PMI ACP Training: Agile Certified Practitioner

ACP stands for Agile Certified Practitioner, the certification from PMI, USA for project managers across all industries. Those having ~8 months experience in agile are eligible to take the exam, though the training can be taken by anyone interested in Agile. The certification is valued across the world.

Here are a few key points about PMI ACP for your initial understanding. Details can be read via additional links provided in the Useful Links tab below

•  The ACP certification costs $495 and is valid for 3 years. You can renew the certification after that for $65 (from India). This is in addition to the training fee, but it needs to be paid later, once you have applied for the exam and your exam form is approved.

•  The ACP certification exam has 120 questions to be answered in 3 hours. All questions are situational, objective and 1 in 4 answers is correct. There are no negative marks.

•  ACP covers much more content than most other popular certifications such as ASM, PSM, CSM, CSPO. Refer the Course Outline below for details. What you learn here is much more than most of your peers would ever know about, givng you the advantage at the workplace. Further, you learn the practical aspects of doing agile, through hands-on learning

•  Though passing marks are not declared, you need to get around 70% in the practice exams shared, to have confidence to pass the exam. Generally 130 hours is needed for preparation after the training, but can vary based on experience and grasping speed

•  The 3 day training (9-5.30) covers all topics you need to know from an exam perspective and to lead Agile teams in your organization. Enough material will be given for preparation, as well as guidance on how to study.

•  There is no expiry date of the training - you can give the exam immediately or years later, but it should be within a year of submitting your exam application form.

•  Being PMI ACP Certified increases career growth opportunities taking you upward right from scrum master to managerial or coaching track. It also helps you do your agile projects better, more confidently and enhance project success

•  If you dont have sufficient experience (8 months in Agile), you can go for the training and subsequently appear for a certification such as PSM-1. You will get all the material required for preparing for the PSM-1 Certification, and support to prepare for the exam. Call us for more details.

Why GetCoached.in - 7 Differentiators

GetCoached.in's program is probably the only one that simulates the entire Agile journey, to help you get a practical dimension in your understanding.

7 Key Reasons why GetCoached.in is one of the best PMI ACP training institutes:

• 29 years Industry experienced trainer discusses examples in your domain and suggests solutions to your project situations

• Provides recording of the live classroom training to help you revise better

• Comprehensive course = lesser books to read. Increase confidence on your ACP prep<

• Experiential (hands-on) learning through a variety of simulated games/activities for nearly 50% of the training

• Training content includes the ACP, ASM, PSPO, PSM and CSM (Certified Scrum Master) scope - get the best of ALL certifications in one!

• Pre & Post training support by the same trainer - not by a call center

• All this at an affordable fee (one of the lowest you can find) + EMI option

Training Package Includes:

•  3 full days of online and classroom training delivered by ACP® Certified Trainer having ~29 years experience.

•  ACP Training Certificate for 21 Contact Hours (popularly called as 21 PDUs)

•  *Hard copy(by courier) and soft copy of all the training content

•  Recordings of the training, for later reference while studying

•  3 mock tests with answers (soft copy)

•  30 additional free mock exams (via links provided)

•  A booklet entitled "Cracking the PMI ACP®" that helps you prepare for the exam

•  Upto 10 post program interactions over email or phone, within 6 months of the training

•  A collection of of Agile training videos, presentations and additional documentation that help you learn more on the subject

•  A comprehensive guide on how to fill the exam form, alongwith a sample filled-in form

•  Smart Agile Templates & Checklists for making your agile implementation more efficient and effective

•  *"Library" Access to the study book: PMI ACP Exam Prep - Second Edition by Mike Griffiths

• Bonus: A study kit for those interested in giving an entry level exam, called as Professional Scrum Master (PSM-1) and Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO-1) from scrum.org. This includes the study guide, mock test links and additional tips to prepare and pass the exam. The PMI ACP training already covers the syllabus for these exams

Note: Items marked with * above will be available only for participants attending in person. For other participants, the hard copy (item #3) can be couriered on request later.

ACP Training Agenda:

Note: The Course will include learning games, hands-on activities, scenario based discussions and quizzes.

