Downloaded 137 times
Uploaded byRichard Cheng
A Deep Look at Agile Certifications
This document provides an overview of agile certifications and the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) certification in particular. It discusses the various certifying bodies that offer agile certifications and describes the requirements, costs, reference materials, and exam content for the PMI-ACP. The exam consists of 120 multiple choice questions covering 50% tools and techniques and 50% agile knowledge and skills. It also provides results from the PMI-ACP pilot program which showed over 500 individuals earned the certification.
More Related Content
Similar to A Deep Look at Agile Certifications
More from Richard Cheng
A Deep Look at Agile Certifications
- 1. A Deep Lookat Agile Certifications Richard Cheng Agile Center of Excellence PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL. The information contained in this material is privileged and confidential, and is intended only for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed and others who have been specifically authorized to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this material is strictly prohibited. If you have received this material in error, please destroy it immediately.
- 2. Introduction Richard K Cheng
- 3. Certifying Bodies Proprietary andConfidential 3
- 4. The Agile Manifesto “Individualsand interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more. “ - The Agile Manifesto Proprietary and Confidential
- 5. Agile Principles 1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. 2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage. 3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale. 4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. 5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. 6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face- to-face conversation. 7. Working software is the primary measure of progress. Agile processes promote sustainable development. 8. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. 9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. 10. Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential. 11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. 12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly. Proprietary and Confidential
- 6. Agile Principles 1. Satisfy the customer through 7. Working software is the primary early and continuous delivery measure of progress 8. Sustainable pace 2. Welcome changing requirements 9. Technical excellence and good 3. Deliver frequently, preferring a design enhances agility shorter timescale 10. Simplicity, maximizing the amount of work not done 4. Business & technical work together daily 11. Best results emerge from self- organizing teams 5. Pick the right team & trust them 12. The team regularly reflects 6. Face-to-Face Communication to become more effective Proprietary and Confidential
- 7. Agile Methodologies Agile Scrum XP Lean DSDM Kanban Agile RUP Atern FDD BDD … Proprietary and Confidential
- 8. Project Management Institute •Most recognized project management certification organization • One Agile certification available – PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) – Developed by Agile thought leaders • Just completed pilot program – Pilot exams began in October – Pilot ended November 30, 2011 – Results send out January 9, 2012 – PMI-ACP testing begins January 31, 2012 -8- Proprietary and Confidential
- 9. PMI-ACP • Requirements – General Project Management Experience – 2000 hours within last 5 years. If you have an active PMP, you meet this requirement. – Agile Project Management Experience – 1500 hours within last 2 years. – Agile Project Management Education – 21 contact hours. – Application – Exam – Application must be approved. – Maintenance – 30 PDU's every 3 years. These hours count towards fulfilling PMP requirements as well. • Costs – $435 for member, $495 for non-member to take exam. – Cost of classes/seminars (~$1500) before exam and after for maintenance. Proprietary and Confidential 9
- 10. PMI-ACP Exam Pilot •120 questions, 20 pretest questions that are thrown out • Passing scored not yet published • Unofficial numbers (from LinkedIn PMI-ACP group): – 7654 Applications Opened – 1404 Applications Submitted – 827 Exam Applicants Paid – 557 Exams Taken – 515 PMI-ACP Certificates awarded during the Pilot Program Proprietary and Confidential 10
