Private Scrum Team Workshop
Help Your Scrum Team Work Better Together
A configurable private workshop for one or more Scrum teams. Product owners, Scrum Masters, developers, and key partners build shared expectations, strengthen collaboration, and improve how they make decisions and adapt together. Two full days, four half days, or four weekly three-hour Team Improvement Sprints—live online or in person.
Private team workshop 30-minute consultation No preparation required
Chosen by companies in SaaS, Healthcare, Government, Consulting, Financial Services, Retail, Energy, and more.
Is Your Team Doing Scrum Without Working As One?
The workshop is designed for teams that know the Scrum vocabulary but still struggle to align roles, prepare work, plan realistically, and finish together.
Scrum That Creates Activity Without Alignment
- Everyone uses Scrum terminology but people expect different things
- Sprint planning produces overcommitment or weak Sprint Goals
- Work regularly carries over from one sprint to the next
- The daily Scrum becomes a status report rather than coordination
- Reviews and retrospectives happen without creating useful change
- Roles, handoffs, and decision boundaries remain unclear
Scrum That Helps The Team Work As One
- Build shared expectations across the product owner, Scrum Master, developers, and stakeholders
- Prepare work through useful refinement, story splitting, and acceptance criteria
- Plan around a clear Sprint Goal and what the team can realistically finish
- Coordinate and adapt together during the sprint
- Use reviews and retrospectives to learn and improve
- Create a consistent approach without imposing a rigid script
A Shared Approach Across Scrum Roles
Lance’s Working on a Scrum Team training was informative, interactive, and engaging. Our group training helped product owners, Scrum Masters, and Scrum teams align on the same concepts, approach, and best practices. Most importantly, he still works with Scrum teams and offered thoughtful suggestions for difficult situations.
— Lu F., Director, PMO
Why This Workshop Is Different
What Teams Will Be Able To Do
Create Clearer Role And Decision Boundaries — Clarify how product owners, Scrum Masters, developers, managers, and stakeholders contribute without creating gaps, overlaps, or competing directions.
Bring Better-Prepared Work Into Sprint Planning — Use backlog refinement, story writing, story splitting, and acceptance criteria to build enough shared understanding for responsible sprint planning.
Make More Realistic Sprint Forecasts — Use estimates, Sprint Goals, visible risks, team capacity, and the Definition of Done to make better decisions about what the team can finish.
Reduce Handoffs And Finish More Work Together — Use the daily Scrum and day-to-day collaboration to adapt the plan, reduce handoffs, and focus on completing valuable work rather than keeping individuals busy.
Turn Reviews And Retrospectives Into Useful Change — Use sprint reviews, retrospectives, and feedback to learn, adjust priorities, and improve how the team works from sprint to sprint.
How The Workshop Works
Working on a Scrum Team is a practical, exercise-driven workshop. Participants learn through short teaching segments, team discussions, planning scenarios, backlog exercises, and decisions drawn from real Scrum work.
Through the exercises and discussions, participants develop a stronger shared understanding of Scrum, clearer expectations across roles, and practical ideas they can begin applying in their next sprint.
- Private workshop for one or more teams
- Two full days, four half days, or four weekly three-hour Team Improvement Sprints
- Delivered live online or in person
- Configured around your teams, products, and Scrum experience
- Includes practical exercises and application
- Optional follow-through support during real sprints
Workshop Outline
- Scrum principles and purpose
- Roles, responsibilities, and shared ownership
- Product backlogs and backlog refinement
- Story writing, story splitting, and acceptance criteria
- Estimation, Sprint Goals, and sprint planning
- Daily coordination, teamwork, and finishing work
- Sprint reviews and stakeholder feedback
- Retrospectives and continuous improvement
- Organizational pressures that make Scrum harder
What Participants Say
Participants describe a practical, engaging workshop that helps people across Scrum roles develop a more consistent way of working together.Learn Scrum From People Who Helped Shape Scrum
Working on a Scrum Team is grounded in Mountain Goat Software’s decades of experience helping real teams improve how they plan, refine, collaborate, inspect, and adapt.
Mike Cohn co-founded both the Scrum Alliance and the Agile Alliance and is the author of User Stories Applied, Agile Estimating and Planning, and Succeeding with Agile.
Participants learn from practitioners who understand both the Scrum framework and the organizational conditions that affect how teams use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this for new Scrum teams or experienced Scrum teams?
Both can benefit. Newer teams build a shared foundation before conflicting habits take hold. Experienced teams address inconsistency, carryover, role confusion, weak events, handoffs, or other patterns that are limiting improvement.
Should the whole team attend?
Yes, when possible. That usually includes the product owner, Scrum Master, and developers. Analysts, designers, testers, managers, stakeholders, or others may participate when they influence how the team plans, collaborates, or delivers.
Can several teams attend together?
Yes. The workshop can help several teams build a more consistent approach while still allowing discussion of the different challenges each team faces.
How many people can participate?
Small groups are welcome—the workshop works well for a single Scrum team—and it can accommodate up to 60 participants. During the consultation, we’ll discuss the number of teams, roles involved, delivery format, and your goals, then recommend whether to bring everyone together or use more than one workshop so participants have enough opportunity to contribute.
Can the workshop be customized?
Yes. Examples, discussions, exercises, and emphasis areas can be adjusted based on your goals, team experience, products, terminology, and current Scrum challenges.
Does the team need to prepare anything before the workshop?
No formal preparation is required. Before the workshop, we’ll learn about your team’s experience and current challenges so the instructor can configure the examples and emphasis appropriately. We may invite you to share relevant situations or backlog examples when that would make the workshop more useful.
Which delivery format should we choose?
Two full days provide the most concentrated experience. Four half days create more space between sessions, while Team Improvement Sprints allow teams to try ideas between sessions and bring what they learn back into the workshop. We will recommend the simplest format that fits your goals and scheduling needs.
Who facilitates the workshop?
A Mountain Goat Software instructor with experience helping Scrum teams apply these practices in real delivery environments. We’ll identify the proposed facilitator when we discuss your goals, timing, and delivery format.
What happens during the initial consultation?
The conversation takes about 30 minutes and requires no preparation. We’ll discuss what is getting in the team’s way, who should participate, the most useful delivery format, and whether this workshop is the right next step.
Ready To Help Your Scrum Team Work Better Together?
In a 30-minute consultation, tell us where roles, planning, refinement, or delivery are breaking down. We’ll help you decide whether this workshop is the right fit and recommend a practical format for your team.
Prefer email? Contact us at hello@mountaingoatsoftware.com.