PMI-ACP Exam Preparation

This three-day 21 PDU course provides participants with a solid foundation of the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) exam. Participants earning this certification demonstrate their knowledge of and commitment to this rapidly growing approach to project management. Organizations employing PMI-ACP® certified individuals are more likely to roll out projects that provide customer value in less time and with far less wasted money and effort.

During class, participants will be introduced to PMI Agile concepts and practices with several banks of sample questions. Additionally, participants will apply agile principles directly to a real-world project taken directly from their organization. Participants will also engage in numerous discussion groups focusing on agile best practices.

This course is designed for project leaders, scrum masters, coaches, product owners, and team members who intend on taking the PMI-ACP® exam, as well as individuals who want to gain a solid foundation of agile project management practices.

Course materials provided include electronic textbook, several hundred electronic practice questions, and online flashcards. Note: participants must have 2,000 hours of general project experience and 1500 hours of agile project experience prior to taking the exam. Participants
apply directly with PMI prior to scheduling their exam.

Lesson 1: PMI-ACP® Exam Particulars
▪ PMI-ACP® Exam Particulars Overview
▪ PMI-ACP® Exam Particulars
▪ PMI-ACP® Candidate Requirements
▪ PMI-ACP® Candidate Fees
▪ PMI-ACP® Exam Application Process

Lesson 2: Core Agile Concepts
▪ Core Agile Concepts Overview
▪ Traditional Project Management
Methodologies
▪ Drawbacks of Waterfall Methodologies
▪ Agile Approach
▪ Empirical Process Control
▪ Agile and Traditional Project Management
▪ Choice of Methodologies/Frameworks

Lesson 3: The Agile Manifesto
▪ The Agile Manifesto Overview
▪ Manifesto Contributors
▪ Manifesto Values
▪ Manifesto Principles

Lesson 4: Common Agile Methodology Elements
▪ Common Agile Methodology Elements
Overview
▪ Project (Product; Release) Initiation
▪ Agile Planning
▪ Iteration Planning and Executing

Lesson 5: Project Initiation
▪ Project Initiation Overview
▪ Determine Project Justifications and Metrics
▪ Provide Value-Driven Delivery
▪ Write Project Vision Statement
▪ Create Project Charter
▪ Identify Stakeholders and Leader/Coach
▪ Form Project Team

Lesson 6: Agile Teams and Team Space
▪ Agile Teams and Team Space Overview
▪ Scrum Master/Coach
▪ Product Owner/Customer
▪ Team Members/Developers (XP)
▪ Trackers and Testers
▪ Other Roles
▪ Team Space
▪ Physical Space Recommendations

Lesson 7: Agile Planning
▪ Agile Planning Overview
▪ Develop Epics and Stories
▪ Create Stories
▪ Non-Customer Facing Stories
▪ Personas and Extreme Personas
▪ Story Maps
▪ Estimating Stories
▪ Prioritizing Stories
▪ Create Product Backlog
▪ Create Product Roadmap
▪ Conduct Release Planning
▪ Create Parking Lot

Lesson 8: Iterations/Sprints
▪ Iterations/Sprints Overview
▪ Velocity Determination
▪ Iteration Planning Meeting
▪ Iteration Planning Guidelines
▪ Development
▪ Testing
▪ Daily Standup Meetings
▪ Progress Tracking
▪ Velocity Tracking

▪Burndown and Burnup Charts
▪ Cumulative Flow Diagrams
▪ Kanban Charts
▪ Earned Value
▪ Communicating Information
▪ Backlog Grooming
▪ Iteration Reviews
▪ Iteration Retrospectives
▪ Release Retrospectives

Lesson 9: Interpersonal Aspects of Agile
▪ Interpersonal Aspects of Agile Overview
▪ Methodologies and Uncertainty
▪ Coach/Scrum Master
▪ Team Motivation
▪ Soft Skills
▪ Emotional Intelligence
▪ Collaboration
▪ Negotiations
▪ Active listening
▪ Conflict Resolution
▪ Speed Leas’ Model of Group Conflict
▪ Conducting Retrospectives
▪ Mindsets of Agile Coaches
▪ Leadership Stages
▪ Key Coaching Responsibilities

Lesson 10: Agile Methodologies
▪ Agile Methodologies Overview
▪ XP and Scrum Terms
▪ XP Terms and Concepts
▪ XP Primary Practices
▪ XP Corollary Practices
▪ Scrum
▪ Lean Software Development
▪ Seven Principles of Lean
▪ Seven Types of Muda
▪ Responsibilities
▪ Core Beliefs of Lean-Agile Software
Development
▪ Other Principles of Lean-Agile Software
Development
▪ Value Stream Mapping
▪ Lean-Agile Software Development Portfolio
Management