PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) Primer - Aspe-sdlc.com

PMI-ACP Primer Web SeminarPresented by:Tom McGraw, VP of Public Sales– ASPE, Inc.

Why Agile for PMI• The question on the minds (and responses on theBlogs) of professionals on either side of the fence• It is simple– PMI recognizes that Agile is of growing importance inproject management– With any business, PMI had to acknowledge this anddoing something or nothing… they decided to dosomething

Vision for New Certification• If it has ties to project management, PMI wants to be a partof it. They see project management above any specificmethod or practice. So their spin on this cert:– Certification recognizes individual expertise using Agile practicesand shows professional versatility through Agile tools andtechniques– Certification carries a higher level of professional credibilitythrough its requirements– Certification supports individuals in meeting the needs oforganizations using a diversity of methods

Demographics• Employers—PMI wants you to know that:– Certification demonstrates to employers the practitioner’s level ofprofessionalism with Agile practices in software dev management• Employees—PMI wants to give you:– A tool to show professional versatility in both project managementtools and techniques– Both “traditional” PM and Agile PM experience and understanding

Application RequirementsPMI‐ACP RequirementsEligibility Requirements:Education LevelDescription:Secondary degree (high school or equivalent) orhigherGeneral Project ManagementExperienceAgile Project ManagementExperienceAgile Project ManagementTrainingExaminationMaintenance2,000 hours working on project teams. These hoursmust be earned within the last 5 years. PMP is acceptableto fulfill these requirements1,500 hours working on Agile project teams or in Agilemethodologies. These hours are in addition to the generalproject management experience requirements. These hoursmust be earned within the last three years21 contact hours; hours must be earned in Agile project managementtopics **ACP PDUs**Tests knowledge of Agile fundamentals and ability to apply to basicprojects30 PDUs or 3 CEUs every 3 years in Agile project managementNote: these hours would count toward fulfilling PMP requirementif individual holds both certifications

FeesPMI-ACP Certification FeesExam Administration Type PMI Member PMI Non memberComputer-based testing $435 $495Paper-based testing $385 $445Reexamination CBT $335 $395Reexamination PBT $285 $345CCR certification renewal $90 $130

Things to Know• Once you start the application process you have 90 days to complete• Do online application if at all possible (takes five business days to process• Can’t schedule exam until application is approved and fees paid• If you are audited (possibly up to 25% of applications are randomly audited) you have90 days to respond, no eligibility until successful completion of audit• You have one year to take exam after application approval and you can retake theexam three times during that year• Your certification cycle starts the day you pass your exam and your cycle is 3 years.You need 30 PDUs in that cycle• You complete renewal process once you have 30 PDUs and pay renewal fee• Certification suspension happens on the third anniversary of the day you passedyour exam and you have yet to renew (1 year period)• Certification expiration happens after suspension period if you do not fulfill yourrecertification requirement

CCR Snap-shot• CCR (Continuing Certification Requirements– Must follow to maintain an active certification– PMI-ACP certification cycle is three years from date ofexam pass– No less than 30 professional development units (PDUs)• Use the onsite CCR system to report PDUs• Complete online application for renewal– Reaffirm PMI code of ethics– Reaffirm PMI certification application/renewal agreement– Submit the credential renewal fee– PDU category, structure and policy

Exam Content OverviewPMI-ACP Exam InformationScored Questions Unscored Questions Total Exam Questions100 20 120Alloted Examination Time3 hoursExamination is preceded by a tutorial and followed by a survey both are optionalPMI-ACP Exam BlueprintAgile tools and techniques 50%Agile knowledge and skills 50%100%

Tools and Techniques detailTools and Techniques 50% of ExamCommunicationInformation radiator, team space, agile tooling, osmoticcommunications for colocated/ditribute dteams dailystandupsPlanning, montioring and adaptinigRetrospectives, task/kanban boards, timeboxing, iterationand release planning, WIP limits, burn down/up chartscumulative flow diagrams, process tailoriingAgile estimationAgile analysis and designProduct qualityrelative sizing/story points wide band Delphi/planningpoker, affinity estimating, ideal timeProduct roadmap, user stories/backlog, story mapsprogressive elaboration wireframes, chartering personas,agile modelingfrequent verification and validation, test-drivendevelopment/test first development, acceptance testdrivendevelopment definition of done, continuousintegration

