Go beyond Scrum fundamentals and learn new facilitation techniques and coaching skills to help improve your team's performance and dynamics as we practice via live hands-on interactive activities and simulation.
Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® – A-CSM®
Your retrospectives surface the same impediments every Sprint, but nothing actually changes. Half your team stays silent in Sprint Planning while the same three people do all the talking. Two team members have obvious tension that's affecting collaboration, and you don't know how to address it productively. Your Product Owner says yes to everything and creates chaos trying to juggle five top priorities.
You understand Scrum mechanics. What you need are techniques for influencing without authority in these complex situations.
This Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM) course gives you those techniques. Over two days, you'll practice facilitation methods that get quiet voices talking, coaching approaches for Product Owners who can't say no, and frameworks for managing team conflict productively. You'll leave with specific approaches you can apply in your next Sprint.
What Participants Are Saying
"I have spent about 6 years on 'Agile' teams with varying implementations. Very helpful to re-baseline what I thought I knew about Scrum." - Ali
"Practical learning and real world practical examples to prepare for what you will encounter." - Troy
"Fadi's class took me through a deeper dive into scrum. It taught me the principals and gave me the confidence to facilitate as a proper servant leader in my role as ScrumMaster." - JM
“Fadi was an incredible instructor. He allowed time to solve real time company issues, refreshed on tools, resources, & strategies to take scrum to the next level!” - AP
Who Should Attend
This course teaches practicing ScrumMasters specific techniques for situations where Scrum fundamentals aren't enough. You're ready for this if you:
- Deal with disengaged team members who go through the motions but don't contribute ideas
- Watch your team commit to work and then miss those commitments repeatedly
- Facilitate Daily Standups that have become status meetings for you instead of collaboration for the team
- Help Product Owners with visioning, roadmapping, or stakeholder management
- Work on organizational impediments that require influencing leadership or changing policies
- Want to move beyond facilitating Scrum mechanics toward coaching teams through complex challenges
Prerequisites: Current Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification plus at least one year of practical experience working as a Scrum Master. This advanced-level course prepares you for the Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM) designation.
Roles that benefit: Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, Team Leads, and others who facilitate Scrum teams and work on impediments.
Course Outline
This highly interactive course uses exercises, simulations, and case studies throughout both days. Each framework connects to specific challenges you face as a ScrumMaster.
Day 1: Foundations and Facilitation
Morning: Beyond Scrum Fundamentals and Team Leadership
- Beyond Scrum Fundamentals: Understand why the framework is designed the way it is and what empiricism means in practice
- Agile and Lean Values and Principles: Connect Agile Manifesto values and Lean principles to daily ScrumMaster decisions when facing tradeoffs
- Servant Leadership for High-Performing Teams: Learn the 12 attributes of high-performing teams and how servant leadership develops them
Afternoon: Advanced Facilitation Techniques
- Facilitation Diamond: Understand how to manage divergent and convergent thinking in group sessions
- Decision-Making Methods: Practice nine decision-making techniques including Roman Voting, Fist of Five, Dot Voting, and Gradients of Agreement
- Opening Discussions: Apply seven facilitation approaches for drawing out different perspectives and ensuring real participation
- Retrospective Formats: Practice the 5-phase retrospective framework for sessions that lead to actual change and explore 20 different retrospective formats
Day 2: Coaching and Organizational Impact
Morning: Coaching Teams Through Conflict and Growth
- Coaching Stances: Understand different coaching stances and when to teach versus when to ask questions
- Active Listening: Practice active listening techniques for understanding what team members really mean
- Coaching Conversation Arc: Practice structuring effective coaching sessions that lead to insights and action
- Managing Team Conflict: Work through conflict management techniques for addressing team tension productively
Afternoon: Technical Practices and Organizational Influence
- Technical Debt, Quality, and Definition of Done: Grasp how technical debt affects delivery and quality and practice creating Definition of Done with your team
- Coaching Product Owners: Work through approaches for product visioning, roadmapping, and backlog management
- Change Management: Apply the Virginia Satir Change Model and Kotter’s 8-step process for leading organizational transformation
- Sense-Making Frameworks: Apply the Cynefin Framework for recognizing different types of problems and choosing appropriate responses
- Scaling Scrum: Understand the differences between scaling frameworks like SAFe, LeSS, and Nexus, and when each applies
Certification Credits
Upon completion of this class, students can
What's Included
Registration includes the following:
Money Back Guarantee
We stand behind the quality of this training. If the course doesn't meet your expectations, simply let us know by the end of Day 1 and receive a full refund. No questions asked, no hassle.