- 11. Exam Results Proprietary andConfidential 11
- 12. Official Reference Agile Retrospectives:Making Good Teams Great Agile Estimating and Planning Esther Derby, Diana Larsen Mike Cohn ISBN #0977616649 ISBN #0131479415 Agile Software Development: The Art of Agile Development The Cooperative Game – 2nd Edition James Shore Alistair Cockburn ISBN #0596527675 ISBN #0321482751 The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility User Stories Applied: Michele Sliger, Stacia Broderick For Agile Software Development ISBN #0321502752 Mike Cohn ISBN #0321205685 Coaching Agile Teams Lyssa Adkins Agile Project Management with Scrum ISBN #0321637704 Ken Schwaber ISBN #073561993X Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products – 2nd Edition Lean-Agile Software Development: Jim Highsmith Achieving Enterprise Agility ISBN #0321658396 Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott Becoming Agile: ...in an imperfect world ISBN #0321532899 Greg Smith, Ahmed Sidky ISBN #1933988258 Proprietary and Confidential 12
- 13. Content Distribution Knowledge & Tools & Skills, 50 Techniques, 50 Proprietary and Confidential 13
- 14. Tools & Techniques(50%) Priority Item Question* 1 Communications 10.9 2 Planning, Monitoring, and Adapting 9.8 3 Agile Estimation 8.7 4 Agile Analysis and Design 7.6 5 Product Quality 6.5 6 Soft Skills Negotiation 5.5 7 Value-Based Prioritization 4.4 8 Risk Management 3.3 9 Metrics 2.2 10 Value Stream Analysis 1.1 Total Questions 60 *source Jesse Fewell PMI-ACP Prep Proprietary and Confidential 14
- 15. Knowledge & Skills(50%) Level 1: 33% = 40 questions Level 2: 12% = 15 questions Level 3: 5% = 6 questions • Active listening • Agile frameworks and terminology • Agile contracting methods • Agile Manifesto value and principles • Building high-performance teams • Agile project accounting principles • Assessing and incorporating community • Business case development • Applying new Agile practices and stakeholder values • Colocation (geographic • Compliance (organization) • Brainstorming techniques proximity/distributed teams) • Control limits for Agile projects • Building empowered teams • Continuous improvement processes • Failure modes and alternatives • Coaching and mentoring within teams • Elements of a project charter for an • Globalization, culture, and team • Communications management Agile project diversity • Feedback techniques for product (e.g. • Facilitation methods • Innovation games prototyping, simulation, • Participatory decision models (e.g., • Principles of systems thinking (e.g. demonstrations, evaluations) input-based. Shared collaboration, complex adaptive, chaos) • Incremental delivery command) • Regulatory compliance • Knowledge sharing • PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional • Variance and trend analysis • Leadership tools and techniques Conduct • Variations in Agile methods and • Prioritization • Process analysis techniques approaches • Problem-solving strategies, tools, and • Self assessment • Vendor management techniques • Value-based analysis • Project and quality standards for Agile projects • Stakeholder management • Team motivation • Time, budget, and cost estimation • Value-based decomposition and prioritization Proprietary and Confidential 15
- 16. Helpful references Scrum Guide http://www.scrum.org/scrumguides/ PMI-ACPWeb Page http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/New-PMI-Agile-Certification.aspx LinkedIn PMI-ACP Exam Prep Study Group http://www.linkedin.com/groups/PMI-Agile-Certified-Practitioner-PMIACP-3809643 PMI Agile Community of Practice http://agile.vc.pmi.org Agile Exams http://www.agileexams.com/ Blog Post - PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner) Study Tips http://agiletraining.com/2011/09/24/pmi-acp-agile-certification-exam-study-tips/ Proprietary and Confidential 16
- 17. Scrum Alliance Certifications Proprietaryand Confidential 17
