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Description

Scrum Master Foundation: Framing the Backlog, Facilitating Ceremonies and Launching the Team

Step into the Scrum Master role and make an agile team work from the very first sprint

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Many teams adopt Scrum while keeping their old habits: a manager who allocates tasks, meetings that overrun and a backlog that reads like a wish list. The newly appointed Scrum Master does not know where to start.

This first level puts the foundations of the role in place. Participants learn to frame a workable backlog, to facilitate each ceremony within the allotted time and to shield the team from interruptions. The two days focus on setting up the framework: reading the flow of work and coaching the team belong to the next level.

Learning objectives

  • Explain the roles events and artefacts of Scrum
  • Build a product backlog that is ordered and understandable by the team
  • Facilitate sprint planning and the sprint review within the allotted time
  • Run a retrospective that leads to actions actually followed up
  • Identify and remove the impediments that slow the team down

What makes this programme different

A full sprint is simulated across the programme from planning through to the retrospective
Ceremonies are facilitated in turn and timed to embed the discipline of timeboxing
Every participant leaves with facilitation materials for their own ceremonies

Programme

1The Scrum Framework

Setting the rules of the game

  • Values and principles underpinning the iterative approach
  • Roles of the Scrum Master the product owner and the team
  • Sequence of events across a sprint
  • Artefacts and their associated commitments

2Product Backlog and Sprint Preparation

Making the work understandable

  • Writing a backlog item from the user's point of view
  • Acceptance criteria and the definition of done
  • Ordering by value and by risk
  • Relative estimation and regular refinement
  • Splitting a requirement that is too large for one sprint

3Facilitating the Events

Keeping the rhythm without meeting overload

  • Sprint planning and building the sprint goal
  • Daily stand-up focused on impediments
  • Sprint review and gathering stakeholder feedback
  • Retrospective and simple facilitation formats
  • Managing time and overruns

4The Scrum Master Stance and Impediments

Serving the team day to day

  • Difference between a project manager and a facilitator
  • Spotting recurring impediments and tracking their removal
  • Shielding the team from requests outside the sprint
  • Working with the product owner and with management
  • First indicators of how well the team is operating

Who is it for

Project managers · developers · testers · product owners and anyone expected to take on the Scrum Master role within a team.

Prerequisites

No prior knowledge required

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.