The best Scrum books for most readers are Mastering Professional Scrum, The Professional Product Owner, Scrum Mastery and Fixing Your Scrum. This list ranks 15 titles for Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) candidates and working Scrum Masters. Read the Scrum Guide first: the 80-question PSM I exam tests the Guide, and books add depth and practice. Editions and publishers were checked in October 2026.
As of October 2026, the Scrum Guide 2020 is still the current official version, and no newer edition of any book below has replaced the one we list.
How we chose the best Scrum books
We picked books that teach Scrum as the 2020 Scrum Guide defines it, or that build the skills a Scrum Master uses every day. Each title had to meet at least three of these five criteria:
- Fit with the Scrum Guide 2020. Terms such as Developers, Product Goal and accountabilities matter on the exam. Books written before 2020 are flagged.
- Recognition by Scrum.org or Professional Scrum Trainers. Three titles from this list are on the official Scrum.org suggested reading list for PSM, and four belong to the Pearson Professional Scrum Series.
- Practical value. The book changes what you do in a Sprint, not only what you know.
- Practitioner feedback. We read Scrum.org forum threads, Reddit r/scrum, Goodreads reviews and practitioner blogs.
- Still in print or freely available. Every title can be bought or downloaded today.
A note from the forums: most people who passed PSM I say books are secondary. In a 2017 Scrum.org forum thread, one candidate who scored 96.3% wrote that the "Scrum Guide is the only book" they used (Scrum.org forum). Books help you understand why the rules exist, which matters on scenario questions and in the job.
The 15 best Scrum books at a glance
| # | Book | Author(s) | Edition / year | Level | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time | Jeff Sutherland, J.J. Sutherland | 1st, 2014 (UK reissue 2024) | Beginner | Why Scrum exists; managers |
| 2 | Mastering Professional Scrum (top pick) | Stephanie Ockerman, Simon Reindl | 1st, 2019 | Beginner–Intermediate | PSM I, PSM II |
| 3 | The Professional Product Owner (top pick) | Don McGreal, Ralph Jocham | 1st, 2018 | Intermediate | PSPO I, Product Owners |
| 4 | Scrum Mastery (top pick) | Geoff Watts | 2nd, 2021 | Intermediate | PSM I, PSM II, Scrum Masters |
| 5 | Fixing Your Scrum (top pick) | Ryan Ripley, Todd Miller | 1st, 2020 | Intermediate | PSM I, PSM II |
| 6 | The Professional Scrum Team | Peter Götz, Uwe Schirmer | 1st, 2020 | Intermediate | Developers, PSD, PSM |
| 7 | Essential Scrum | Kenneth S. Rubin | 1st, 2012 | Beginner–Intermediate | Reference for all roles |
| 8 | Coaching Agile Teams | Lyssa Adkins | 1st, 2010 | Intermediate–Advanced | PSM II, agile coaches |
| 9 | Agile Retrospectives | Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, David Horowitz | 2nd, 2024 | Beginner–Intermediate | Scrum Masters, facilitators |
| 10 | The Great ScrumMaster | Zuzana Šochová | 1st, 2016 | Intermediate | PSM II, growing Scrum Masters |
| 11 | Zombie Scrum Survival Guide | Johannes Schartau, Christiaan Verwijs, Barry Overeem | 1st, 2020 | Intermediate | Teams that go through the motions |
| 12 | Scrum Insights for Practitioners | Hiren Doshi | 1st, 2016 | Beginner | PSM I |
| 13 | Software in 30 Days | Ken Schwaber, Jeff Sutherland | 1st, 2012 | Beginner | Leaders, PSM I context |
| 14 | Scrum and XP from the Trenches | Henrik Kniberg | 2nd, 2015 (free) | Beginner | Developers, new teams |
| 15 | Agile Project Management with Scrum | Ken Schwaber | 1st, 2004 | Intermediate | Scrum history and mindset |
The best Scrum books, one by one
Each entry below says what the book covers, who it is for, and what to take from it.
1. Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time — Jeff Sutherland
This is a story-driven book by a co-creator of Scrum, written for a business audience. It explains why short cycles and small teams work, using examples from software, the FBI and manufacturing. It is not a how-to manual: Goodreads reviewers often say it is about selling the idea, and one 2024 reviewer wrote "it is not a detailed guide at all" (Goodreads). Give it to a manager who needs the why; do not use it to study for PSM I.
