Preface

The Scrum framework was conceived in the late 1980s to counteract the formal, rigid, and stagnating software development methodologies prevalent at the time. The Scrum framework was formalized in the mid-1990s and its founders, Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, were instrumental in the creation of the Agile Manifesto and the subsequent spread of the Agile development movement. Scrum quickly became the most popular Agile framework, with huge adoption in both small businesses and the enterprise world. Part of the popularity of Scrum is its adaptability. The Scrum Guide keeps getting updated every few years to reflect current thinking and practices. Scrum.org also offers an impressive array of Scrum-related resources and certifications, one of which we'll be addressing in this book.

This book aims to teach people new to, or inexperienced with, Scrum all about the Scrum framework from a practical as well as a theoretical perspective. The book consists of two parts. In the first five chapters, we will cover the Scrum fundamentals. The theory and principles of Scrum will be digested, before moving on to cover the Scrum Team, Events, and Artifacts. The second part will focus on more practical knowledge, by examining practices and methods used by Scrum Teams in the real world. We will learn how to plan and estimate in Scrum, how to monitor progress and deal with different situations within the Sprint, best practices for infrastructure and testing, and how to manage eventualities such as technical debt or remote working. Every chapter closes with a short quiz to reinforce the knowledge gained.

Finally, the last chapter is entirely dedicated to the PSM I assessment. It offers practical advice on what to do before, during, and after the assessment exam to maximize your chances of success. This is capped with a mock assessment questionnaire, which closely represents the actual PSM I assessment.