Agile Certifications
Dr. Vijay Kanabar
Boston University
Agenda
• Overview of Agile Certifications
• Details of PMI-ACP
What is Agile?
• New way of working.
• Learn specific practices.
• May have to push a new way of working in your organization.
• Need to practice
– Everyone must be open to this new paradigm
Certifications
• Scrum Alliance – Job specific certification
• SCRUM Certified Scrum Master (CSM), …Certified SCRUM Product Owner (CSPO), Certified Scrum Developer (CSD)
• CSM 170,000 + very popular
– Practical experience based certification : Certified Scrum: Practitioner, and coach
• PMI – PMI-ACP certification – Agile Certified Practitioner – All SDLC, methods including SCRUM. – New but bound to be popular.
Scrum Alliance
• The Scrum Alliance is a nonprofit organization committed to delivering resources, courses, and events that will help Scrum users be successful.
• The Scrum Alliance’s mission is to promote increased awareness and understanding of Scrum and support the iterative improvement of the software development profession.
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification has become a rigorous certificate program with a pass/fail outcome.
• Previously all candidates were initially granted Scrum certification regardless of score.
• The evaluation is completed online at the end of workshop training, and consists of 35 questions.
Key Topics in a Workshop
• “Customer Expectations: Using a changing schedule and agile estimating and planning, assess the work to properly set customer expectations and manage customer satisfaction
• Running the Scrum Project • Agile Estimating and Planning: Break into teams,
and through decomposition and estimating plan out a project through delivery
• Team Dynamics: Since Scrum deals with change, conflict will happen. Learn methods to resolve problems in a self-managed environment.” --ASPE
Ref: http://www.aspe-sdlc.com/courses/certified-scrummaster-workshop/
Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) Key Topics
• “Apply Agile testing strategies based on unit and acceptance testing, and create a bottom-up confirmation to verify that your software works correctly
• Utilize technology available today to support continuous integration of software, automated builds, self testing and self reporting build processes
• Maintain high levels of product quality and code integrity • Embrace continuous planning • Find and support the key ingredient for consistent and reliable
software development projects for any industry and any team size • Use Scrum fundamentals to plan and deliver complex software
products as efficiently as possible • Explore the benefits of utilizing Test Driven Development to build
quality into the product before it is released to testing.” --ASPE
Ref: http://www.aspe-sdlc.com/courses/certified-scrummaster-workshop/
Certified Scrum Product Owner
Workshop (CSPO) • “Properly align your development efforts around
building the highest business value features first
• Ensure that the right features are being implemented for the right reasons at the right time
• Effectively and efficiently incorporate new insights into the product during the project lifecycle
• Rapidly respond to changing market conditions
• Gain organizational trust and improve your team's reputation for on-time and on-budget delivery by setting them up for frequent successes” - ASPE
Ref: http://www.aspe-sdlc.com/courses/certified-scrummaster-workshop/
Agile Project Management Certification (PMI-ACP)
• “Through the new agile certification, PMI will validate your ability to understand agile principles and concepts. You’ll be able to demonstrate to employers and project stakeholders that the use of agile is among your project management skills, and you can apply its techniques based on the needs of your projects.” - PMI
PMI Agile Certification Eligibility Requirements
Requirement Description
General Project Experience
•2,000 hours working on project teams •These hours must be earned within the last 5 years •Active PMP® or PgMP® will satisfy this requirement
PMI Agile Certification Eligibility Requirements
• Agile Project Experience
• 1500 hours working on agile project teams or with agile methodologies
• These hours are in addition to the 2,000 hours required in “general project experience”
• These hours must be earned within the last 3 years
PMI Agile Certification Eligibility Requirements
• Training in Agile Practices
• 21 contact hours
• Hours must be earned in agile practices
• This is followed by examination
– $435 for members , $495for nonmembers
• PMI-ACP credential holder will need to earn 30 PDUs in agile project management per three-year cycle.
ACP Exam Information
• Exam time is three hours
Exam Information
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Details
• Tools and techniques --50%
• Knowledge and skills --50%
Domain And Tasks
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Tools and Techniques
• Communications, planning monitoring And Adapting
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Agile estimation
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Agile Analysis and Design
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Product Quality
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Soft Skills Negotiation
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Value Based Prioritization
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Finally…
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
43 Knowledge & Skills Areas
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Knowledge & Skills
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Knowledge & Skills
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Knowledge & Skills
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Domains & Tasks
http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/~/media/Files/PDF/Agile/PMI_Agile_Certification_Content_Outline.ashx
Conclusion
• Several Certifications exist today.
• Two leaders…
• But PMI-ACP will dominate as they span the entire agile practice.