The PMI-ACP test was my third experience with PMI’s exam format, following the PMP and PMI-Risk Management professional examinations. To me, the test felt like it was modelled after the current PMI approach, which is to say that you had to identify the best solution and inputs and outputs from methods, meetings, reports, and graphics. No standard or knowledge area exists for agile in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).
Some questions left me baffled, since I wasn’t sure which approach was being discussed. XP, Lean, or Scrum? How many times should I read over the question(s) before selecting the most logical response? In addition, I believe that reading all of the suggested books would simply add to the confusion, as the vocabulary used in each book differs. Knowing the Agile Manifesto and Principles, Scrum/XP and Lean methodology enabled me to select the best answers for the test and pass it successfully, I feel.
Regardless of your level of expertise, the following ten books, as recommended by PMI, should be read by your clients to familiarize themselves with the jargon:
- Management of Scrum-based Agile Projects
- Estimation and planning in an agile manner
- Creating Innovative Products with Agile Project Management: Revised and Expanded Edition
- Develop software that is lean and agile.
The PMI-ACP® exam was a breeze for me because I scored “proficient” across the board in all of the areas evaluated. As a result of my PMI-ACP training, I’ve developed the following list of suggestions. Hopefully, these PMI-ACP® exam hints will help PMI-ACP® test takers answer some more questions correctly. Success on the PMI-ACP® exam!
- Look out for “Tricky” words in the passages you read.
Examine carefully for any of the following terms that are inconsistent with the Agile tenets, as they will appear on the PMI-ACP® Exam. The following challenging terms should raise a red flag and prompt you to re-read the questions and answers, but they are not automatically deemed incorrect:
Work is not assigned in agile teams; instead, tasks and user stories are assigned.
In conventional project management, escalation of issues is significantly more common. This is because of the nature of the Agile team configuration (the Product Owner and Customer are co-located).
plan – Agile projects don’t often establish a lot of project management plans in advance.
It’s completely OK to write documentations that are barely adequate, therefore don’t count out writing documentation as a feasible activity in an Agile project.
2. Differentiate between these words’ meanings.
Because they are so similar, several of the topics on the PMI-ACP® Agile Exam are frequently misunderstood, leading to incorrect answers. Tasks and user stories are not the same thing. Tasks can bring value, while user stories can’t.
Given the context of user stories, it is possible to estimate the effort in terms of the work of other user stories using affinity estimation. The usage of common sizing units like S, M, L, XL or coffee cup sizes to compare task sizes is called affinity estimation, whereas relative sizing is utilized in iteration planning (early stages).
3. As a broad rule of thumb, all Agile concepts and practices are right.
It is possible to customize many of the Agile procedures to meet the specific demands of a project setting because of the flexibility provided by the Agile framework. If a question on the PMI-ACP® appears to have a wide range of possible answers, it’s because it does. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to go with the response that’s the most widely accepted based on the principles and practices of Agile (i.e., “plain vanilla” Agile). Candidates for the PMI-ACP certification should understand the Agile processes and practices in order to prepare for the test.
Agile places a great importance on self-organization.
The organization’s most valuable asset is its team members. The project’s success or failure is primarily determined by the team’s morale and abilities. Agile teams place a strong value on self-organization and team empowerment. Sprintzeal It’s a good idea to give this answer choice a second thought whenever you see it in a question.
4. Scrum, XP and Lean
Even though there are other Agile techniques in use today, PMI-ACP focuses on the following three approaches:
- Everyday standup, review of the current sprint, and retrospectives are all part of Scrum.
- Principles and practices of XP (e.g., refactoring, pair programming, customer review)
- Principles (e.g., removing wastes) and practices (e.g. continuous improvement) are the foundation of lean.
5. Osmotic communication is a form of colocation.
To reap the benefits of osmotic communication, team members working on the same project should be located in the same room (i.e., picking up information through over-hearing discussions of other members without actively participating). The PMI-ACP® exam includes a number of questions about this topic. Osmotic, communication, and colocation are all terms that indicate a proper solution.
6. Precautions for PMP
Due to the fact that PMI administers the PMI-ACP® test, many PMP® candidates are also interested in taking the PMI-ACP® exam. Candidates for the PMI-ACP® will be asked questions to see if they can distinguish between traditional project management and Agile project management.
