PSL N41 case studies
PSL N41 · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The PSL N41 is a professional certification exam for people who work with Scrum teams and want to demonstrate a deeper, practice-oriented understanding of the framework. It suits Scrum Masters, aspiring coaches, team leads, and delivery practitioners who already know the basics and are ready to be assessed on how they apply Scrum theory in real situations. The published domain outline emphasizes Scrum theory and principles, the Scrum Team, Scrum events, artifacts and their commitments, facilitation and team effectiveness, and coaching, mentoring, and servant leadership. That mix means the exam rewards judgment, not memorization: expect to reason about trade-offs, diagnose team dysfunction, and choose the most appropriate next action rather than recite definitions. The PSL N41 case studies are 5 cases and about 2,859 words.
1The Sprint Review That Became a Demo
A Scrum Master joins a team six months into using Scrum. The team ships a B2B billing product.
634 words, about 3 min2The Daily Scrum That Reports to the Scrum Master
A Scrum Master supports two teams. On Team A (seven developers, one PO, one SM), the Daily Scrum runs 25 minutes.
530 words, about 3 min3Definition of Done Versus the Release Train
A team of six Developers works on a regulated insurance claims product. Their Definition of Done requires automated regression tests, a security review, and sign-off from a compliance officer before an item counts as done.
564 words, about 3 min4The Retrospective Where Nobody Says Anything
A Scrum Master facilitates a retrospective for a distributed team of eight across three time zones. Attendance is optional and typically five or six join.
581 words, about 3 min5The Product Owner Who Is Also the Boss
In a 40-person division, the person acting as Product Owner for two Scrum Teams is also the line manager of most of the Developers on those teams. She sets Sprint priorities, conducts annual performance reviews, approves leave, and decides who works on which team.
550 words, about 3 min