By Peter Gleeson
PMI offered a new qualification - Agile Certified Professional from 31st January this year.
As a PMP who had worked on some agile projects and had a basic agile qualification (Certified Scrum Master), I was interested in this - but I wanted to know what separated it from other agile qualifications that were out there.
My research on that led to two primary differentiators:
1. It was experienced based – you needed to have:
a. 2000 hours project management experience
b. 1500 hours Agile project experience within the last 2 years (on an agile team, not necessarily as a project manager)
2. It was methodology agnostic – all the other qualifications out there were for one particular “flavor” of Agile. This qualification encompassed most of them including Scrum, XP, Lean, Kanban, and DSDM, as well as other concepts that were common across many of them such as test driven delivery
That decided for me that this was the right qualification for me – having this would demonstrate not only a broad range of knowledge of agile processes tools and techniques, it also shows that you have applied in these in real life. As in many aspects of project management, no amount of examinations or training can replace the experience you get from actually running agile projects.
Unlike PMP and CAPM, ACP (Agile Certified Professional) does not have a body of knowledge as a primary reference. Instead, PMI provides an Examination Content Outline that documents many of the tools/techniques and knowledge/skills that will be tested in the exam. It also provides a basic framework of domains of practice and tasks an agile project.
In the handbook for the ACP exam, PMI provides a recommended reading list of 11 different Agile books. I read through 10 of these as preparation for the exam (and after passing the exam have since purchased and read the other one). This I found a lot more valuable than just reading a study guide aimed at getting you to pass the exam, as the detail within those books contained tools and techniques that I could apply in my day to day job, even on non-agile projects.
The exam itself was a typical PMI type exam. The time you have is fairly generous – 3 hours to answer 120 questions (100 of which are marked, and 20 are unscored). 50% of the exam is on tools and techniques, and 50% is Agile knowledge and skills. In both of these areas, there are many situational questions that provide you with a scenario within a project, and ask you to choose the correct response. These really test your real world application of agile, and allow you to demonstrate your actual agile project experience.
In summary, I believe over the next few years this qualification will take on increasing importance in the marketplace. In Agile projects, not one size fits all, and the broad range of knowledge you must demonstrate to pass this exam shows you have a wide range of skills and techniques in your toolkit that you can apply to various project situations.
A recent posting by Joeseph Flahiff, CEO of Whitewater Projects Inc. summed it up better than I can:
“The high standards of qualification and the rigorous development of the exam ensure that the PMI- ACP Agile certification carries the highest possible credibility. Any hiring managing seeing it can be assured the applicant has proven expertise. CIOs, HR professionals and IT manager should be on the lookout for the PMI-ACP certification. It says a lot about the person who is qualified to use those letters.”
Peter Gleeson is the Secretary of the Northern Branch of PMINZ, and one of the first in New Zealand to take the first PMI-ACP exam.
Whanaungatanga (noun) relationship, kinship, sense of family connection - a relationship through shared experiences and working together which provides people with a sense of belonging. Welcome to the PMI New Zealand Connection blog - Whanaungatanga, where Project Managers make connections in our community.
Monday 16 April 2012
Agile on the uptake
By Anthony Boobier
I’ve just come back from giving a presentation at AgileNZ, New Zealand’s first Agile conference. I was impressed by the large turnout given how quickly it was arranged; 140 people pushed the venue to capacity. The attendees represented a wide range of roles across a number of sectors.
The question the conference raises is, has Agile has gone mainstream? I’m not sure it’s the dominant approach to delivery, but there is a prevailing current, direction of activity and influence associated with Agile. It is certainly becoming much more prevalent and accepted as a proven approach, but that in itself has benefits and drawbacks. Agile and Lean advocates are no longer seen as a minority; there is now an increased acceptance and usage; but with that uptake comes misconceptions and the potential for incorrect implementation of Agile approaches.
Four values of Agile
At its core Agile is very simple - a set of values, principles and associated practices. Agile at its simplest is encapsulated by four values - a message I am keen to get across when teaching Agile Lean courses:
Individuals and interactions over Processes and Tools
Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation
Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation
Responding to Change over Following a Plan
The key word is ‘over’; in Agile, while we accept there is value in the items on the right, we have come to value the items on the left more. There are of course associated approaches – such as Scrum, the mostly widely used Agile framework, and Kanban, a flow based tool with its roots within Lean manufacturing. But which approach should you choose and why? You need to select those underlying practices based upon the context of your project or organisation.
Agile is defined in the dictionary as being quick, resourceful and adaptable. Who wouldn’t want to be described as that? And therein lies the problem. A lot of people call themselves ‘Agile’ or ‘Lean’ without understanding what that means; these are not buzzwords. To be Agile means to adhere to those values and principles and be highly disciplined.