2. Mastering Professional Scrum — Stephanie Ockerman, Simon Reindl
Our top pick. This Professional Scrum Series book (Addison-Wesley, 224 pages) explains the Scrum values, empiricism and self-management through the 2020-era language that PSM I uses. It is the only book from this list that Reddit r/scrum commenters recommended to a 2025 PSM I candidate, next to repeated reading of the Guide (r/scrum). Take from it the habit of asking which Scrum value or pillar a situation tests.
3. The Professional Product Owner — Don McGreal, Ralph Jocham
Our top pick. Two Professional Scrum Trainers explain product value, Product Backlog management, release strategy and evidence-based measures. It is the strongest single book for Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I), and it helps Scrum Masters understand what they coach the Product Owner on. Take from it the idea that the Product Owner manages value, not a list of tasks.
4. Scrum Mastery — Geoff Watts
Our top pick. The second edition (2021) turns the Scrum Master accountability into concrete behaviours: serving the team, coaching, removing impediments and growing self-management. It is short chapters of real situations followed by practical advice, which makes it easy to read during a busy week. Ilia Pavlichenko placed it in the practice group of his list of 30 books for Scrum Masters on the Scrum.org blog (Scrum.org). Read it before Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II).
5. Fixing Your Scrum — Ryan Ripley, Todd Miller
Our top pick. Two Professional Scrum Trainers walk through common anti-patterns, from a Product Owner who is only a proxy to Daily Scrums that turn into status reports. Each chapter names the problem, explains which part of the Guide it breaks and suggests a fix. This is close to how PSM I scenario questions work. The authors also discuss their own reading list on the Scrum.org blog.
6. The Professional Scrum Team — Peter Götz, Uwe Schirmer
A Professional Scrum Series title that follows one team through its first Sprints. It covers cross-functional work, the Definition of Done and how Developers own their plan. Good for Developers and for Scrum Masters who come from a non-technical background.
7. Essential Scrum — Kenneth S. Rubin
A 504-page reference with clear diagrams of every role, event and artifact. It predates the 2020 Guide, so it still uses terms such as roles and Development Team, and it covers practices the Guide does not require. In a Scrum.org forum thread one member chose it as one comprehensive book instead of several narrow ones (Scrum.org forum); Goodreads readers call it textbook-like. Use it to look things up, then check the current rule in the Guide.
8. Coaching Agile Teams — Lyssa Adkins
The standard book on the coaching stance: when to teach, mentor, facilitate or coach. It helps Scrum Masters stop solving every problem for the team. It is from 2010 and has no second edition, but its ideas about conflict and team development have not aged much.
9. Agile Retrospectives — Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, David Horowitz
The 2024 second edition (Pragmatic Bookshelf, 298 pages) updates the classic five-stage retrospective structure and adds remote facilitation. Goodreads readers value that "It's not just a list of techniques" and older reviews complained that the first edition felt dated (Goodreads). Take from it a structure you can reuse every Sprint Retrospective.
10. The Great ScrumMaster — Zuzana Šochová
A compact book (176 pages) that explains the growth path of a Scrum Master from one team to the whole organisation. Its ScrumMaster·Way model is useful for PSM II, where questions move beyond the team boundary.
11. Zombie Scrum Survival Guide — Johannes Schartau, Christiaan Verwijs, Barry Overeem
This book describes teams that run the events but deliver no value, and offers dozens of experiments to fix that. It is practical and light in tone. Use it after your first year as a Scrum Master, when you can recognise the symptoms in your own team.
12. Scrum Insights for Practitioners — Hiren Doshi
A short (106 pages) self-published book that is on the official Scrum.org suggested reading list for PSM. It answers common questions that confuse candidates, such as who attends which event. Read it in the last two weeks before PSM I.
13. Software in 30 Days — Ken Schwaber, Jeff Sutherland
Written for executives, this book explains how Scrum changes funding, planning and risk. It is also on the Scrum.org PSM reading list. It helps when a PSM I question asks what management should do.
14. Scrum and XP from the Trenches — Henrik Kniberg
The second edition (2015) is free on InfoQ. It shows how one company actually ran Sprints, boards and planning with XP practices. A Microsoft practitioner called the first edition a really great read for its concrete team-level examples (ademiller.com). Some practices in it are not part of Scrum, so do not bring them into the exam.
15. Agile Project Management with Scrum — Ken Schwaber
The 2004 Microsoft Press book is a set of case studies from the early years of Scrum. On a Scrum.org forum thread, members described it as dated but good for mindset (Scrum.org forum). Read it for history, not for current rules.
