Dr. Roger explained: The following content was posted on her blog by Jessica, a student. With her permission, it is included in this document for translation into English to let the international community know about the state of Scrum implementation in Taiwan.
At the end of the second CSM CEO course, we took a group photo, from left to right: Song Wenfa, Guo Huimei, Hu Ruirou, Chen Jiasheng, Zhang Youming, Fu Zhaoming, Wang Xiantang, Roger CST, Lin Xianzhong, Wei Bifen, Ming Daozeng, Chen Jinhui, Huang Yixian, Wen Jinfeng, Xu Qingyi.
(I am not in the picture because I was the volunteer photographer)
I am Jessica, the deputy general manager of a Taiwanese Agile book publishing company DrMaster. I and our general manager, Simon, attended the CEO CSM course taught by Dr. Roger. He claimed that his CSM course was the highest standard globally, so I recorded my observations and feelings from the course. I hope you can objectively determine whether this is indeed the highest standard, as I have not attended any CSM courses in other countries.
Our CSM journey began with a two-day Agile CSM course on 7/16-7/17. The venue was just a two-minute walk from the Nanjing Fuxing MRT station, which was very convenient.
Upon arriving at the sixth floor, we found directions to the PCBC Asia Meeting Center’s 6th-floor D meeting room.
After heading towards the D meeting room, we saw the sign-in desk where our general manager Simon signed in.
As the class started at 9 am on the first day, I arrived early at 8 am, thinking that I might assist with anything if needed. However, when I arrived, there were already two assistants busily preparing, checking equipment (microphone, projector, air conditioning, whiteboard), positioning tables and chairs for the class, preparing nametags for everyone, and classroom packs.
Preparing nametags for everyone, and classroom packs.They also set up refreshments at the back of the classroom, presumably to keep us from getting too low on energy.
At 8:15, Dr. Roger came in and immediately started overseeing the preparation and ensuring that everything was in order.
As the students began to arrive, they found their seats according to the nametags (we were divided into five small groups).
Interestingly, I found a ten-dollar coin inside my nametag. This clever idea was explained by the teacher during the class, highlighting the thoughtfulness of the course team.
Dr. Roger said, ‘Typically, name tags are often discarded by students into the trash can after about an hour of introduction, because the desk space is too limited, and the name tags would lean haphazardly. As a result, teachers often cannot recall the students’ names because Dr. Roger has a poor memory. Therefore, he thought of using a 10-dollar coin as a counterweight and informed the students that there is a 10-dollar coin inside. At the end of the two-day course, everyone’s name tags were still neatly placed on the desk. When we went to the restaurant for a meal, we also brought the name tags with us. Even after celebrating becoming the Taiwan’s first CEO CSM, we still brought them home as a memento. The 10 dollars doesn’t really count for much, but Dr. Roger’s thoughtfulness is truly admirable.
After finding my seat, I opened the classroom pack, which was a sturdy nylon bag presumably designed to hold the thick syllabus and the knowledge I would acquire.
There were two colored lecture notes, a syllabus, and a workbook. If you prefer to use an iPad, the teacher would even provide a digital copy for note-taking.
The lecture video was actually received by the second batch of CEO CSM. https://youtu.be/a8YNHI14Y98. Two days of classes were like witnessing Steve Jobs demonstrating the iPhone and iPad on stage; he truly was a remarkable teacher.
By referring to the CSM training course item checklist in the pack, I could ensure that nothing was missed.
I was pleasantly surprised to find highlighters and atomic pens in the bag. This thoughtful gesture left no excuse for us not to take notes or slack off.
The two-day course was entirely taught by Dr. Roger, the first and only Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) in Taiwan. His accumulated teaching experience made the entire course run very smoothly. Several factors contributed to the successful learning experience:
1.A good learning environment
2.A reasonable class size with a maximum of 30 students, but it was strange why it didn’t fill up to 30?
3.Medium-sized full-color printed lecture notes and notebook
4.Excellent classmates (15 CEOs + 12 self-paid students)
5.A generous lunch and drinks/during break snacks
I often found the knowledge I gained from Dr. Roger’s lectures reflected in my own company’s conditions, and through practice, I understood what the blind spots were. Furthermore, through teacher guidance or student questions, I understood the differences in company cultures and work methods. This often gave me a sense of sudden insight; the gain was truly indescribable.
