The Professional Scrum Master's Handbook (Professional Expertise Distilled)

I think this is a fantastic resource for any practicing ScrumMaster. In addition to reviewing the basics of Scrum (history, artifacts, principles, etc) Stacia offers real-life, practical advice that you can implement in your daily life as a ScrumMaster. It is filled with actual examples from Stacia's years of experience. There may be difficulties and roadblocks that you encounter as a ScrumMaster that you think are unique or unsolvable, Stacia addresses them all in this book. I found it invaluable, needless to say I've highlighted and bookmarked many a page.It should also be noted, Stacia is a great writer, her tone is fun and engaging. She's includes personal anecdotes and experiences that really draw you in. Two thumbs up all around.

this was a new book. it's a great book, but when i received it, the pages are falling out and i felt i needed a replacement. unfortunately, that is not an option with Amazon. i left 4 stars because it's a good book. just wanted to warn those who are looking at this book that they are not secure in the spine.

Only part way though so a revised review to come. This is only my second scrum book but I'm enjoying Stacia's style of writing so far, it certainly is engaging and I like that she highlights how you need to have an investment in everything that makes a scrum master to do it well. You can't simply pass the exam and expect to excel in the role. It should be something we constantly strive to learn and develop ourselves and others.Based on what I'm seeing so far I would definitely recommend the book but I want to finish it to provide a true concise overview of the content to hopefully help others in their decision making.

Whether you are a ScrumNovice or ScrumMaster in the magical science of Agile you should consider this your reference book. People starting out in Scrum or seasoned ScrumMasters should use this handbook for exactly that. A handbook. Novices should be referring to this book weekly if not daily. Experts should be opening this book at least quarterly to be reminded of the numerous tips and tricks it has to offer that are forgotten about when you are burning down in the development cycle.This book is better re-read. Read through it initially so you have the memories of Statia Viscardi's experience. Enjoy the stories and consider how they relate to your own experience. Highlight parts. Makes notes on the side. After you’re done reading it the first time, put the handbook on your desk in a blatantly visible spot. Continue your Daily Scrums. Continue your Sprint Plannings. Your Reviews. Your Retros. When the time comes and you have a question about how to deal with a situation that comes up in one of those meetings, open this book. Re-read a chapter. Re-read a section. Refer back to your highlighted parts or your notes scribbled on the pages. As years go by "The Professional ScrumMaster's Handbook" should be creased, frayed, dog eared, marked up and worn around all the edges.Use this book for what it is. A guide to being a better ScrumMaster. This book will help you avoid making some of the same mistakes that previous ScrumMasters have done. If you value your time, learn from this book and spend the time you save to take your ScrumMastering to the next level.

In my 10+ years of working as a ScrumMaster, I have read numerous books and papers that have attempted to describe the role of the ScrumMaster and how to best fulfill it. To my dismay many of the works by prominent names in the Agile Community were a complete waste of time. Others were adequate, but none has been as thorough, thoughtful, and useful as The Professional ScrumMaster's Handbook. Stacia Viscardi draws upon a wealth of real-world experience to provide not only a comprehensive guide to all of the Scrum meetings and artifacts, but also an in-depth guide to the philosophy and principles necessary to be great team facilitator.I disagree with the reviewers who don't recommend this book for beginning ScrumMasters. I found that Chapter 1 provided a clear, concise description of the process, the roles and responsibilities, and the required meetings, of a Scrum team. This information could provide even a complete novice with a solid foundation upon which to get started. The rest of this manuscript provides insight into the challenges one can expect to meet and how to best address them. I would have loved to have had this book to serve as an additional "Scrum Buddy" in my formative days as a ScrumMaster.As an experienced practitioner, I found that this work challenges me to continue to grow and increase my skill-set in order to help my teams to provide the greatest possible value to our organization. I particularly liked the coaching provided on ways a ScrumMaster can assist in transitioning an existing culture to Scrum-based set of values, beliefs and behaviors.The author's ability to present an enormous amount of complex ideas in a manner that is easy to grasp quickly, makes this work a thoroughly enjoyable read. Her wit, candor and writing style, make this book feel more like an easy conversation with a great mind, rather than a dry lecture, a boring manual, or a sales pitch. My only complaint with this book is that it wasn't around sooner!

One of the only practical books on what a Scrum Master is, does and should be.Stacia is an experienced agilist who has been doing this for a long time and her knowledge and wisdom has been distilled into this guide in a non threatening and succinct manner. Stacia should write more books.