Passing the PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner)

Why I Took It

I've been using Agile approaches for the past couple of years and knew that there was much I hadn't learned yet.  I wanted to broaden my understanding and have a way of easily communicating to folks that I have this skill.  I saw 3 options:

Compensated
Affiliate

1. CSM (Certified Scrum Master).  This is the most popular industry-recognized credential.  It is also the easiest to obtain.  Unfortunately, that's also it's downside: if you have 21 PDUs and can pass the exam, you're a CSM.  Even Agile Purists don't like the fact that folks with no required experience can call themselves "Master".
2. CSP (Certified Scrum Professional).  The creators of CSM - Scrum Alliance - more recently came out with the CSP.  (CSM is a prerequisite for CSP.)  It addresses the shortfall of CSM by requiring prior experience - at least 2000 hours over the past 2 years. 
3. ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner).  This is PMI's Agile offering, which is interesting as they have long held that the PMBoK/PMP covered everything including Agile.  The recommnded reading list doesn't even include PMBoK (although it's assumed you already know it well.)  I'm glad they have something specifically for Agile, because it IS different.  There, I said it.  It one-ups CSP in that you have to maintain your certification with ongoing PDU's.

I went the ACP route for the following reasons:

1. The ACP exam - and therefore preparation materials - cover more than just Scrum. I like Scrum - it's the only framework I've used, but it's not the only one out there.  I wanted to better understand XP, DSDM, Kanban, Crystal, Lean etc.  The ongoing PDU requirement gives it more credibility than CSP.  You simply can't sit on your laurels in this business.
2. PMI is the most widely recognized authority for Project Management.  I'm a consultant and the credentials matter.  (If you're not a PM, CSP may be a stronger option.)
3. I already have my PMP which takes care of some of the prerequisites.  I would have had to get the CSM before I could start towards the CSP.

How I Passed It

I scored the highest rating in each knowledge area.  (Better than I did on the PMP!)

PMI recommends 12 books on a variety of Agile topics - some of which I have previously read.  However, I didn't want to purchase and read all of these books right now, so I kept looking for help.  Here's what I went with...

Agile PrepCast - more information (compensated affiliate)

I listened to an episode of Andy Kaufman's terrific "People and Projects Podcast" in which he interviewed Cornelius Fichtner of "PM Podcast" fame.  The subject was the PMI-ACP and Cornelius was promoting his Agile PrepCast.  I followed up and learned that I could get all the required PDU's via podcasts on my iPhone.  I had already calculated the cost of out-of-town Scrum learning and this came in at 5% of that.  I also much prefer learning at my own pace. I was sold!! 

Exam Prep Book by Andy Crowe

Andy's PMP exam prep book was excellent and so this was a no-brainer for me when it came out.  It is brief and covers only the essentials.  It will help you pass the exam, but it is too shallow to be a real Agile learning tool.  That's a perfect compliment to the PrepCast which went into much more detail.  It comes with 2 practice exams, which I thought lined up well with the actual exam.

Agile Books and Practice

I have read a few good books on Agile over the past couple of years, most importantly Mike Cohn's Agile Estimating and Planning.  This is focused on Scrum methods, but it's a great place to start for Agile newbies - and a solid reference for more experienced folks.  Other good books: User Stories Applied (Cohn), Project Management the Agile Way (Goodpasture), Crystal Clear (Cockburn), and Lean Software Development (Poppendieck.)
It certainly didn't hurt that I had run several significant Agile projects over the last couple of years.  Much of the learning served to formalize and crystalize the knowledge already in my head.


Let me know if this information has been helpful to you - and I wish any of you seeking certification the greatest success!