The unexpected gain for me was that I, who initially refused to take the CSM exam, passed the CSM. I wonder if I was the only student Dr. Roger had? After all, I was just a volunteer photographer for Dr. Roger. He spent about an hour on messenger convincing me to take the exam on the first night.
I finally agreed and thus have my first Scrum certificate. Here is my CSM declaration:
Jessica Yang: I promise to apply what I have learned in the workplace, assist colleagues and superiors in using the right methods to effectively execute tasks. Once we start taking action, we will move forward. If the method is correct, it will be effective.
Thank you, Dr. Roger, who has great aspirations in my heart to change the world with Scrum, for introducing me to the world of Scrum.
I would like to thank Dr. Roger, who has ambitious goals in my heart, for wanting to use Scrum to change the world and for introducing me to the world of Scrum. I took a photo with the respectable Dr. Roger, who is 55 but looks less than 40. Isn’t that strange?
I also want to thank the kind teaching assistant, Teacher Elly (in green, Dr. Roger’s wife), who always provides guidance when I’m at my wits’ end, and diligently records the details of our classes.
(the first cohort was co-trained with Bill Li)
Her CSM declaration on Facebook reads: “After a recommendation from my fellow student, I attended a two-day intensive Scrum course. Previously, all the trainers for this course were based in China, so most certifications obtained in Taiwan were issued from abroad. This year, Teacher Roger became Taiwan’s first Certified Scrum Trainer, allowing him to independently teach and issue certifications within Taiwan. I am honored to be the first CEO CSM student to receive a certificate from Teacher Roger’s solo teaching in Taiwan! Master Roger, with his many years of research in PMP, business analysis, and corporate strategy, delivers Scrum teachings in a profound and comprehensive way. Initially, I was wondering how a teacher of a certification course could present his content at a world-class level, akin to Steve Jobs. It turns out he specifically prepared for our CEO class, making the course exceptionally exciting! Under Master Roger’s guidance, I was able to break some mental frameworks and learn the people-oriented agile methodology. ‘Doing is right,’ minimizing try-error time and costs, focusing resources on the most important functions, constantly fine-tuning through the Scrum method, discarding the trivial, improving efficiency, and enhancing the process.
#I recommend that all CEOs within our group attend Scrum courses.！#
Huang Yixian FB https://bit.ly/44KnVrT
Lin Hsien-Chung’s Six Top-Tier CSM Courses
Overcoming all obstacles, I successfully completed the intensive two-day Scrum Agile certification workshop, consisting of the highest standard of content, with the guidance of Instructor Roger and the assistance of my fellow classmates. With dedicated class attendance and intense review over these two days, I have finally obtained the CSM – Certified Scrum Master certificate!
I would like to express my gratitude to CST teacher Roger for his dedicated teaching over these two days, allowing us from the manufacturing industry to learn the project management skills of Agile-style new product development commonly used in the information software industry.
The course was of the utmost quality in terms of content, materials, teaching environment, meals, beverages, classmates, and post-course support. The spirit of Agile and peak experience was truly brought to the fullest.
These classmates are all exceptional! Everyone worked incredibly hard! I am fortunate to have learned alongside renowned Professor Chen Jia-Sheng as a fellow classmate.
CSM Agile Manifesto:
Sharing the learning content and achievements of CSM with 100 CEOs, encouraging them to actively learn and become CSM-certified.
Lin Hsien-Chung https://bit.ly/3PZh3mp
Chairman of Xinya Digital, Wei Bifen
After the first day of class, fearing that I might not pass the exam the next day, I dedicated two hours to solving 50+40 questions. Just before going to bed, I unexpectedly received a message from my teacher: ‘Who said they couldn’t pass? You scored 80 on the mock exam, you’ll do fine tomorrow~ Haha!’ I was delighted to receive such encouragement from the teacher, even more surprising was how diligently the teacher tracked the progress of each student’s mock exams. I was moved and shared with the teacher my reflections after a day of class: ‘After today’s course, what has changed the most is my perspective on the operation process of my company’s software development team. I used to assign tasks based on the specialties of the team members, such as assigning HR-related development to those who understand HR, finance-related development to those who understand finance, and web development to those familiar with it. As a result, everyone was developing their own projects, causing each project to drag on for a long time.
After today’s lesson, I think I need to revolutionize my approach using Scrum, turning us into an agile and cross-functional learning organization. For example, we could first finish the finance part together, and even if some members do not understand, they would through learning. With this approach, we can complete and roll out projects one by one. This is similar to the cake-cutting method we learned today – we cut vertically, not horizontally!
