PMI-ACP certification

PMI-ACP certification is a project management certification aimed at recognizing skills and knowledge in Agile project methodologies offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The PMI defined a set of criteria to test the Agile practitioners’ knowledge of Agile methodologies without limiting them to a specific Agile framework. PMI-ACP focuses on the Agile project management principles and tests Agile practitioners’ knowledge of Agile project methodologies, Agile methodologies, the utilization of Agile tools and techniques, and the implementation of lean management for projects. PMI requires candidates to have working knowledge in a broad set of methodologies such as Scrum, Extreme Programming(XP), Kanban, Test-Driven Development(TDD), Crystal, Feature-Driven-Development(FDD), Dynamic Systems Development Method(DSDM), and Lean Product Development, etc. The key difference between PMP and PMI-ACP is that PMP recognizes the skills and experiences of project managers while PMI-ACP recognizes that of project practitioners.

PMI-ACP Eligibility and Certification Process

PNI-ACP
  • Secondary degree
  • 21 contact hours of training in agile practices
  • 12 months of general project experience within the last 5 years. A current PMP® or PgMP® will satisfy this requirement but is not required to apply for the PMI-ACP.
  • 8 months of agile project experience within the last 3 years
PMI-ACP
  • Submit your application online or via mail to PMI. PMI’s response time is faster for electronic submission. You have 90 days to complete the application once you started it.
  • PMI takes 5 business days to complete the application completeness review after you submit your application online.
  • You need to complete the payment of credential fees for computer-based testing ($435 for PMI members and $495 for non-members).
  • If your application is selected for the audit process you have 90 days to send your audit materials. PMI processes the audit material in 5-7 days.
  • You receive your authorization to schedule the exam in any Prometric testing center within one year from the date of the application approval. You can take the exam up to 3 times during this 1 year. You must pay your re-examination fees for the second and third attempts to pass the examination. ($335 for PMI members and $395 for non-members).
  • You need to acquire 30 PDUs within 3 years to maintain the credential acquired failing which your credential is suspended for 1 year. If you are not acquiring the PDUs before that, your credential expires. If you wish to hold the credential again, you need to reapply.

The application form once submitted gets reviewed by PMI® within a week or two. Click Here for more information on this process.

To maintain your PMI-ACP, you must earn 30 professional development units (PDUs) in agile topics every three years.

Format and Types of the PMI-ACP Certification

The PMI-ACP exam is comprised of 120 multiple-choice questions. Of the 120 questions, 20 are
considered pretest questions for which you have 180 minutes.

The following are the different types of questions you can see in the exam

  • Situation-based questions. Only candidates with good experience and knowledge in agile practice can choose the right answers.
  • Questions with two or more possible right answers.
  • Questions that test agile mindset, values, and principles.
  • Questions that test the basic knowledge about various agile approaches.
  • Questions related to tools and techniques & knowledge and skills of agile practices.
  • Questions related to PMI-ACP maths.
  • Tech Agilist Practice Exams on Udemy – Click Here

Syllabus of PMI-ACP Certification

  • Domain 1 Mindset – 28% 
    • Experiment Early
    • Embrace Agile Mindset
    • Promote a Collaborative Team Environment
    • Build Transparency
    • Foster Psychological Safety
    • Shorten Feedback Loops
    • Embrace Change
  • Domain 2 Leadership – 25% 
    • Empower Teams
    • Facilitate Problem Resolution
    • Promote Knowledge Sharing
    • Promote agile mindset principles and practices
    • Promote shared vision and purpose
    • Facilitate conflict management
  • Domain 3 Product – 19% 
    • Refine product backlog
    • Manage increments
    • Visualize work
    • Manage value delivery
  • Domain 4 Delivery – 28% 
    • Seek early feedback
    • Manage agile metrics
    • Manage impediments and risk
    • Recognize and eliminate waste
    • Perform continuous improvements
    • Actively engage customers
    • Optimize flow

Tools and Technologies

  • Agile Analysis and Design
  • Agile Estimation
  • Communications
  • Metrics
  • Planning, Monitoring, and Adapting
  • Process Improvement
  • Product Quality
  • Risk Management
  • Value-based prioritization

Reference Books

The below-mentioned 12 books have been suggested by PMI as reference materials for the knowledge of Agile practices and preparation for the PMI-ACP exam. Click Here

  • Estimating and Planning, by Mike Cohn. [Pearson Education / Addison-Wesley Professional]
  • User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development, by Mike Cohn. [Pearson Education]
  • Project Management: Creating Innovative Products – 2nd Edition, by Jim Highsmith. [Pearson Education / Addison-Wesley Professional]
  • Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great, by Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber. [Pragmatic Bookshelf]
  • Software Development: The Cooperative Game – 2nd Edition, by Alistair Cockburn. [Pearson Education]
  • Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for ScrumMasters, Agile Coaches and Project Managers in Transition, by Lyssa Adkins. [Pearson Education / Addison-Wesley Professional]
  • Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme, by Robert K. Wysocki.[Wiley]
  • Exploring Scrum: The Fundamentals, by Dan Rawsthorne with Doug Shimp [CreateSpace Publishing]
  • Kanban in Action, by Marcus Hammarberg, Joakim Sunden. [Manning Publications]
  • Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business, by David J. Anderson. [Blue Hole Press]
  • Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility, by Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott. [Pearson Education]
  • The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility, by Michele Sliger, Stacia Broderick. [Pearson Education]

Purchase PMI-ACP Practice Exams (750 Questions – 1 set of 150 questions and 5 sets of 120 Questions) Click Here for UDEMY or TechAgilist Paid Membership.

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