Reading order by level
The best reading order starts with the Scrum Guide and adds one book per stage.
| Stage | Read | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1: foundation | Scrum Guide 2020, then Mastering Professional Scrum | Learn the rules and the values behind them |
| Weeks 2–3: PSM I prep | Fixing Your Scrum, Scrum Insights for Practitioners | Practise applying the Guide to situations |
| After certification | Scrum Mastery, Agile Retrospectives, The Professional Scrum Team | Do the job well with a real team |
| Product focus | The Professional Product Owner | Prepare for PSPO I and support the Product Owner |
| Advanced / PSM II | Coaching Agile Teams, The Great ScrumMaster, Zombie Scrum Survival Guide | Coach teams and the organisation |
| Background | Essential Scrum, Scrum and XP from the Trenches, Software in 30 Days, Agile Project Management with Scrum, Scrum (Sutherland) | History, reference and context |
How the best Scrum books connect to Scrum exams
Books help most on scenario questions; the exam itself checks the Scrum Guide.
| Exam (Scrum.org, verified October 2026) | Format | Most useful books |
|---|---|---|
| PSM I | 80 questions, 60 minutes, 85% to pass, USD 200 | Mastering Professional Scrum, Fixing Your Scrum, Scrum Insights for Practitioners |
| PSM II | Advanced scenarios | Scrum Mastery, Coaching Agile Teams, The Great ScrumMaster |
| PSPO I | Product Owner focus | The Professional Product Owner |
Last verified: October 2026 on the Scrum.org PSM I page.
Next steps on certificate.tips:
- Practise with the PSM I exam simulator or the PSPO I simulator.
- Learn which 2020 Guide changes still trip candidates in Scrum Guide 2020 at six: what the PSM exam still tests.
- See how PSM I helps a career in PSM I for landing a junior PM job.
- Plan the next step with the PSM II exam guide.
- Read our notes on the Scrum Master as impediment remover and on technical debt in Scrum.
Related reading lists
This is the first list in our book series. Lists for business analysis, agile and project management books will be linked here as they are published, together with full reviews of the four top picks.
FAQ
What is the best Scrum book for beginners?
Start with the free Scrum Guide 2020, then read Mastering Professional Scrum by Stephanie Ockerman and Simon Reindl. It uses current Scrum terms and explains the values and empiricism behind the rules. Scrum and XP from the Trenches is a free second choice if you want to see a real team at work.
Do I need to read books to pass PSM I?
No. Many candidates on the Scrum.org forum passed PSM I with the Scrum Guide and practice tests only. A book such as Fixing Your Scrum helps with scenario questions, where you must apply the Guide rather than recall it.
Which books does Scrum.org recommend for PSM?
As of October 2026, the Scrum.org suggested reading page for PSM lists Mastering Professional Scrum, Scrum: A Pocket Guide by Gunther Verheyen, Software in 30 Days and Scrum Insights for Practitioners.
Is Essential Scrum still useful after the 2020 Scrum Guide?
Yes, as a reference. Essential Scrum (2012) explains roles, events and artifacts in depth, but it uses pre-2020 terms and includes optional practices. Check any rule you learn from it against the current Scrum Guide before the exam.
Is Jeff Sutherland's Scrum book good for exam preparation?
Not really. It explains why Scrum works through stories, but it does not teach the rules in the detail the exam needs. Many readers describe it as a pitch for Scrum rather than a guide.
Sources
- Scrum.org: Suggested reading for Professional Scrum Master
- Scrum.org: Professional Scrum Master I assessment
- Scrum Guides: revision history
- InformIT: Professional Scrum Series
- InformIT: Mastering Professional Scrum
- InformIT: The Professional Product Owner
- O'Reilly: Fixing Your Scrum
- Pragmatic Bookshelf: Agile Retrospectives, Second Edition
- InfoQ: Scrum and XP from the Trenches, 2nd edition
- Penguin: Scrum by Jeff Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland
- Scrum.org forum: PSM I certificate
- Scrum.org forum: Books for PSM I
- Scrum.org forum: Preparing for PSM I assessment
- Scrum.org blog: 30 books for Scrum Masters
- Reddit r/scrum: I want to pass PSM 1
- Goodreads: Scrum reviews
- Goodreads: Agile Retrospectives reviews
- ademiller.com: Scrum and XP from the Trenches