By Linky van der Merwe

Prior articles in the Agile Project Manager series:

1. Role of the Agile Project Manager
2. How to Transition into the Agile Project Management Role

Important Considerations

There are a number of considerations to take into account before you decide on the best education in order to transition to agile.

Do some research to find out which qualifications are in demand. Also look at what the job market has to offer.

Some certifications have pre-requisites for taking exams to obtain the certification, for example, the fact that you need a number of project management hours experience.

There are costs involved for studying and taking the exam, consider what will your budget allow, or will your employer be willing to pay for this education?

You also need to consider what interests you? Where are you now on your career journey and what will be stimulating and fulfilling in the long run?

Another important factor that people might forget, is the perceptions of your peer group. Some people have preferences for one type of training/certification above another. Take the time and talk to colleagues and friends in the industry to find out what they think and recommend.  

All the above considerations will inform your choice of which education to pursue and whether you want to take an exam to become certified or not.

In my experience, I have found that certification carries weight with employers and recruiters, because it gives an indication of knowledge and proven experience, as well as a willingness and commitment to invest in self-development, subsequently adding more value in the workplace.

Agile Certification options

Should you decide on any of the following certifications, remember that the companies offering the certifications, also have training that will prepare you for each type of certification. This is a summarized view of the popular, well-known certifications today, but not necessarily all inclusive.

1. Scrum Alliance:
   1. Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
   2. Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM)
   3. Certified Scrum Professional – Scrum Master (CSP-SM)
   4. Certified Product Owner (CPO)
   5. Developers certifications
2.  Scrum.org (Ken Schwaber in 2009): 
   1. PSM – Professional SM level I, II, III; 
   2. PSPO level I, II; 
   3. Prof Scrum Developer (PSD)
   4. Prof Agile Leadership (PAL)
   5. Prof Scrum with Kanban (PSK)
   6. Scaled Professional Scrum (SPS)
3.  APMG: Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) oldest full-project agile approach
   1. AgilePM Foundation 
   2. AgilePM Practitioner
   3. DSDM Agile Professional
4.  PMI: PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Professional)
   1. PMI-ACP for project managers who need to apply agile principles and practices in your projects. The qualification needs a combination of training, experience, and an exam. It covers a range of agile approaches such as Scrum, extreme programming (XP), Test-drive Development (TTD), Lean and Kanban. You will have PMI recognition and a very broad-based understanding of agile methods.
      • The pre-requisites are challenging:
      • 2,000 hours of experience in project teams. 
      • A current PMP® or PgMP® will satisfy this requirement but is not required to apply for the PMI-ACP.
      • 1,500 hours working on agile project teams or with agile methodologies. 
      • This requirement is additional to the 2,000 hours above.
      • 21 contact hours of training in agile practices.
      • It is one of the more demanding examinations and also one of the more expensive.
5.  Scaled Agile: SAFe
   1. SAFe for Teams
   2. SAFe SM and Advanced SM
   3. SAFe Product Owner / Product Manager

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