Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I)

The Professional Scrum Product OwnerTM level I (PSPO I) assessment is available to anyone who wishes to validate their knowledge of the Scrum framework and ability to support value creation and delivery. Those who pass the assessment will receive the industry recognized PSPO I Certification to demonstrate their mastery of the content.

Taking a course is not required. While taking a Professional Scrum Product Owner course is highly recommended, if you feel you already possess a high level of knowledge, you have the option to take the PSPO I assessment directly. The PSPO I assessment is grounded in the Professional Scrum Product Owner subject areas. The assessment is in place to ensure you understand the Product Owner role and therefore detailed in its questions and required answers. Many questions ask the test-taker to think about or interpret the meaning from the Scrum Guide and/or to apply content from the PSPO subject areas and in some cases, apply their own experience.

Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I)

Prepare for the Assessment

The assessment covers topics from multiple Focus Areas as defined by the Professional Scrum Competencies. The specific Focus Areas from which questions may be selected during the assessment are listed on the Suggested Reading page. The assessment is exhaustive and rigorous. Many questions ask you to think about or interpret the meaning from the Scrum Guide, apply content from the Product Owner Learning Path, and apply your own experience. Find additional information to help you prepare for the PSPO Assessment and ways to learn about Scrum. 

Scrum.org PSPO I Exam Summary:

Exam Name	Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Owner I
Exam Code	PSPO I
Exam Fee	USD $200
Exam Duration	60 Minutes
Number of Questions	80
Passing Score	85%
Format	Multiple Choice Questions
Books / Trainings	Professional Scrum Product Owner
Sample Questions	Scrum.org PSPO 1 Exam Sample Questions and Answers
Practice Exam	Scrum.org Certified Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I) Practice Test

Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Owner Syllabus Topics:

Topic	Details
Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework	Empiricism ◉ A cornerstone to Scrum and Agile. A practitioner will be able to apply the concepts of the empirical process to the problems they encounter. That means they can describe problems in terms of learning, break problems down into the smallest increments that will generate valuable evidence, and execute in an empirical way. By learning and practicing the skills in this Focus Area, a practitioner will become an expert in the application of scientific methods to complex problems, understanding why and how to apply an empirical process. Roles ◉ The three Scrum roles of Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team Member form the foundation for clear responsibilities and focus. In this Focus Area, the practitioner will understand the roles, their responsibilities, and also how to instantiate these roles in existing or new job titles. They will be able to describe the implications of these roles as they apply to existing HR practices and as they apply to self-organization that is reinforced by the role separation. Events ◉ The Scrum framework describes 5 events: The Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and the Sprint Retrospective. All events are time-boxed and enable progress through adaptation and transparency. The practitioner will understand the events and be able to practice each event, but more importantly be able to apply these events in complex situations and at scale. The events are used to uphold empirical process control, through the three pillars of Scrum: transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Artifacts ◉ The Scrum framework describes 3 artifacts. The Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment. These artifacts provide the team with a minimal set of materials to plan, execute, and review the Sprint. The Practitioner will understand these artifacts and how to implement them in complex, real-world situations. They will also understand the relationship of these artifacts relative to other practices and techniques and how to integrate them into an organization's own process. Done ◉ The objective of each Sprint is to deliver a “Done” product increment. The Definition of Done (DoD) provides a way for the team to make what “Done” means transparent. In this Focus Area, the practitioner will be able to describe what a DoD is, apply it to their particular context, and understand how the DoD can be visualized and communicated within the organization. They will also be able to describe the implications of the necessary trade-offs and compromises required to deliver “Done” Product Increments within their organization.
Developing People and Teams	Self-Organizing Teams ◉ A fundamental foundational element to Scrum; self-organizing and empowered teams are the engine to delivering value. Practitioners need to understand what self-organization is and how to apply it to their context. They should also understand how to incrementally introduce self-organization, the practices that can help self-organization occur, and the measures that help one judge if a team is able to be empowered to self-organize. Facilitation ◉ Making decisions, sharing ideas, and being transparent is easy to agree to, but in reality, it is hard to do. Facilitation is a set of practices that help support the collaboration, communication, and creativity of teams and individuals. The practitioner should understand the value of facilitation, and have a collection of techniques they can apply. They should also have experience applying them in different situations with varying levels of complexity. Leadership Styles ◉ There are many different leadership styles ranging from traditional ‘command and control’ to more collaborative or even Machiavellian. Understanding the right style to use at a given time and how different styles can influence - in a positive or negative way - the agile agenda of empiricism, empowerment, and improvement is a key Focus Area. Practitioners should understand the concepts of leadership styles and be able to apply a particular style when the situation calls for it. They should also be able to demonstrate their ability to decide on the right style and understand its impact on the organization. Coaching and Mentoring ◉ A key aspect of servant leadership is the ability to coach and mentor the organization, the team, and the business. The objective of coaching and mentoring is to help people get better at their work, deliver more value, or resolve a conflict or problem. The practitioner should be able to coach as well as mentor. They should understand different formal techniques and be able to apply those techniques in different complex situations. Teaching ◉ The ability to inspire others to learn and share information in an effective, repeatable, and efficient manner is a key aspect to any agile practitioners' skills. The practitioner should understand the value of teaching and appreciate the means of measuring the success of their teaching. They should understand different learning approaches and understand when to apply different techniques in different contexts.
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 or goal that the product serves, and is defined by the “value” that the product strives to deliver. It should be the "true north" for the product and should not be affected by the day-to-day difficulties or challenges of delivery. The Product Vision only changes if the goal of the product changes, such as when a business pivot happens. 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 Vision. 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 & Customers ◉ Effectively working with stakeholders and customers is a key skill for both the Product Owner and the Development 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 that will help them work and collaborate in a more agile way.