Study Guide for Professional Agile Leadership Certification

Professional Agile Leadership I

To prepare we recommend you read this blog about Scrum Values written by Gunther Verheyen, read the Scrum Guide and review the material listed on the Suggested Reading page and in the Agile Leader Learning Path.

Delivering products is complex work and for more than 25 years, people have been using Scrum to do so; leaders are increasingly focused on how they can help their organizations become more agile.  The PAL I assessment includes questions from the following Focus Areas as defined in the Professional Scrum Competencies. 

• Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework:
  • Empiricism, Scrum Values, Scrum Team, Events.
• Developing People and Teams:
  • Self-Managing Teams, Facilitation, Leadership Styles.
• Managing Products with Agility:
  • Forecasting & Release Planning, Product Value, Stakeholders & Customers.
• Developing and Delivering Products Professionally:
  • Emergent Software Development.
• Evolving the Agile Organization:
  • Organizational Design and Culture, Evidence-Based Management.

This assessment will challenge your thinking; if you are not working from a servant-leadership mindset, and are not prepared to place a high level of trust in the hands of those you lead, you will likely struggle to pass the PAL I assessment. Below are some resources for learning more about Professional Agile Leadership and preparing for the Professional Agile Leadership I (PAL I) certification assessment.

Preparing for PAL I

• Begin by reading this blog about Scrum Values by Gunther Verheyen.
• Study the resources in the Agile Leader Learning Path.
• Take the Agile Leadership Open assessment. 
• Study the Scrum Guide.
  • Valuable series of articles, blogs, videos and more that pertain to the 2020 version of the Scrum Guide released on November 18, 2020.

Scrum resources:

• Familiarize yourself with the Scrum glossary.
• Read articles on our Blog, written by our expert Professional Scrum Trainers.
• Join the Scrum.org Forum discussions.
• View the Scrum.org Resources page.
• View the What is Scrum Resource page.

Practice

Build your Scrum muscle memory by engaging in discussions and practicing Scrum fundamentals with your team.

• Practice Assessments
  • Take the Agile Leadership Open assessment until you are comfortable with the content. Feedback will be provided on the Open, but not on the certification assessment.
  • Take the Scrum Open Assessment until you are comfortable with the content. The Scrum Open assessment is a learning tool, and thus feedback is provided during the test.
  • If you are a developer, also take the Scrum Developer Open Assessment. This assessment looks at a number of software development practices and techniques that support building high-quality and high-value products in a Scrum Team. 
  • If you are responsible for maximizing the value of a product, take the Product Owner Open Assessment. This assessment helps strengthen knowledge on the role of the Product Owner in Scrum.
• Apply Scrum in your workplace. As you do, stop to reflect on whether you’re taking advantage of all of the opportunities that the Scrum framework offers, or if you’re using ScrumBut.
• Be conscious of your decisions as you adapt and evolve with project complexity and team member’s old habits. Think about why Scrum is structured the way it is, and how the Scrum framework differs from traditional management practices.

Once you have solidified your Scrum knowledge and understanding, you’re ready to validate it with an Assessment!