The PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® examination is one of the most popular for determining a candidate’s understanding of agile principles and ability to use agile practices. You will be able to demonstrate your agile expertise after finishing this certification. The PMI-ACP encompasses a variety of agile methodologies, including Scrum, Kanban, Lean, extreme programming (XP), and test-driven development (TDD.) As a result, it will expand your flexibility, regardless of the location of your test.
However, this kind of certificate may be difficult to obtain and may need a significant amount of effort as well as excellent analytical abilities in order to apply information to a real-world business situation. Only the appropriate collection of materials will allow you to pass such tests. To help you pass the test, we’ve created a Preparatory Guide. The guide is laid up in a step-by-step format to help you progress with your preparation. But, before we go any further, let’s double-check that we’ve covered all of the bases before putting our feet to the test in the final race.
Who should apply for this certification ?
If you are a professional collaborating within agile teams or if your organization is embracing agile methodologies, pursuing the PMI-ACP certification is highly advisable. It can significantly boost your career prospects and advancement opportunities.
Exam Prerequisites: PMI-ACP
There are a few things that a candidate should know and have experience in the relevant field. So, that they can have a better and deep understanding of this certification. The below mentioned are the required skills and knowledge:
- To begin with, Secondary degree
- Then, 21 contact hours of training in agile practices
- Additionally, you must have accumulated 12 months of general project experience within the past 5 years. It’s worth noting that possessing a current PMP® or PgMP® certification will fulfill this requirement, although it is not mandatory for PMI-ACP application.
- Further, 8 months of agile project experience within the last 3 years
Preparatory Guide for PMI-ACP
Industry-recognized certifications can provide you with a competitive advantage over other candidates. Furthermore, obtaining a professional certification improves your job prospects and showcases your skills. Adequate preparation and study are essential for success in the exam. This Preparation Guide equips you with the necessary resources and helps you move closer to your dream job. It serves as a valuable tool to excel in the exam and achieve outstanding results.
Step 1 Refer the PMI-ACP Exam Guide
Firstly start off by visiting the Official website of PMI Agile Certified Practitioner. This is a smarter move because you should always go by the most trusted website to get authentic information. You can easily locate all the information regarding the PMI-ACP exam. The website provides comprehensive information, including exam patterns, modules, and study materials. It’s crucial to acquaint yourself with all the exam objectives and course domains. Allocate sufficient time to each topic to gain a deep understanding of the subject matter. This approach will also enhance your preparation efforts. Here are the key objectives of the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Course:
Domain 1: Agile Principles and Mindset
Firstly, this domain includes topics to Advocate for agile principles by modeling those principles and discussing agile values in order to develop a shared mindset across the team as well as between the customer and the team. Then, ensure that everyone has a common understanding of the values and principles of agile. Further, Support change at the system or organization level by educating the organization and influencing processes, behaviors, and people in order to make the organization more effective and efficient. Also, practice servant leadership by supporting and encouraging others in their endeavors so that they can perform at their highest level and continue to improve.
Domain 2: Value-Driven Delivery
Secondly, this domain is much focused on developing the understanding of topics like define Positive Value and Avoid Potential Downsides. Also, Prioritization and Incremental Development. Moreover, Conduct operational reviews and/or periodic checkpoints with stakeholders in order to obtain feedback and corrections to the work in progress and planned work.
Domain 3: Stakeholder Engagement
This domain aims at Understanding Stakeholder Needs. It includes Ensure Stakeholder Involvement. Also focuses on Managing Stakeholder Expectations. Further, Provides forecasts at a level of detail that balances the need for certainty. Also, the benefits of adaptability in order to allow stakeholders to plan effectively
Domain 4: Team Performance
Moreover, this domain includes Team Formation. Encourage team members to become generalizing specialists in order to reduce team size and bottlenecks and to create a high performing cross-functional team. Team Collaboration and Commitment. Encourage the team to measure its velocity by tracking and measuring actual performance in previous iterations or releases in order for members to gain a better understanding of their capacity
and create more accurate forecasts
Domain 5: Adaptive Planning
Subsequently, this domain covers the topic of Levels of Planning. As the project unfolds, set and manage stakeholder expectations by making increasingly specific levels of commitments in order to ensure a common understanding of the expected deliverables. Further it covers Adaptation. Then, Agile Sizing and Estimation. Continuously use data from changes in resource capacity, project size, and velocity metrics in order to evaluate the estimate to complete.
Domain 6: Problem Detection and Resolution
Further, this domain covers Creating an open and safe environment by encouraging conversation and experimentation, in order to surface problems and impediments that are slowing the team down or preventing its ability to deliver value. Also, maintaining a visible, monitored, and prioritized list of threats and issues in order to elevate accountability, encourage action, and track ownership and resolution status. Moreover, Communicating status of threats and issues by maintaining a threat list and incorporating activities into the backlog of work in order to provide transparency
Domain 7: Continuous Improvement
Finally, this domain focuses on topics to Tailor and adapt the project process by periodically reviewing and integrating team practices, organizational culture, and delivery goals in order to ensure team effectiveness within established organizational guidelines and norms. Then, Seek feedback on the product by incremental delivery and frequent demonstrations in order to improve the value of the product. Also, challenge existing process elements by performing a value stream analysis and removing waste in order to increase individual efficiency and team effectiveness.
Step 2- Explore Learning Resources
Choosing the right resources plays an important role in your preparations. You need to have access to authentic and genuine study material. We suggest you to refer the following and include them in our preparation journey.
– Learn with Reference Books
Books are the ultimate source of learning and preparation and there plenty of references available to help you prepare better together with these learning resources. Some of the suggested books which you can refer to include PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Handbook and also–
- Firstly, A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide)
- Secondly, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner: Excel With Ease, 3Rd Edition
– PMI Training and Online Courses
You can also opt for the PMI training programs and online courses. PMI offers training programs on every exam. The PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) Trainings for a particular exam contain all information of the exam such as description, intended audience, delivery method, duration etc. Therefore, you should join a training program to gain knowledge and skills for PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Certification exam
Step 3- Join a Community
Online forums and study groups play a critical role in preparing for an exam. Moreover, these forums help you learn from the experts. Also online forums are fruitful as they connect you with other candidates appearing for the same exam. Furthermore, they provide valuable insights in the certification and also bring clarity to your doubts. Therefore, joining an online group is essential part of your preparations.
Step 4- Check you progress with practice test
Finally, practice or mock tests stand out as highly beneficial tools to support your exam preparation. These practice tests closely resemble the actual exam, aiming to replicate the real testing environment. Engaging with practice tests serves multiple purposes: it reveals your strengths and exposes areas needing improvement. They help you identify your weaknesses, allowing you to focus on them. Importantly, it’s advisable to incorporate practice tests into your preparation after completing the entire syllabus. This step aids in evaluating your performance and boosting your confidence. Ready to evaluate yourself, try free official practice test here!