- 18. SA - CertifiedScrum Master (CSM) • Program started in 2002 • Requirements – Two day class • Exam – 35 question exam in 60 minutes – No failing score …. yet • 135,551 students have taken the class (8/31/11) • Over 95,000 CSMs (7/21/11) • Costs – Class costs $1000~$1600 – $50 renewal fee every two years Proprietary and Confidential 18
- 19. SA - CertifiedScrum Product Owner (CSPO) • Program started in 2007 • Requirements – Two day class • No exam • 16,950 students have taken the class (8/31/11) • Over 10,000 active CSPOs (as of 7/21/11) • Costs – Class costs $1000~$1600 – $50 renewal fee every two years Proprietary and Confidential 19
- 20. SA - CertifiedScrum Developer (CSD) • Program started in 2010 • Requirements – Five days of training • Three days of technical training • Two day of Scrum training (CSM or CSPO will qualify) – Formal assessment – Application • 980 students have taken the CSD class (8/31/11) • Over 250 active CSDs (7/21/11) • Costs – Training costs $2000+ – $150 fee after application has been approved – After two years, must go through application and approval process again Proprietary and Confidential 20
- 21. Scrum Alliance Certifications Proprietaryand Confidential 21
- 22. SA - CertifiedScrum Professional (CSP) • Program started in 2002 • Used to be called Certified Scrum Practitioner • 1862 CSPs (12/31/11) • Requirements – Active CSM, CSPO, or CSD – 2000 hours of Scrum related work in the past two years* – Maintain a current Scrum Alliance membership* – 150 question 3 hour exam (80% passing score)* – PDUs will be introduced sometime prior to 2013* • Costs – $300 fee once eligibility is confirmed (if you do not pass the exam, you can re-take after 3 months)* – Renewal every two years (PDUs to be introduced sometime prior to 2013)* – Renewal of CSP automatically renews your lower level certifications (CSM, CSPO, CSD) • Resources* – CSP Candidate handbook, http://scrumalliance.org/resources/2733 – 35 question practice exam ($20), https://www.castleworldwide.com/castleweb/candidates/purchase- test/purchase-practice-test.aspx?userid=&package_id=10865 *new as of January 1, 2011 Proprietary and Confidential 22
- 23. CSP Exam Proprietary andConfidential 23
- 24. SA - CertifiedScrum Professional (CSP) – New Proposed Plan • Professional Development Units based system • 60 PDUs over 2 or 3 years • Estimated cost $500 per 8 PDUs, roughly $3200 • PDUs earned through training from Certified Scrum Trainers (CST) • PDUs earned through coaching from Certified Scrum Coaches (CSC) • Shifts away from competing with the PMI-ACP to a next step after the PMI-ACP Proprietary and Confidential 24
- 25. SA - CertifiedScrum Coach (CSC) • Program started in 2007 • Requirements – Active CSP – 1500 hours of Scrum coaching over the past five years – Two client references – Three years of contribution to the Scrum community – Application – Certification Review Committee recommendation – Scrum Alliance Board approval • Total count 47 (as of 12/31/2011) • Costs – $100 application fee – $750 per year to maintain certification – Reapply every 3 years Proprietary and Confidential 25
- 26. Certified Scrum Trainer(CST) • Program started in 2004 • Total count 129 (as of 12/31/2011) • Requirements – Application – Course materials and exercises – At least five recommendations from current CST’s – Approval process • Costs – $250 application fee – $7500 per year to maintain certification – $50 per student taught Proprietary and Confidential 26
- 27.
- 28. Scrum.org • Relativelynew Scrum certification organization (founded in 2009) • Founded by Ken Schwaber because… “Why did you found Scrum.org? Are you still with the Scrum Alliance?” I’ve been asked these questions countless times since I left the Scrum Alliance and created Scrum.org last fall. This is the story of my journey with Scrum, starting with its creation, moving through the establishment and evolution of the Scrum Alliance, and ending with my work with Scrum.org. This journey has been shaped by two opposing forces: the desire to do the right thing, and the desire to make money. I formed Scrum.org to refocus my efforts on doing the right thing. • Strong Microsoft backing • Five different Scrum certifications available – Professional ScrumMaster I – Professional ScrumMaster II – Professional Scrum Product Owner I – Professional Scrum Product Owner II – Professional Scrum Developer Proprietary and Confidential 28
- 29.