As we all know, the current market changes rapidly. Instead of waiting for everyone to finish their projects after a year, it would be better to have the team focus on completing one project first, meeting the needs of the market or product release, and maximizing the value and benefits for the team and the company. This is part of what I understood after learning about Scrum today. Thank you, teacher, and goodnight~
The next morning at around 8:00, teacher Roger asked if he could share my reflections with everyone. I gladly agreed. He mentioned that he had strived for five years to become a CST… We are his first batch of students for the full course. It’s unbelievable that his mission could change a CEO after the first lesson. As he recounted my reflections, he became choked up. Understanding his feelings, I quickly took over the microphone, allowing the emotional Roger to regain his composure. I shared my thoughts in full with the classmates, explained that we are all CEOs or senior managers, and we all, like teacher Roger, have had a tough journey. We have also had people challenging us, but let’s encourage each other: “Only those weaker than you would slander you because those stronger than you don’t have time to bother with you.” We are all here, studying hard, in order to become better versions of ourselves. Let’s give a round of applause to our excellent teacher Roger and to ourselves for our efforts~ It was a wonderful start to the day. The emotional teacher and classmates have brought us closer together.
July 16, 112, is a memorable day. I was a bit nervous before the exam, but I finally scored 92 and received the CSM (Certified Scrum Master) certificate from Taiwan’s only CST- teacher Roger, becoming the first 3C IT channel chairman in the country to obtain a CSM.
One aspect of corporate competitiveness is the cultivation of corporate culture. Only after attending the course did I realize that what I had been promoting in the company was part of the “Scrum Agile Process”, which enabled the company to grow rapidly.
Thank you, teacher Roger, for your guidance and I admire your dedication! After the course, I deeply understand the benefits of implementing Scrum in the company. In the future, I will confidently and fully promote the application of the Scrum Agile Process to all projects in the company.
#Even though it’s already summer vacation at National Taiwan University, why am I still attending classes?🤣 For the Scurm certificate, after a series of intensive classes, I can’t afford to be distracted, and I’m really serious!
#Thank you, sister Grace Guo, for your strong recommendation. I was able to get the certificate with you! Love u😘
#Steven Ming, thanks for the support from the straight-A student of NTU EMS111🤣. Although I couldn’t copy your answers during the exam, I’m honored that you scored 100! You truly are a top student~
Taiwan’s first CSMs
Here’s the list of Taiwan’s first CSMs, honored by Dr. Roger, CST, The first and only Scrum Ambassador of Taiwan:
1.Song Wenfa, Principal of Jinmen County Jinning Elementary and Junior High School, the Taiwan’s first offshore elementary and junior high school principal CSM.
2.Lin Xianzhong, General Manager of Xiangli Industry, the Taiwan’s first general manager CSM of an electrical and electronic components company.
3.Wang Xiantang, General Manager of Crown Energy, the Taiwan’s first general manager CSM of a business consulting service industry.
4.Wen Jinfeng, Director of the Graduate Institute of Management, Yangming Chiao Tung University, the Taiwan’s first CSM professor specializing in organizational development and talent management.
5.Hu Ruirou, General Manager of Rueiyang Information, the Taiwan’s first general manager CSM of a listed agile company.
6.Professor Chen Jiasheng, Chief Consultant of the Taiwanal Taiwan University’s School of Business, the Taiwan’s first CSM professor of the National Taiwan University.
7.Wei Bifen, Chairperson of Xin Ya Digital, the Taiwan’s first chairperson CSM of a 3C information channel.
8.Guo Huimei, CIO of Invetec, the Taiwan’s first CSM CIO of a listed group subsidiary.
9.Ming Daozeng, Asia Pacific Director of Taiwan Dupont, the Taiwan’s first CSM director of a top 500 global foreign company.
10.Zhang Youming, Head of the Intelligent Promotion Department of Innolux Corporation, the Taiwan’s first CSM head of the panel industry.
11.Huang Yixian, Vice Chairman of Zongge Precision Company, the Taiwan’s first vice chairman CSM of an automation equipment company.
12.Xu Qingyi, Chairman of Anxin Technology, the Taiwan’s first CSM in the household appliances and air conditioning maintenance industry.
13.Chen Jinhui, General Manager of Bosuo Culture, the Taiwan’s first CSM in the cultural industry.
