Introduction-What is Agile Project Management

What is agile project management is a hot question in the business and project environment globally.The business world is changing rapidly and that’s business are looking for better approach to managing and executing projects successfully thereby improving the bottom line. Project management is the discipline of managing projects from inception to finish while attaining project goals inshort we can say project management is about delivering results consistently. Project Management has been in existence for a very long time and has improved in its approach, process, and methodology over the years.

Various project management tools, methodologies, and frameworks have been introduced to assist businesses and teams in successfully developing products and services.

These different methodologies, tool, and framework has their own advantages and disadvantages. We have had two methodologies that has stood the test of time. The traditional and the adaptive which is also called the agile approach.

Traditional project management approaches were generally linear and sequential has been available used in the construction and sectors where requirements are predictable.

While the Agile project management approach has been used generally in ever changing quick response  environment where the need for flexilbility is high, heavily rely on teamwork and  collaboration.

What is Agile Project Management methodology?

We must discover a method to shift the wasteful, vicious loops that derail us into virtuous cycles that create value if we are to improve our organizations. We needed methods that were flexible enough to permit switching gears without staling the whole process.  And one method is AgileProject Management, Agile is a responsive approach to project management, focusing on delivering value both early and consistently throughout a project.

The rapid rate at which customers’ needs changed, combined with the sluggish creation and delivery of software solutions to those needs, which were largely based on the Waterfall methodology, rendered the eventual delivery of solutions outdated. It was difficult to plan for all contingencies and external environmental factors which were clearly not in our control. We needed an adaptable approach that allowed us to swap gears, make changes without it stopping the entire project.

Agile techniques emphasize breaking down the project into smaller, more manageable pieces so that the Agile team can remain focused on producing value throughout the project.

Agile project management (or APM) entails carrying out a project in iterations. Each iteration consists of a series of phases that include requirements analysis, design, development, testing, implementation, and integration. Each iteration offers a finished component of the final product that is an improvement over the previous iteration. The ultimate result is delivered by a series of such incremental iterations.

Agile teams respond to changes quickly and efficiently, resulting in more successful and broadly accepted projects.

Agile was adopted by the software development sector, and it wasn’t long before other businesses began experimenting with Agile concepts and principles. Although Agile was designed for software development, its values and principles could be applied to any team environment, regardless of industry or product or service being developed.

What is Agile Project Management-Importance of  Agile Certification

Agile adoption is becoming more popular among businesses! In fact, 71% of businesses are using Agile. The Agile approach has already aided 98% of businesses.

Are you debating getting your Agile certification? Here are eight reasons why you should not delay. Using an Agile strategy to your business and career could be advantageous.

Whatever reasons you have for choosing Agile, here are 8 important benefits you’ll gain through achieving an Agile certification and using Agile in your project work.

• Deliver Value Early and Consistently

One of the key benefits of Agile project management is the ability to deliver value to your stakeholders throughout a project.

• Career advancement: Agile certification can help individuals enhance their career prospects by demonstrating their expertise in Agile methodologies. Certified individuals can be more competitive in the job market and may be better equipped to secure higher-paying roles.

• Gain More Knowledge

Remember that the market is always shifting. If you want to be relevant, you must maintain your expertise up to date. Obtaining your Agile certification may provide you with a competitive advantage. You can remain adaptable and flexible as the industry changes.

• Earn More

Being an expert in Agile practices and how to implement them might help you stand out from the crowd. You can apply your knowledge to improve project management strategies across the organization.

Demonstrating these abilities may result in a higher income or pay package. You may also find additional job opportunities in your field.

• React and Adapt to Change with Ease.
• Agile was created for projects that are continually changing. Its primary structure is around adapting a project to change.

• Improved project performance: Organizations that embrace Agile methodologies typically experience improved project outcomes, including faster delivery times, increased customer satisfaction, and higher quality products. Certified Agile professionals can help organizations achieve these benefits by applying best practices and principles.

Gain Control of Time, Cost, and Scope Management

• You can establish a more accurate, controlled view of your costs and expected time because you are continually monitoring the state of a project.

Gain More Clarity and Better Communication

Daily stand-ups, an essential component of Agile project management, train your team to communicate clearly with one another.

Furthermore, Agile’s clearly defined roles eliminate much confusion about who will complete which tasks.