Tools and Techniques (continued)Soft skills negotiationemotional intelligence, collaboration, adaptiveleadership, negotiation, conflict resolution,servant leadershipValue-based prioritizationreturn on investment (ROI)/net present value(NPV)/internal rate of return (IRR), compliance,customer-valued prioritization, minimallymarketable feature (MMF), relativeprioritization/rankingRisk managementrisk adjustment backlog, risk burn down graphs,risk-based spikeMetricsValue stream analysisVelocity cycle time, earned value management(EVM) for agile projects, escaped defectsvalue stream mapping

Knowledge and Skills (50% of exam)Knowledge and Skills ContentLevel% of Knowledge and Skill Content / % of ExamLevel 1 (18 Knowledge/skills areas) 65% / 33%Level 2 (12 Knowledge/skills areas) 25% /12%level 3 (13 Knowledge/skills areas) 10% / 5%

Level 1 (33% of total exam questions)Active listeningAgile Manifesto values and principlesCommunity and stakeholder valueBrainstorming techniquesBuilding empowered teamsCoaching and mentoring within teamsCommunications managementFeedback techniquesIncremental deliveryKnowledge sharingLeadership tools and techniquesPrioritizationProblem-solving strategiesProject & quality standards for AgileStakeholder managementTeam motivationTime, budget and cost estimationValue based decomposition/prioritization

Level 2 (12% of total exam questions)Agile Frameworks and terminologyBuilding high-performance teamsBusiness case developmentColocation / distributed teamsContinuous improvement processesElements of project charter for an AgileprojectFacilitation methodsParticipatory decision modelsPMI’s code of Ethics and ProfessionalConductProcess analysis techniquesSelf assessmentValue-based analysis

Level 3 (5% of total Exam questions)Agile contracting methodsAgile project accounting principlesApplying new Agile practicesCompliance (organization)Control limits for Agile projectsFailure modes and alternativesGlobalization, culture and teamdiversityInnovation gamesPrinciples of systems thinkingRegulatory complianceVariance and trend analysisVariations in Agile methods andapproachesVendor management

Domains and Tasks• Domains and tasks were NOT used in the construction ofthe certification examination, but they are important.They provide guidance for professional development– Domain I: Value-Drive Delivery– Domain II: Stakeholder Engagement– Domain III: Boosting Team Performance Practices– Domain IV: Adaptive Planning– Domain V: Problem Detection and Resolution– Domain VI: Continuous Improvement

Reference list• Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber ISBN#0977616649• Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game – 2nd Edition Alistair Cockburn ISBN#0321482751• The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility Michele Sliger, Stacia Broderick ISBN#0321502752• Coaching Agile Teams Lyssa Adkins ISBN #0321637704• Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products – 2nd Edition Jim Highsmith ISBN#0321658396• Becoming Agile: ...in an imperfect world Greg Smith, Ahmed Sidky ISBN #1933988258• Agile Estimating and Planning Mike Cohn ISBN #0131479415• The Art of Agile Development James Shore ISBN #0596527675• User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development Mike Cohn ISBN #0321205685• Agile Project Management with Scrum Ken Schwaber ISBN #073561993X• Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, JamesR. Trott ISBN #0321532899

Training Options• Option #1– PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) Boot CampPreparation course for PMI-ACP Certification Exam• 3-day program• 2 days of in-depth Agile PM skills and tools training, 1 full day of exam test prep• Includes study guide• Option #2– Agile Boot Camp (21 PDUs)– Agile Essentials (7 PDUs) + Agile Project Management (14 PDUs)– No test prep option

Connection with Scrum Alliance Designations• Anyone’s guess?• Most likely it will be seen as more valued than CSMcertification and possibly on par with current CSP(Certified Scrum Practitioner)– CSM has no application . Requires training and assessment– CSP has difficult application and experience requirement. (requiresexam OR training)– The reality is that it is different. PMI is positioning it as showing aPractitioners versatility and experience, not their Agile“ness”

Questions?877-800-5221info@aspe-sdlc.com

How to Claim Your PDU• Go to aspe‐sdlc.com/pdu/ for instructionson submitting your PDU.• You can submit your PDU by mail orelectronically.• The Activity code for today’s presentation isWS062311 and ASPE’s REP number is 2161.• The seminars are Category A for one PDU