Flexible Cancellation Policy
Life happens. Cancel at least two calendar days before class for a 100% refund. Later cancellations receive full credit toward any future class with no expiration.
About Your Trainer
Fadi Stephan, Certified Scrum Trainer®
For over 20 years as VP of Product Development at Excella and Director at DATABASICS, Fadi has built and led product and engineering teams at Fortune 500 companies, startups, and government agencies. His experience spans hospitality, financial services, telecom, and technology sectors.
In 2014, Fadi became one of only 200 professionals worldwide to earn the distinguished Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) designation from the Scrum Alliance. Since then, he has trained more than 6,000 students across 400+ classes. He teaches advanced concepts without overpromising results, showing you what's worked in his 20 years of experience, what hasn't, and why both matter.
Fadi holds dual graduate degrees in Computer Science and Management of Information Systems. Based in Washington DC, he co-organizes the DC Scrum User Group and presents regularly at national and international Agile and Scrum conferences. Students consistently note his ability to connect frameworks to their specific organizational contexts.
Questions?
Check out the questions below for answers about certification, prerequisites, and course requirements. Need clarification or have a specific situation? We're here to help.
Are there any prerequisites for A-CSM certification?
Yes. You must hold an active Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification and have at least 12 months of work experience on a Scrum team within the past five years. The A-CSM builds on CSM fundamentals and assumes you already understand the Scrum framework. If you don't have your CSM yet, start with our Certified ScrumMaster course.
How is A-CSM different from CSM?
CSM covers Scrum fundamentals: the framework, roles, events, and artifacts. A-CSM assumes you already understand these basics and focuses on advanced facilitation techniques, coaching frameworks, conflict management, root cause analysis, and approaches for organizational change. If you're comfortable running Scrum events but struggle with complex team dynamics or organizational resistance, A-CSM provides specific tools for those situations.
Will this course solve my team issues?
This course teaches you frameworks and techniques for addressing team challenges, but it won't instantly fix disengaged team members or eliminate longstanding dysfunction. You'll learn specific approaches for facilitating better collaboration, coaching through conflict, and improving team dynamics.
Is the certification included in the price?
Yes. Your registration includes the A-CSM certification fee. Once you complete the course and meet eligibility requirements (active CSM plus one year of Scrum Master experience), you'll receive your certification directly from Scrum Alliance at no additional cost.
Is there an exam for A-CSM?
No. Unlike CSM, the A-CSM certification does not require an exam. You earn the certification by completing the two-day course with a Certified Scrum Trainer, meeting attendance requirements, and holding an active CSM certification plus one year of Scrum Master experience.
When will I receive my certification?
Scrum Alliance processes certifications within 24-48 hours after the course ends. You'll receive an email with your official certificate and credentials to add to your LinkedIn profile and resume. Your two-year membership starts immediately.
What materials or equipment do I need?
For virtual classes, you'll need a computer with webcam, microphone, and stable internet connection. We use Zoom for video and Mural for online collaborative exercises. For in-person classes, all materials are provided.
Do you offer discounts?
Yes. We offer early bird pricing for select upcoming classes. We also provide group discounts for teams of 3 or more participants. Select the appropriate ticket type on the check out page.
What if I need to cancel my registration?
Cancellations made at least two calendar days before class start receive a full 100% refund. Cancellations made closer to the start date receive full credit toward any future class. If we cancel the class for any reason, you receive a full refund immediately.