What is Agile project management-Types of Agile Certifications

Popular Agile Certifications

An Agile certification validates your knowledge of Agile ideas and shows employers that you took the effort to study and get a degree. Agile certifications can advance your project management career by positioning you as an Agile specialist, assisting you in bringing Agile techniques into your workplace, and empowering cross-functional teams.

List of some Popular agile and scrum certifications. Since most teams start with Scrum so here is a list of popular Scrum certifications to adopt agile ways of working –

 1.PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

The PMI-ACP, which is administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), is intended for those who work in Agile teams or businesses that use Agile methods. Scrum, Kanban, Lean, extreme programming (XP), and test-driven development (TDD) are among the Agile techniques covered by the PMI-ACP. To be eligible for the exam, you must have at least eight months of Agile project experience in the last three years, as well as twenty-one hours of Agile training, among other requirements.

Cost: $495 for non-PMI members, $435 for PMI members

2.ScrumStudy ™’s:

The highly recognized certifications offered by SCRUMstudy ™ assist individuals and organizations in completing projects more quickly and successfully.

Scrum Master Certified (SMC^®) :

Scrum Master Certified (SMC®) specialists serve as facilitators, ensuring that the Scrum Team is supplied with an atmosphere conducive to project completion. The Scrum Master directs, facilitates, and teaches Scrum methods to all project participants; removes impediments for the team; and ensures that Scrum protocols are followed.

Scaled Scrum Master Certified (SSMC^™):

Certified Scaled Scrum Master (SSMCTM)Large projects necessitate the collaboration of several Scrum Teams. The Chief Scrum Master is in charge of coordinating the efforts of many Scrum Teams in order to create potentially shippable product increments/deliverables. The Chief Scrum Master promotes collaboration and coaches people in the use of Scrum to ensure the timely delivery of project products.

Scrum Product Owner Certified (SPOC®):

The Product Owner represents the interests of the stakeholder community to the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is responsible for ensuring clear communication of product or service functionality requirements to the Scrum Team, defining Acceptance Criteria, and ensuring those criteria are met. The Product Owner must always maintain a dual view. He or she must understand and support the needs and interests of all stakeholders, while also understanding the needs and workings of the Scrum Team.

Applicants will be awarded the Scrum Product Owner Certified (SPOC^®) certificate by SCRUMstudy^™ upon successfully passing the certification exam.

Cost $550 to $750

3.Scrum.org

is one of the prominent certification providers in agile product development. It is the home of Scrum. Ken Schwaber founded Scrum.org to provide solutions to solve complex problems. It teaches Professional Scrum through certification training and courses. In addition, the Professional Scrum Trainers or PSTs provide hands-on, real-world learning. It provides various certifications but I am listing here a few most popular –

• Applying Professional Scrum (APS) –

• This is a foundation course for everyone including teams and management. APS has another certification called APS-SD (APS for Software Development) and this is a popular choice for a team developing software products.
•  

• Professional Scrum Master (PSM) –

• This is the most popular and specially designed for the new Scrum Master.
•  

• Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) –

• This is the second most popular and usually considered by new product owners and business analysts.
•  

• Advanced Professional Scrum Master (PSM) II –

• This is gaining popularity in recent times among practicing scrum masters
•  

• Professional Agile Leadership – Essentials (PAL-E) –

• This helps senior and middle management teams to learn how to facilitate self-management within agile teams.

Cost: $450 to $650

4.AgilePM Foundation – APMG

APMG International administers the AgilePM Foundation certification. The certification is intended for current project managers, Agile team members aspiring to become Agile project managers, and those pursuing the AgilePM Practitioner certification. You’ll be assessed on Agile’s broad ideas and principles, as well as more particular Agile practices, roles, and responsibilities. To obtain the certification, you must pass an exam; study is optional and will incur an additional cost.

Cost: $650 for the exam and certification

5.Scrum Alliance:

Founded in 2001, Scrum Alliance was the first to offer a Scrum certification. To date, it has 1,082,451 certificate holders. The brainchild of Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, Scrum Alliance is the only member-driven nonprofit certifying body in the agile space. Here are the popular certification offered by Scrum Alliance-

• Certified Scrum Master(CSM) –

• It has been the most popular certification since its inception that provides foundation level certification for Scrum Team members including Scrum Masters

• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) –

•  
• It is similar to PSPO from Scrum.org or you can say PSPO is similar to CSPO

• Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) –

•  
• It is considered to be best to learn Scrum with Extreme Programming and very useful for the scrum team.