Introduction

• Agenda for the Workshop

• Pre-requisites for PMI-ACP Exam

• About the Exam Format

Agile Basics

• Agile Overview

• Agile frameworks and terminology

• Agile Manifesto values and principles

• Agile Domains, Knowledge, Skills, Tools and Techniques

• Variations in Agile methods and approaches

• Agile Team space

• Agile Tools

• Project charter for an Agile project

Agile Requirements Analysis and Design

• Product Vision and roadmap

• User stories and backlog

• Story maps

• Progressive elaboration

• Wireframes

• Personas

• Agile modeling

Value-based prioritization of the backlog items

• Return on investment (ROI)

• Net present value (NPV)

• Internal rate of return (IRR)

• Customer-valued prioritization

• Minimally marketable feature (MMF)

• Relative prioritization or ranking

Agile Estimation

• Relative sizing/story points

• Wide band Delphi

• Planning poker

• Affinity estimating

• Ideal time

• Probe technique

Iteration Planning, Monitoring and Adapting

• Adaptive Planning

• Iteration and release planning

• Time boxing

• Burn down/up charts

• Task and Kanban boards

• Information radiator

• WIP limits

• Daily stand-ups

• Review

• Retrospectives

Product Quality

• Frequent verification and validation

• Test first development

• Acceptance test-driven development

• Conditions of Satisfaction / Acceptance Tests

• Definition of Done

• Agile continuous integration

• Technical Debt

Risk management

• Risk-adjusted backlog

• Risk burn down graphs

• Agile risk-based spike

Agile Metrics

• Velocity

• Agile cycle time

• Earned value management (EVM) for agile projects

• Escaped defects

Agile Value stream analysis

• Flow charts

• Process analysis

• Value stream mapping

• Cumulative flow diagrams         

• Spaghetti Diagrams

• Process tailoring

• Failure modes and alternatives

Behavioral skills required in Agile

• Emotional intelligence

• Collaboration

• Adaptive leadership

• Negotiation skills

• Conflict resolution

• Servant leadership

Agile Knowledge and Skills (Level-1)

• Active listening

• Assessing and incorporating community and stakeholder values

• Brainstorming techniques

• Building empowered teams

• Coaching and mentoring within teams

• Communications management

• Feedback techniques for product

• Incremental delivery

• Agile Knowledge sharing

• Agile Leadership tools and techniques

• Agile Problem-solving strategies, tools, and techniques

• Project and quality standards for Agile projects

• Stakeholder management

• Agile Team motivation

• Time, budget, and cost estimation

• Value-based decomposition

Agile Knowledge and Skills (Level-2)

• Building high-performance teams

• Agile Business case development

• Collocation (geographic proximity)/distributed teams

• Agile Continuous improvement processes

• Agile Facilitation methods

• Agile Participatory decision models (e.g., input-based, shared collaboration, command)

• PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Agile Knowledge and Skills (Level-3)

• Agile contracting methods

• Agile project accounting principles

• Applying new Agile practices

• Compliance (organization)

• Control limits for Agile projects

• Globalization, culture, and team diversity

• Agile Innovation games

• Principles of systems thinking (e.g., complex adaptive, chaos)

• Regulatory compliance

• Variance and trend analysis

• Vendor management

What should I go for: PMI ACP or CSM (Certified Scrum Master)?

With so many people talking about Agile and Scrum Certifications, you would be wondering which one to take. Here is a quick guide for you to decide which certification you may want to take. The choice is yours

• PMI ACP requires 8 months experience in Agile kind of projects, whereas CSM does not require any prior background. This ensures that the ACP participants in the training know what we are talking about - whereas in a CSM Training, you will get individuals that have never done Agile before. However, If you don't have any experience and yet want to get a quick certification relating to Agile / Scrum, CSM is what you may want to go for.

• We haven't seen anyone yet who has failed in the CSM exam. Whether you are good at Scrum or not, you are going to be a CSM if you complete the 2 day program. For this reason, anyone stating that they are certified as a CSM is not telling much - all it says that you had time and money to go to a 2 day program and get the certification. Being a CSM does not by itself make you stand apart from others except that you got familiar with the way Scrum works. It will not ensure that you have the qualities of being a Scrum Master overnight!

• The Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) from PMI requires you to understand the concepts, study for about a month or two before you can be ready to give the exam. By passing the ACP examination, you become one of the few in your city that have this certification as an edge over the others

• The ACP course is a superset of the other certifications. It covers all that you would cover in the CSM training, plus other methodologies like XP, Lean, Kanban and some more. So, by doing an ACP, rest assured that you will also cover the CSM topics, and much more

• The ACP course covers it from all perspectives - the Agile Coach, Product Owner, Scrum Master and Team. CSM will be primarily aimed at the scrum master role

• If you are focused on seeking knowledge on Agile methodologies and certification is not presently important, even in that case, PMI ACP is better, as the PMI ACP Training from GetCoached.in costs approximately 30% of the CSM course fee. For those giving the exam, they will need to spend additionally a fee of 495 USD towards the certification exam

• While CSM is the entry level certification, you need to take the second level (CSP) to differentiate yourself from the crowd. That requires additional years of working and 70 SEUs (like PDUs) of training too. Do note that the fees for PMI ACP Training + Certification will be atleast 25% lower than the CSM + CSP fees put together.

Summing up, the PMI ACP Training gives you more knowledge, higher credibility at a lower cost.