14.Fu Zhaoming, Vice President of Fo Guang University, the Taiwan’s first vice president CSM of a university.
15.Dr. Tsai Jiajin, Researcher at the Taiwanal Civil Service Institute, the Taiwan’s first CSM civil servant researcher.
He actually paid out of his own pocket to treat us to a celebration at the high-end restaurant in the hotel next door. I saw the bill; it was 25,000 TWD$ (CSM cost 35,000 TWD$ in Taiwan)
This Spiderman is really special, “With great power comes great responsibilities.” He will undoubtedly transform Taiwan’s Agile ecosystem, enabling us to work in a better way. Agile isn’t only applicable in the IT industry, but can also be used in “non-IT industries.”
The following animation work by Dr. Roger that he has allowed me to post on my blog:
The fourth (out of a total of 30) CSM exclusive: “Not Just Software, Can Hardware Also Be Developed Agilely? Principles of Large-scale Agile Work” 230718 https://youtu.be/DfLvHJWah4c
Roger’s Mail@ 23/07/27
My Scrum Journey Best Friends,
cc: 30 CEO CSM and CSM Volunteers
I trust this message finds you in good health and high spirits. I am reaching out to you, my esteemed comrade within the Scrum Alliance, to share some reflections and insights that I believe could enrich both of our journeys.
In my time as a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), I have been privileged to engage with many talented professionals, and I recognize that some people may admire the competitive edge this role seemingly provides me. My roster of Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) students now includes over 200 CEOs, from high-profile organizations such as Google and Lenovo. This might easily lead to assumptions of significant financial gain.
However, it deeply concerns me that the primary motivation behind my dedication to Scrum education is frequently misunderstood. I am not in this field to capitalize financially, but to advance the Agile movement, one professional at a time. To dispel these misconceptions, I have prepared an article that outlines my cost structure and offers a glimpse into my approach from the perspective of the CEOs who have been my students.
I am sharing this with you, one of my closest allies in the Scrum journey, because I believe it could help shape your own pedagogical approaches and strengthen your core teaching capabilities. Please understand that the information contained within this email and the attached article is confidential and is meant for your eyes only.
My vision is to raise the standard of Scrum education on a global scale, and I believe that together, we can turn this vision into a reality. I hope that the insights I’ve provided will serve as a stepping stone in this direction.
Please, let us respect the confidentiality of this exchange and avoid sharing this information with others.
Thank you for your understanding and continued partnership in this endeavour. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter.
CEO CSM, the Zenith of CSM Courses on a Global Scale, by Jessica Yang
CEO CSM 全球最高規格的CSM課程, 楊雅雯 (喵咭)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DqXtORQICrF9DzHKsLkjBTZ05h32DvHH-poKJQQgka4/edit
PS: The only person I regretfully excluded from this letter is Dave West, one of the best mentors in Scrum learning. His encouragement led me to pursue the PSM3 certification, positioning me among the world’s top Scrum experts, and nearly qualifying me as a Professional Scrum Trainer (PST). However, due to the competitive nature between our associations, I made the difficult decision not to share this with him.
CEO CSM Cost structure explanation as Below:
Today’s conversation with a volunteer was quite interesting.
After everyone reads this,
Please do not forward this to the CEOs who are about to become CSMs, to avoid startling them.
For your eyes only.
After reading, please immediately forget about it.
The volunteer in this conversation isn’t them, but our CSM volunteer photographer, Jessica.
Today, I had a CEO coaching conversation with Frank, the general manager of a 250-person American company.
He asked me,
“How much do I earn per month after becoming a CST?”
He guessed, “It should be around 3 million TWD, right?”
I honestly told him the real number,and he was taken aback.
This year, Scrum Alliance approved 3 CSTs.
I only run one class per month.
Guess how many classes my peers from the same batch run?
Being a CST is like printing money.You can earn 30,000 TWD for issuing one CSM certificate.
Eight classes.That’s right.Two classes a week.Weekend classes.Weekday classes.
Thirty people in one class.
Can you calculate how much that totals in a month?
Wow, wow, wow.30*30000*8 = 7,200,000
In Germany, it’s even more expensive, 40,000 TWD per certificate.
How much is that?30*50000*8 = 9,600,000
How many cars could you buy with that?
Dr. Roger’s wife, Elly, could buy many cars with that. Each car costs one million, so she could buy 9.6 cars.