Cost: $650 to $1500 for the exam and certification

6.Scaled Agile The Scaled Agile Framework

(SAFe) has been the go-to framework for scaling agile and business agility. Scaled Agile is the SAFe accreditation body. It provides numerous credentials, the most prominent of which is Leading SAFe Training with SAFe Agilist Certification. This is great for anyone interested in pursuing a career in SAFe.

It teaches certification holders how to make organizations more customer-centric and how to organize key SAFe alignment and planning activities like PI planning. The certification is accompanied by training, which are delivered by a variety of training providers and are not available independently. Prices can vary greatly depending on the training providers chosen.

Cost: from $650 to $900

How to choose the right Agile certification for you

An Agile certification will be a great addition to your resume in the long term. However, selecting the best one can be difficult. Here is a quick and simple approach to determining which certification is best for you:

1. Priorities: Before ever considering a course, it is critical to clarify your goals to prevent digging up extra material. Your priorities could range from practical knowledge to earning PDUs. Consider them before you start your search.
2. Project environment: This could refer to a project environment in which you are presently working or one in which you hope to work in the future. Would you be interested in working in a smaller self-directed team? Do you hold a position of leadership on a project team? The questions are critical in directing you to the right Agile certification. For example, to assist a Scrum team, you could consider obtaining a Scrum Master Certification.
3. Practical experience: Agile implementation needs a significant amount of expertise and experience, and most courses will incorporate practical work. However, make sure to discuss it with your trainer ahead of time.
4. Certification that is credible: A certification validates your knowledge, competence, and talents. As a result, selecting a credible one is just as vital as the training itself. Choose the one that will provide you with more options and allow you to advance up the career ladder.
5. Reputable trainer: You should select a reputable training provider for certification training. A good Agile certification institute will do the following:

Mentor yourself with seasoned SMEs.

Concentrate on honing your practical abilities through case studies and projects.

Be easily available to take you through the course 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Provide you with assistance to ensure you have a good understanding of the subject matter.

Provide free updates to training and course materials.

JK Michaels is one of the leading firms that offers Agile certification through classrooms, virtual and online mediums. It also includes a placement aid program that will prepare you to apply for numerous job interviews.

Requirements for Agile certification

Application Procedure for the PMI-ACP® Exam

• Join the Project Management Institute (PMI) by registering.

o This is an optional step.

o Becoming a member costs $149, but you save $60 on exam expenses.

o The regular non-member examination fee is $495. The exam costs $435 for PMI members.

• Take our PMI-ACP Exam Prep Course to fulfill the required 21 contact hours (PDUs) of education.
• Submit your PMI-ACP application and pay the cost on the PMI website.

o There is no need to rush through this phase; we will assist you with it as part of our PMI-ACP exam prep course, and according to PMI guidelines, you must first finish your 21 hours of training.

• Within 3 to 5 business days, PMI® will assess your application and respond.

o If your application is approved, you will be contacted to pay for and arrange the exam.

• Make an appointment with Pearson VUE to schedule your exam.

o After your application is approved, you have one year to take the exam.

o During the eligibility period, you may take the exam up to three (3) times.

o For further information on the testing centers, please visit Pearson VUE.

• Take and Pass the PMI-ACP Exam o You have one year after your application is authorized to take the exam.

o The PMI-ACP Exam consists of 120 questions (100 scored and 20 unscored).

o A three-hour time limit.

o The questions are divided into seven categories: Agile Principles and Mindset (16%), Value-driven Delivery (20%), Stakeholder Engagement (17%), Team Performance (16%), Adaptive Planning (12%), Problem Detection and Resolution (9%), and Continuous Improvement (9%).

o Once you pass, you are certified for a three-year cycle; you will need 30 PDUs to renew after three years.

PMI-ACP Certification Eligibility Requirements

General Project Experience

• 12 months of general project experience
• These hours must be earned within the last 5 years
• Active PMP® or PgMP® certification will satisfy this requirement

Agile Project Experience

• 8 months of agile project experience – working on agile project teams or with agile methodologies
• This requirement is in addition to the 12 months required in “general project experience”
• These hours must be earned within the last 3 years

Training in Agile Practices

• 21 contact hours
• Hours must be earned in agile practices

General Project Experience

• You don’t need to have an experience scrum but if you do it gives you an advantage to quickly understanding the concept.

