A Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) is someone who has been taught (by a Certified Scrum Trainer) the Scrum terminology, practices, and principles that will enable him or her to fulfill the role of Scrum product owner.

Building a product with a new process can be a daunting prospect. Being asked to serve as the team's Product Owner can be downright intimidating. You've got an idea of what Scrum is, and have read a few articles or books on the topic, but you really don't know how to start putting that theory into action.

That's where the Certified Scrum Product Owner program comes in. The CSPO course gives you just enough information to understand how Scrum works, but focuses mainly on functioning as the product owner, or customer, for a Scrum team. You will learn about activities such as managing stakeholders, ROI, backlog grooming, creating effective stories, acceptance criteria for stories, defining done, and so on.

PMP® s: This course counts for 14 Professional Development Units (PDU's).

This 2-day course highlights how strong Product Ownership is key to a successful agile transformation. Not only will the course enable you to understand the product owner role in depth, it will also enable you to learn the practices necessary to succeed as a product owner.

In this course we will explain how particular agile or Scrum roles typically manifest themselves in enterprise environments. The course is an interactive workshop filled with lots of exercises whose goal is to demonstrate the difference between traditional and agile approaches to product management and software development. We will also discuss real-world organizational changes such as managing large or multiple teams, release planning and tracking progress through the right metrics.

What You Can Expect to Learn

• Product Owner (PO) duties and responsibilities
• The PO's interaction with other Scrum roles and stakeholders (such as customers, users, sales, marketing and management)
• Understand how product planning, product discovery and product definition work in Scrum including taking advantage of early customer feedback and emergent requirements
• Establishing and maintaining a product backlog
• Writing user stories with clear acceptance criteria
• Estimation of business value
• How to effectively collaborate with the ScrumMaster and team in sprint meetings
• How to predict the delivery date of a project (or the features that will be complete by a given date)
• How to manage your product portfolio
• How to successfully scale the role of the PO

Following successful completion of this course, participants will be designated as Certified Scrum Product Owners. This Scrum Alliance certification includes a one-year membership in the Scrum Alliance.

The course focuses on Scrum from a Product Owner's perspective and is ideal for those who are responsible for the functional definition and delivery of software products or services.

Also individuals of all management levels, such as CEO's, CIOs, product managers, analysts, customer representatives and account managers will benefit from the course. They will learn how the project will be managed and why the attributes concerning product definition and prioritization are important.

Participants should have some understanding of basic agile/Scrum principles, practices and terminology.

What does it mean to be a CSPO?

A Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) is someone who has been taught (by a Certified Scrum Trainer) the Scrum terminology, practices, and principles that will enable him or her to fulfill the role of Scrum product owner.

Do I receive PDU credits for a CSPO course?

Yes. Please follow PMI''s procedure for Category B: Courses offered by Other Education Provider. According to the PMP handbook: 'Contact hours of project and/or program management education may be earned by attending relevant educational courses offered by organizations not registered with PMI. To calculate the number of PDUs earned, use the following formula: one contact hour of learning relevant to project and/or program management within a structured activity or course equals one PDU. Documentation required upon PMI audit/request: registration form, certificate or letter of attendance, and a brochure or course materials outlining the subject matter covered and the qualifications of the instructor/lecturer.' Most CSTs can tell you how many PDUs their course offers.

Should I do both Certified ScrumMaster and Certified Scrum Product Owner if I don't know where I will be working?

Both designations address different concerns for developing Products. Employers are looking for people with a background in agile (scrum). These designations will help identify you as having been trained in Scrum. Experience still counts so time spent doing Scrum is equally valuable.

In Scrum, which person is the Project Manager? Is it the ScrumMaster or the Scrum Product Owner?

The short answer is neither. The term Project Manager is not defined in Scrum. The term Project Manager is defined broadly in the market and is used differently by many organizations. If you compare the terms side by side you will find that sometimes it is the PO, sometimes the SM and sometimes it is both. Again, the term is not defined in Scrum but, you can compare them.

Which should I pursue: Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)? Why?

Both certifications will lead to a full understanding of Scrum. The CSPO is targeted for Product Owners who need skills and techniques for managing features and determining what the right product to build is. The CSM is a deep dive introduction to Scrum. CSM is focused on the scrum framework and its application for building well form teams that are directed by a Product Owner. The CSM is recommended for all Scrum team members, this include Product Owners.

Would it be better to spend time renewing a PMP credential or becoming a Certified ScrumMaster or Product Owner?

Becoming a CSM and/or CSPO is recommended. We are seeing increase demand from companies who are looking for people with CSM / CSPO experience.

I understand Scrum is used widely for software development projects. Can it be used for other fields?

Scrum has seen an application into every major vertical industry. The number of domains outside software that it has been applied to is increasing rapidly. Scrum is a general purpose framework that is used to set an empirical pattern of behavior at a small team level. Scaling Scrum is thought of as multiple scrum teams working together in an empirical process controlled manner.

How do I get my certificate and who issues it?

Students taking classes offering a Scrum certification (Certified ScrumMaster and Certified Product Owner) will receive their certifications from the Scrum Alliance. Shortly after completion of the class, participants will receive an email from the Scrum Alliance with instructions for creating a membership account and taking any required certification exams. Once certified, students will have access to exclusive content and the ability to print a copy of any Scrum certificates they have achieved.

What time do classes start and how long do they go each day?

Unless otherwise stated, all of our classes begin at 8:30 and run to 5:00 PM, local time. Classes generally include a break for lunch around noon, as well as a brief break in the morning and afternoon.

What are the benefits of taking a class to learn about Agile & Scrum as opposed to simply reading a book?

Books are valuable resources and we strongly encourage potential students to leverage these sources of information. Our training classes are designed to reinforce concepts with in depth simulations and robust discussion. All of our course blend lecture, practice, and reflection. This allows participants to gain a much more profound understanding of the subject matter.

What do I need to bring to a class?

Our classes are designed to be a stand-alone experience and do not require participants to bring anything to a class other than an open mind and willingness to learn and perhaps something to take notes.

Can I buy a seat with a Purchase Order?

Yes, we will accept purchase orders. Please email us at support@knowledgehut.com to arrange for payment via a purchase order.

What happens if a class is canceled?

In the case that a class is canceled by KnowledgeHut, participants are entitled to transfer to another class or receive a full refund at their discretion.

What does it mean to be a Certified Scrum Professional (CSP)?

A Certified Scrum Professional has proven experience and expertise in the art of Scrum. CSP is the level of certification that all practitioners of Scrum should strive to attain. Before becoming a CSP, applicants must be CSMs, CSPOs, or CSDs.