PSD study guide
PSD · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Professional Scrum Developer (PSD) is a Scrum.org certification described on Scrum.org as demonstrating "Knowledge of practices and techniques that support building software with Scrum." It is aimed at people who build the product - programmers, testers, designers, and other team members working as Developers in Scrum - rather than at Scrum Masters or Product Owners. The assessment is grouped around four areas: Scrum theory and framework applied to software development; development practices and techniques that support building software with Scrum; cross-functional, self-managing team collaboration and the accountabilities of Developers; and delivering a potentially releasable Increment each Sprint. The PSD study guide has 4 sections and about 1,609 words.
01Scrum Theory and Framework Applied to Software Development
The PSD exam does not ask you to recite the Scrum Guide; it asks whether you can apply empiricism and the framework's rules to real software work - code, builds, tests, and dependencies. Transparency requires that everyone can see the true state of the work: a refined Product Backlog, a Sprint Backlog that reflects the plan, and working software that meets the Definition of Done.
398 words, about 2 min02Development Practices and Techniques That Support Building Software with Scrum
This domain tests the engineering discipline that makes a Done Increment possible each Sprint. Scrum does not mandate specific practices, but it does mandate a Definition of Done that yields a releasable Increment - which in software almost always requires automation, integration, and design discipline.
399 words, about 2 min03Cross-Functional, Self-Managing Team Collaboration and the Accountabilities of Developers
Questions here probe the boundaries of self-management, who is accountable for what, and what "cross-functional" actually means on a software team. The Developers are accountable for (1) creating the Sprint Backlog, (2) instilling quality by adhering to the Definition of Done, (3) adapting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal, and (4) holding each other accountable as professionals.
425 words, about 2 min04Delivering a Potentially Releasable Increment Each Sprint
This domain tests whether you understand the Increment, the Definition of Done, and what "potentially releasable" obliges - including how to slice work so something genuinely Done appears every Sprint. An Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal.
387 words, about 2 min