Scrum Project Experience

• This requirement is in addition to the 12 months required in “general project experience.”
• Some of the certifications do not need a lot of experience cause there usually have a career plan.

Training in Scrum Master Agile Practices

• 2 days training

A SCRUMstudy^™ Scrum Master Certified certificate should be renewed within three calendar years of its issue date. As the Scrum/Agile field is maturing, it is important for practitioners to be abreast of current and latest innovations in the field. For example, the current version of the SBOK^™ Guide includes details on Scaling Scrum for Large Projects and Scaling Scrum for the Enterprise. Sections on improving the Scrum Guidance Body and Planning in Scrum have also been updated. Maintaining a certificate enables a student to demonstrate his/her commitment to continuing learning. It also demonstrates the student’s knowledge of Scrum/Agile to employers, peers and colleagues.

A student can renew his/her certificate in the following ways:

1. Recertification examination: A Recertification course is not as extensive as the Certification course and consists of only half the exam questions. A student can pass the Recertification exam with just a few hours of study. A student passing the Recertification exam implies that the student has reviewed the latest concepts from the SBOK^™ As such, all previous certifications of the student get renewed for 3 years from the date of passing this certification exam.
2. SCRUMstudy^™certification examination: A student passing any other SCRUMstudy^™ certification exam implies that he/she has reviewed the latest concepts from the SBOK^™ Guide and fulfils the criteria for maintaining certifica

Preparation for Agile certification exam

1. Attend Training for Two Days

The Scrum Certified training takes place over two days. It is particularly effective for covering the Scrum Framework and preparing delegates for their study period without sacrificing training quality.

2. Study Period – Duration: 2 – 4 Weeks on Average

Following training, study time will always vary depending on the individual, but the typical study period is between 2 and 4 weeks..

3. Finish Exam – Duration: 2 Hours

The examination lasts 120 minutes. After passing your exam, you will receive your Scrum Master Certification. Or Certified Scrum master depending on the examination you choose to take.

Benefits of getting Agile certification

The following lists some benefits you can expect:

• Speed to market
• Earlier revenue generation
• Regular delivery of real value
• Protection for your investment
• Data, data, data
• Better product quality
• Manageable expectations
• Greater customer satisfaction
• Higher performing teams

Jobs that require Agile certification

However, it is not just the jobs themselves that are in high demand; employers are also looking for the skill sets that go with those jobs. According to LinkedIn, companies are searching for “creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and time management.” Each of these abilities is critical for a high-performing agile team, and especially for Scrum Masters. The World Economic Report discovered comparable demands among its top-demand skills, namely the necessity for a mix of technical and cross-functional abilities, as well as the importance of human connection in delivering innovative services and products to clients.

Industries

As far as agile is concerned, it is utilized in many sorts of industries due to its working principles, which make work easy and comfortable, therefore here is a list of some industries where agile methodology is widely employed.

1. Manufacturing Businesses

When it comes to manufacturing businesses, where many sorts of products take shape, agile is a great alternative because the layout chart of machining and other operations can be readily planned with the help of agile.

2. IT/Software Industries

Agile is widely used in businesses associated with information technology or software development. Agile provides these industries with a suitable framework for executing their procedures and making work more comfortable. Furthermore, the use of agile methodology is not difficult, which is why it is popular among employees.

3. Education and Growth

As the market demand for agile grows, so do coaching institutes, because students want to master this approach in order to gain jobs. As a result, agile indirectly becomes a source of cash for coaching and education institutes. Also, as the demand for agile trainers grows, so will the number of available jobs.

4. The Public Sector

The government is also looking for skilled private-sector applicants who can contribute their vast experience to government projects. Recently, the government advertised for experienced private-sector professionals to fill the position of joint secretary in various ministries. So experience is important in any field, and agile is certainly a growing one.

Conclusion – Agile Positions

Hard work and dedication at work are essential if one wishes to be successful in life. As we saw in the last example of the government sector, the government is likewise seeking for applicants with experience in their industry. So, when it comes to agile, it is a good option to consider because, in the future, all projects will be based on agile and its upgraded version. So, instead of obsessing over the state of the market and job statistics, one should focus on improving oneself so that when an opportunity presents itself, one is ready to seize it.