Agile

Why get an Agile project management certification

There has been a marked increase in the use of

Choosing the right Agile project management certificationFunctional

There is a wide variety of certifications for Agile available on the market. Given the complexity and scope of many of these, it may be difficult knowing where to start. Here’s a very basic breakdown of which courses are available and their specific niche in Agile practice.

• If you’d like to learn a general-purpose, widely applicable Agile methodology, an Agile project management certificationFunctional (Agile PM) will teach you practical Agile tools and methods you can apply to the management of projects right away!
• If you’d like a general education in the various Agile ‘flavours’ like Scrum, DSDM, XP and become an all-round Agile expert, you should consider an Agile Certified Practitioner Always active ^® PMI-ACP qualification.
• If you’d like to become a certified Scrum Master Professional, the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM ^{®The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.} I) from Scrum.org was developed and endorsed by Ken Schwaber, the founder of Scrum himself.
• If you’d like to become a certified Scrum Master Professional, Scrum.org’s Professional Scrum Master I (PSM ^{®Preferences} I) is developed and endorsed by Ken Schwaber, the founder of Scrum himself!
• If you’re familiar with, or already make use of, the PRINCE2 methodPreferences and would like to learn how to adapt this popular framework to better suit Agile practices, a PRINCE2 Agile course is perfect for you!
• If you would like to apply Agile methods on an enterprise level, a SAFe ^® Agilist certification will be a better choice.

Entry-level certifications

roject IN C ontrolled Environments (PRINCE2) project management methodology. While traditionally, PRINCE2 has a focus on top-down strategy and decision-making, PRINCE2 Agile modifies this framework with Agile practices to improve responsiveness, autonomy and flexibility.

While these two styles of management seem incompatible at first, PRINCE2 has always emphasized flexibility and scalability, key features also present in Agile frameworks.

PRINCE2 Agile seamlessly combines the PRINCE2 framework with compatible Agile practices, allowing for both control and flexibility.

Important to note however, is that while PRINCE2 Agile Foundation certificationStatistics has no prerequisites, a PRINCE2 Agile Foundation course does not provide as comprehensive an overview of either PRINCE2 or Agile practices as say, a PRINCE2 Foundation course or AgilePM Foundation course.

AgilePM is an iterative approach to product development that focuses on setting short-term goals interspersed with regular assessment points.Marketing

There are no prerequisites for an Agile PM Foundation course.

PSM I

Professional Scrum Master I courses are the entry-level Scrum certification ctually an Agile project management method, the qualifications are here because people often seek Scrum qualifications when seeking to enhance their Agile project management skillset.Manage options

The Professional Scrum Master course benefits from its foundation in a universal body of knowledge. This makes it much easier to attain successive certifications such as PSM II and III.Manage services

While either Scrum certifications, such as those offered by Scrum Alliance, take a broader view, Scrum.org certifications focus almost exclusively on the application of Scrum in complex projects, particularly those in the IT industry.Manage {vendor_count} vendors

PSM exams are not as easy to pass as other certifications (requiring a significant 85% to pass), it does have a reputation for producing knowledge and competent practitioners. Furthermore, Scrum.org certifications are valid for life and do not require maintenance, saving you money in the long run.Read more about these purposes

Intermediate qualifications

Intermediate qualifications are those that require candidates to first attain entry-level certifications or otherwise have stringent prerequisites.

PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner

To be eligible for a PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner examination, candidates must hold either PRINCE2 Foundation, PRINCE2 Agile Foundation, PMI^® Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^® or an equivalent qualification.

PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner courses elaborate on those topics covered by the PRINCE Agile Foundation course.

This course explores the practical application of the PRINCE2 method to working projects.

Agile PM Practitioner

To be eligible for the Agile PM Practitioner examination, candidates are required to have first passed the Agile PM Foundation exam or have an equivalent certification in Agile.

The AgilePM Practitioner qualification aims to build upon the concepts first taught in the AgilePM Foundation course with a greater emphasis placed on your ability to apply and tailor the method to any given scenario.

Earning this qualification allows you to demonstrate your competence in DSDM management and your ability to begin work as an Agile project manager to potential employers.

Upon completion, candidates will be equipped with the confidence and in-depth knowledge necessary to implement the AgilePM framework and manage the daily tasks of a professional project manager.

PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)^®

The PMI-ACP^® is PMI’s answer to the growing need for experienced Agile project managers. Whilst not itself an Agile project management certification, the ACP is PMI’s fastest growing certification with an increasing number of project managers electing to acquire this qualification each year.

PMI-ACP^® qualifications recognize practitioners’ ability to work as an Agile practitioner, rather than simply having knowledge of the subject. The PMI brand carries weight and credibility owing to the difficulty of its certification exam, guaranteeing that only those who have a good grasp of course material go on to earn their qualifications.

To be eligible for the PMI-ACP examination, candidates require 2000 hours of project management experience, and 30 contact-hours of training making it mandatory for candidates to first attend a PMI training course provided by select training service providers. It is possible however to earn this experience through other Agile courses such as a PSM I or Agile PM training course.

Which Agile project management qualification is best for me?

Below we’re going to give a quick rundown of which Agile project management certification might be best from you based on current experience, industry or role:

*Certifications in Agile are universally applicable. This list simply illustrates the most notable industries to make use of each respective framework.

**Candidates require 21 hours of project management training to be eligible for the exam. This can be attained through a PMI-ACP^® training course.

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