the Product Vision will be executed in a broader context. A practitioner will understand techniques for exposing business strategy and show how it drives the product. They will understand approaches, such as Lean Startup and Design Thinking, and how those affect the flow of ideas from strategy to execution. They will understand how an empirical process affects the execution and feedback of a strategy. Stakeholders and Customers ◉ Effectively working with stakeholders and customers is a key skill for everyone on the Scrum Team. Scrum changes the nature of the interactions, encouraging more frequent collaboration and more open dialogue. The practitioner will understand the implication moving to an Agile approach will have to their stakeholders and customers and also become familiar with practices and stances that will help them work and collaborate in a more agile way.