PMI Agile Certified Practitioner
The PMI has introduced the PMI-ACP, an Agile certification. I was fortunate enough to be on the Beta programme (the pilot) and one of the first to achieve the PMI-ACP in New Zealand. The Agile certification helps ensure a common understanding of Agile terminology and approaches, what it is and what it is not. I would highly recommend this certification for Project Managers working in the Agile space. Like the PMP, the PMI-ACP opens the door to continuous learning and improvement.
Building expertise in Agile
Sharing knowledge and good practice is so important in the Agile as well as the general project management community. Why not take a look at the PMI-ACP exam, participate in PMI’s mentoring programme and seek an Agile mentor; read an Agile book or blog, or come along to an Agile Welly presentation? See www.meetup.com/AgileWelly/
We are a group of volunteers who have created an active Agile Lean community within Wellington through which we hope to engage with others and increase the professionalism of how Agile is implemented. ‘Professionalism’, ‘Volunteerism’, ‘Community’ and ‘Engagement’. These are the core values of the PMI and like the core values of the Agile Manifesto they should guide everything that we do.
Anthony Boobier is Principal Consultant and Agile / Lean Coach in Equinox’s Business Application and Product Development Team. He is a Certified Scrum Practitioner and one of the first internationally to achieve the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner certification (the PMI-ACP). In addition to his Agile / Lean consulting, coaching and software project management activities, Anthony is also a certified instructor in Equinox’s training business. Anthony is actively involved in Agile Welly (Wellington chapter of the Agile Professional Network) as Treasurer and event MC. He posts his Agile and Lean thoughts, ideas and learning on the Equinox blog, and you can read his posts at http://www.equinox.co.nz/agileblog
(edited by Caroline Donovan, Director of Professional Development, PMINZ)
I’ve just come back from giving a presentation at AgileNZ, New Zealand’s first Agile conference. I was impressed by the large turnout given how quickly it was arranged; 140 people pushed the venue to capacity. The attendees represented a wide range of roles across a number of sectors.
The question the conference raises is, has Agile has gone mainstream? I’m not sure it’s the dominant approach to delivery, but there is a prevailing current, direction of activity and influence associated with Agile. It is certainly becoming much more prevalent and accepted as a proven approach, but that in itself has benefits and drawbacks. Agile and Lean advocates are no longer seen as a minority; there is now an increased acceptance and usage; but with that uptake comes misconceptions and the potential for incorrect implementation of Agile approaches.
Four values of Agile
At its core Agile is very simple - a set of values, principles and associated practices. Agile at its simplest is encapsulated by four values - a message I am keen to get across when teaching Agile Lean courses:
Individuals and interactions over Processes and Tools
Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation
Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation
Responding to Change over Following a Plan
The key word is ‘over’; in Agile, while we accept there is value in the items on the right, we have come to value the items on the left more. There are of course associated approaches – such as Scrum, the mostly widely used Agile framework, and Kanban, a flow based tool with its roots within Lean manufacturing. But which approach should you choose and why? You need to select those underlying practices based upon the context of your project or organisation.
Agile is defined in the dictionary as being quick, resourceful and adaptable. Who wouldn’t want to be described as that? And therein lies the problem. A lot of people call themselves ‘Agile’ or ‘Lean’ without understanding what that means; these are not buzzwords. To be Agile means to adhere to those values and principles and be highly disciplined.
PMI Agile Certified Practitioner
The PMI has introduced the PMI-ACP, an Agile certification. I was fortunate enough to be on the Beta programme (the pilot) and one of the first to achieve the PMI-ACP in New Zealand. The Agile certification helps ensure a common understanding of Agile terminology and approaches, what it is and what it is not. I would highly recommend this certification for Project Managers working in the Agile space. Like the PMP, the PMI-ACP opens the door to continuous learning and improvement.
Building expertise in Agile
Sharing knowledge and good practice is so important in the Agile as well as the general project management community. Why not take a look at the PMI-ACP exam, participate in PMI’s mentoring programme and seek an Agile mentor; read an Agile book or blog, or come along to an Agile Welly presentation? See www.meetup.com/AgileWelly/
We are a group of volunteers who have created an active Agile Lean community within Wellington through which we hope to engage with others and increase the professionalism of how Agile is implemented. ‘Professionalism’, ‘Volunteerism’, ‘Community’ and ‘Engagement’. These are the core values of the PMI and like the core values of the Agile Manifesto they should guide everything that we do.
Anthony Boobier is Principal Consultant and Agile / Lean Coach in Equinox’s Business Application and Product Development Team. He is a Certified Scrum Practitioner and one of the first internationally to achieve the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner certification (the PMI-ACP). In addition to his Agile / Lean consulting, coaching and software project management activities, Anthony is also a certified instructor in Equinox’s training business. Anthony is actively involved in Agile Welly (Wellington chapter of the Agile Professional Network) as Treasurer and event MC. He posts his Agile and Lean thoughts, ideas and learning on the Equinox blog, and you can read his posts at http://www.equinox.co.nz/agileblog
(edited by Caroline Donovan, Director of Professional Development, PMINZ)
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