- 30. Scrum.org - ProfessionalScrum Master Proprietary and Confidential 30
- 31. Scrum.org - ProfessionalScrum Master I • Program started in 2009 • Requirements – Fundamental understanding of Scrum – 60 minute exam – 85% is a passing grade • Costs – $100 fee to take the exam (one time only) – Professional Scrum Foundations course, ~ $1000-$1400 (not required) Proprietary and Confidential 31
- 32. Scrum.org - ProfessionalScrum Master II • Program started in 2009 • Requirements – Active Professional Scrum Master I – Intermediate understanding of Scrum – 120 minute exam – 85% is a passing grade • Costs – $500 fee to take the exam (one time only) – Professional Scrum Master course, ~ $1000-$1600 (not required) Proprietary and Confidential 32
- 33. Scrum.org - ProfessionalScrum Product Owner Proprietary and Confidential 33
- 34. Scrum.org – ProfessionalScrum Product Owner I • Program started in February 2011 • Requirements – Professional Scrum Product Owner course (two days) – 60 minute exam – 85% is a passing grade • Costs – Professional Scrum Product Owner course, ~ $1000 Proprietary and Confidential 34
- 35. Scrum.org – ProfessionalScrum Product Owner II • Program started in February 2011 • Requirements – Active Professional Scrum Product Owner I – 120 minute exam – 85% is a passing grade • Costs – $500 fee to take the exam (one time only) Proprietary and Confidential 35
- 36. Scrum.org – ProfessionalScrum Developer • Program started in late 2009 • Requirements – Five day course – Java and .NET tracks – 60 minute exam – 90% is a passing grade • Costs – Professional Scrum Developer course, ~ $2500 Proprietary and Confidential 36
- 37.
- 38. International Consortium forAgile (ICAgile) • Relatively new Agile certification organization (launched late 2009) • Founded by Alistair Cockburn, Ahmed Sidky and Ash Rofail • Three different Agile certifications available – Certified ICAgile Professional – ICAgile Expert – Master Agilist Proprietary and Confidential 38
- 39.
- 40. Certified ICAgile Professional(CIP) • 774 CIPs (as of 1/19/2012) • Requirements – Fundamentals of Agile course (two or three days) • Costs – Fundamentals of Agile course, ~ $1000-$1600 Proprietary and Confidential 40
- 41. ICAgile Expert • Fivespecialty tracks – Agile Business Analysis and Value Management – Agile Project Management – Agile Facilitation and Coaching – Agile Software Design and Programming – Agile Software Testing • Requirements – Pick a track, attend courses (topics), receive topic certifications – Attend several classes on a track to apply for Expert certification • Cost – Classes cost ~$1000-$1500 – Several classes needed for Expert certification – Overall cost ??? Proprietary and Confidential 41
- 42. ICAgile Expert –Example* Janet Marqueson ICAgile CIP, 2011 ICAgile Testing Certification, 2011 ICAgile Test Automation Certification, 2012 ICAgile Expert: Testing, 2012 *from ICAgile.com Proprietary and Confidential 42
- 43. Master Agilist • Requirements – Show evidence of having learned multiple approaches to your work, either a second methodology or alternative techniques within the specialty. – Provide a portfolio of work, references, and arrange for a preliminary screening. – Perform work in front of a panel of experts. • Cost – ??? Proprietary and Confidential 43
- 44. ICAgile Master Agilist– Example* Janet Marqueson ICAgile CIP, 2011 ICAgile Testing Certification, 2011 ICAgile Test Automation Certification, 2012 ICAgile Expert: Testing, 2012 Master Agilist, 2014 *from ICAgile.com Proprietary and Confidential 44
- 45. Summary Scrum Certifications Agile Certifications Scrum Alliance PMI-ACP • Most widely recognized • PMI Agile certification Scrum certifications • Entry levels are class • Test based based ICAgile Scrum.org • PSM based on • New offering, very assessment without preliminary structure required class • Specialized focus • Assessment based Proprietary and Confidential 45
- 46. Contact Information Richard KCheng richard.cheng@excella.com 703-967-8620 http://www.excella.com Twitter: @RichardKCheng Proprietary and Confidential 46