How many years would it take for you to earn what a CST makes in one month?
My family’s annual expenditure is around 800,000 TWD.
So the earnings of a CST in one month could sustain us for nine years.
Next, let’s calculate how much I earn per month.
I only run one class a month.
How many people are in your class?
Paying ones?
That’s 27, excluding you.
15 CEOs are attending for free.
So, 27-15 = 12 people.
How much does that make?
12*30000 = 360,000.
Teacher, you’re quite humble.
You only run one class a month.
I use the best venues.
I provide the best packed meals.
The handouts are printed in color.
The administrative costs are double that of other providers.
Plus, I have a dedicated photographer.
And a slew of logistical details.
How much is it in total?
First of all, the course is taught by Taiwan’s first and only CST, Roger. The pace and fluency of the entire course is truly unique, thanks to his teaching experience.
There’s also the colored course handouts, note handouts, sticky notes, highlighters, the best environment, and appropriate class size control. Not to mention the delicious packed meals, drinks, snacks, beverages.
How much do the costs add up to, exactly?
You haven’t added in your accommodations, transportation, and meal costs yet.
Elly tallied it up that day.
I almost choked on my food when I saw the number.
Tell me, tell me.
Does it cost you about 500,000 TWD to run a course?
Don’t ask Elly.
Why should I make you suffer?
I didn’t lose money.
Just didn’t make much.
A little profit of 50,000 TWD.
This isn’t really a profit, you’re using the wrong word.
You can only say a surplus of 50,000 TWD.
If you had a husband like this, wouldn’t you be mad?
Yes, I would be, so mad.
This is all public knowledge.
Each CEO is a financial expert.
They don’t need calculators.
They do the math in their heads.
And you still need a calculator.
(Making money isn’t the most important thing in life; what’s important is doing something meaningful. If training these 200 CEOs can change Taiwan’s Agile ecosystem, then it’s truly worth it to only earn 50,000 a month for two years.)
Best Regards,
Dr. Roger Zhou Longhong, PhD, CST
Taiwan’s First Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) and Scrum International Ambassador
General Manager of Chang Hong Project Management Consulting Ltd.
General Manager of Advanced Business Consulting, Inc: http://www.pm-abc.com.tw
Line: @467ozura
Roger CST’s Declaration: Cultivating 100 CEOs as CSM volunteers for free, opening new perspectives for enterprises: https://bit.ly/3O4ABF4
Never Giving Up Along the Way, Ten Years of Persistent Effort, Zhou Longhong Becomes Taiwan’s First CST: https://ynews.page.link/Uyg27
Chief Editor of PM Magazine: www.pm-mag.net
Founder of Statistics Expert Community, Dynamic Competitive Research Society, and Taiwan Agile Tribe
Portal to the Five Communities: https://sites.google.com/view/5communities/home
News of the Only Ethnic Chinese Winner of the Global Agile Award in 2015: https://bwnews.pr/3lfdCbz
Spiderman I: With great power, comes great responsibility.
This letter is shared with my best friends at the Scrum Alliance. Please do not disseminate it, but instead, use it as a learning resource. This will become your core competitive strength.
SA：tristan、erika、ashley、mallory、lisa、sandra、Tess、Micheal、Ian Carr 、Rob Hill
Friend：Riva 、Ihung 、mama、和和、Lauren、Nini、frank lin
TAC：Iain McKenna 、Bjorn 、Lonnie 、Judy 、Ethan 、Dave Prior 、Xavier 、iain.mckenna 、Bjoem、Lonnie、Judy Neher、Ethan Huang、Mrsungo、Xavier.quesada
China CST：Bill li、Lance、Jackie 、Vernon
CST：Peter 、Bernie、Timon、Kris Philippaerts 、Joke Vandemaele 、Kiki 、育銘
CEC：Anja、Scrum best friends、Mike cohn 、Pearson Haze 、Roman pichler、Lyssa adkins 、Geoff watts、Chungan
DrMaster Press Co：Simon 、Jessica、Angel、Lucy
Heavyweight CSM：第一梯CEO、第二梯CEO
CSM Volunteer.：elly：、Frank
CEO CSM System Revision After the Third Batch:
1.The incentive bonus for on-site customer service personnel is determined by the CEO CSM.
2.All snacks and beverages have doubled specifications.
3.Each trainee has 3 salon photos.
4.The ten dollars inside each trainee’s name tag becomes twenty dollars.
