Photo by Kier in Sight Archives on UnsplashIf you've just started your career as a project manager, consider becoming an Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).
Agile is a business movement that's beneficial to companies because it increases project performance rates. PMI-ACPs bring Agile's enhanced collaboration and readiness to businesses by creating organizational change.
Becoming an Agile Certified Practitioner can give you a competitive advantage in the project management job market. It could also mean a higher salary potential!
Why Earn a PMI-ACP?
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PMI-ACPs are project management specialists who use Agile methodology to create, develop, and test new project processes and software.
Agile is an iterative process that uses "sprints", or incremental steps, to develop products. This method allows for early feedback and issue correction. As a PMI-ACP, your expertise in the problem-solving and time management advantages of Agile will help companies become more adaptable and productive.
Earning a PMI-ACP designation showcases and demonstrates these key skills and specialized knowledge to potential employers and project stakeholders. It allows you to stand out as someone who knows Agile principles, practices, and tools.
Certification Requirements
You'll need to complete a few prerequisites to get certified:
Education: Have at minimum a high school diploma, associate degree, or global equivalent
Project work experience: 2000 hours or 12 months of direct project work within the past 5 years
Agile training: take a PMI-ACP exam preparation course that has 21 hours of "contact time" with an instructor
Agile work experience: minimum 1500 or 8 months "working with Agile methodology or on Agile project teams" over the past 3 years
Once you've completed the prerequisites, you'll need to take a 120-question multiple choice exam.
You'll also need to renew your PMI-ACP certification every three years. This means completing continuing certification requirements (CCR) or professional development units (PDUs)
You'll need to earn 30 PDUs to maintain certification. 18 of these PDUs must be "education-based", meaning you'll need to study skill-building topics. Up to 12 PDUs can come from "professional volunteer work."
After meeting the requirements for recertification, you'll pay a renewal fee to renew your certification.
Quiz: Taylor's Next PMI-ACP Steps
Taylor is a skilled project manager at a mid-sized technology firm.
Over the past 10 years, Taylor has successfully managed multiple projects using traditional methodologies, earning a reputation for delivering on time and within budget. Last year, the company shifted to an Agile environment to improve flexibility and collaboration in software development projects.
Taylor has completed 12 months of general project experience within the last 5 years since the company shifted the previous year to Agile.
What else would Taylor need to get PMI-ACP certified?
Quiz
While Taylor has completed 12 months of general project experience with the company, what more does she still need to get PMI-ACP certified? Select all that apply:
Agile Courses
Photo by Element5 Digital on UnsplashYou can take courses to learning Agile and earn your PMI-ACP certification in a few ways.
Free Courses
Master of Project Academy gives an overview of the Agile project management method and its principles. It also reveals tips and tricks for PMI-ACP exam takers.
Basics of Disciplined Agile Online Course from The Project Management Institute will give you an idea of what you can learn in a complete online Agile course.
Paid Courses
Udemy's beginner course course consists of 8 modules facilitated by a trainer with high-level project management experience.
Learning Tree's bootcamp will provide training "through real-life scenarios." It also reviews Agile terminology and practices.
LinkedIn offers numerous Agile courses that are free for a month, followed by continued learning with payment options.
Coursera offers training from IBM in Agile methods like Kanban and Scrum. It also covers Agile Software and sprint planning. The course is free for 7 days, and you can continue learning with additional payment options.
Taking the Exam
Photo by Crew on UnsplashOnce you've completed your coursework, you must register and take the PMI-ACP exam. The exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions and takes 180 minutes to complete.
It's divided into 7 categories:
Value-driven delivery
Stakeholder engagement
Agile principles and mindset
Team performance
Adaptive planning
Problem detection and resolution
Continuous improvement
To apply for the exam, go to The Project Management Institute site and click "Apply Now". This site also has a link to view exam content online. You'll find a list of tasks to assess your proficiency as an Agile practitioner.
There is a cost. Project Management Institute members pay a lower fee than non-members. This fee is only required after your application is accepted and your exam is ready to be scheduled.
Take Action
Photo by Rodeo Project Management Software on UnsplashBefore you earn a PMI-ACP certification, you may want to learn more about how the Agile methodology works and why it's helpful in business processes. Check out the Bytes below:
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