Professional Scrum Master

Training for people who want Scrum to actually work.

Many teams say they are using Scrum, yet still struggle with interruptions, ineffective Scrum Events, unclear ownership, and pressure to commit before learning has happened.

This class focuses on understanding Scrum as a complete system for managing complexity and improving how teams deliver value. You will learn to recognize common ways Scrum is misunderstood or misapplied and how Scrum Masters can help teams and organizations address those challenges.

Taught by Robert Pieper, Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) since 2013.

Most professional training fails because it’s passive.

This class is designed to keep you engaged. It is fast-paced, highly interactive, and built around real situations you will encounter in the workplace.

Why take this class with Robert Pieper

Robert Pieper has been teaching Scrum professionally for more than a decade and has helped thousands of practitioners learn to apply Scrum effectively in real organizations around the world.

• Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) since 2013
• 300+ Professional Scrum classes taught
• 3000+ Scrum practitioners trained worldwide
• 5,000+ hours of live classroom instruction

This experience allows him to teach Scrum in a way that connects theory with the realities that teams face in everyday work.

Before focusing on training and consulting, Robert worked as a full-stack software engineer, Scrum Master, and Product Owner, and has designed, built, and shipped real software products.

He has also managed teams and has been a business owner since 2016, giving him firsthand experience with the kinds of challenges Scrum is intended to address.

His teaching focuses on helping students understand how Scrum works as a system so they can help teams and organizations apply Scrum effectively in real environments.

Responsive Advisors courses consistently receive 5-star ratings on Google and Trustpilot, reflecting a strong reputation for clarity, engagement, and practical value.

Here is what past participants had to say.

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Our Promise

By the end of this class, you will be able to:

• Explain Scrum clearly to teams, leaders, and stakeholders
• Recognize when Scrum is being applied mechanically and help teams return to its intended purpose
• Understand Scrum as a complete system for delivering value, not just a collection of Practices
• Recognize common ways Scrum is misunderstood or misapplied and help teams address them
• Facilitate effective Scrum events that support transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
• Help teams identify and remove obstacles to progress and improve how they work together
• Support organizations in applying Scrum effectively within real-world constraints
• Prepare confidently for the PSM I Scrum.org assessment

Click here for curriculum details.

Learning approach

This is a highly interactive, fast-paced class that feels more like a working session than a lecture.

You will actively participate throughout the course through discussion, exercises, and scenarios based on real Scrum teams and organizations. Concepts are explored, challenged, and revisited until they make sense, not simply until they are covered.

Slides support the discussion, but the focus of the class is on understanding how Scrum works and how to improve business outcomes in real situations. Engagement is used deliberately to deepen understanding and give students practical experience they can apply immediately at work.

Applying Scrum in the real world

Scrum rarely operates in perfect conditions. Teams face interruptions, competing priorities, unclear ownership, and pressure to commit before learning has happened. Scrum Masters often work in environments where Scrum is partially understood or inconsistently applied.

In this class, we spend time exploring situations where teams struggle to apply Scrum effectively and how Scrum Masters can help teams and organizations work through these challenges.

Topics and situations we address include:

• What to do when Sprints are frequently interrupted
• How to help teams improve transparency and collaboration
• How Scrum Masters can help the Product Owner learn to maximize value
• How to handle pressure for scope, dates, or certainty too early
• What to do when Scrum events feel ineffective or mechanical
• How Scrum Masters help teams and organizations continuously improve

The goal is not to “fix” every organization in two days.
The goal is to help you recognize these challenges early and address them thoughtfully without breaking Scrum or losing the benefits it provides.

Certification and assessment support

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All participants receive two attempts at the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) assessment.

Preparation for the assessment is integrated into the class through discussion and examples rather than being treated as a separate activity. You will learn how to reason through questions and apply Scrum concepts rather than relying on memorization.

Additional resources included with your registration

Participants also receive access to several resources designed to support continued learning and real-world application after the class.

Scrum 101 Practice Quiz
A guided practice quiz designed to help you understand the Scrum Guide and become comfortable reasoning through Scrum concepts.

Follow-Up Office Hours
Participants are welcome to attend free office hours to review assessment results or discuss real workplace situations as they begin applying Scrum.

Private Alumni Slack Community
Access to the Responsive Advisors alumni Slack community, where past students discuss challenges, share experiences, and ask questions long after the class ends.

Reference Guides and Reading Materials
Participants also receive several additional field guides and reference materials, including:

• Taking Scrum Beyond IT
• The 5 W’s of Unplanned Work
• Why Scrum Isn’t Working
• Agile Transformation (eBook)
• Scrum Master Interview Questions

These resources reinforce the concepts from class and provide practical guidance as you begin applying Scrum in real organizational environments.

The goal is not just to pass an exam, but to understand Scrum well enough that the answers make sense and you can apply the framework effectively in the real world.

Add-Ons Available: With the registration of this PSM course, you are eligible for a significant discount on other courses we offer! See the course registration page for details.

Trusted by professionals across industries

We have taught Professional Scrum to thousands of professionals across a wide range of industries and organizational contexts. While many participants come from technology backgrounds, many others do not.

This experience allows us to teach Scrum in a way that translates beyond software teams and makes sense within broader business environments.

Organizations that have sent participants to Responsive Advisors classes include:

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About the Instructor

Robert Pieper is the founder and Principal Consultant of Responsive Advisors and has been a Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) with Scrum.org since 2013.

He has taught more than 300 Professional Scrum classes, training over 3000 students, and has delivered more than 5,000 hours of live classroom instruction across a wide range of industries and organizational contexts.

Before focusing on training and consulting, Robert worked as a full stack software developer, Scrum Master, and Product Owner, designing, building, and shipping real software products. This background allows him to teach Scrum from the perspective of someone who has worked directly with teams and experienced the challenges Scrum is intended to address.

He has also managed teams and has been a business owner since 2016, giving him firsthand experience with the stakeholder dynamics, product decisions, and organizational constraints that Product Owners and Scrum teams must navigate.

Robert holds an MBA from Marquette University and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He is also a national public speaker and YouTuber, creating educational Scrum content for a broad professional audience.

His teaching style emphasizes clarity, practical reasoning, and understanding Scrum as a complete system rather than a collection of practices.

Want to see how this class is taught?

The short videos below show how Scrum concepts are explained and discussed in class. They reflect the same teaching style, level of rigor, and practical focus used throughout the course.

These are provided for those who want a preview of how ideas are explored and clarified during the class.

Is this class right for you?

This class is designed for Scrum Masters, team members, managers, and leaders who want to understand Scrum deeply and apply it thoughtfully in real organizational environments.

If you are looking for a passive lecture or simply want to collect a certification, there are many other classes available.

However, if you want to understand Scrum as a complete system, think more clearly about complex product decisions and product development challenges, and engage actively in discussion and problem-solving, this class will likely be a good fit.

Class sizes are intentionally limited to maintain a high level of interaction and discussion.

If this approach aligns with how you prefer to learn, we look forward to having you in class.

Just check us out on the Responsive Advisors YouTube channel. We’re real people teaching Professional Scrum. We have lots of videos on different topics ranging from agile finance and agile transformation to Scrum Master and Product Owner essentials. 

CONTACT US

Email: Info@responsiveadvisors.com
Phone: 877-594-6365
Website: responsiveadvisors.com