cbtnuggets - PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) (Repost)

1. PMI ACP – Why it is Important (11 min)
We kick off this PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner) course with an overview of why this is an important certification, and review the experience and training qualifications required for the exam.
2. ACP Preparation Materials (4 min)
Steve examines materials that are available to help you prepare for the ACP exam, including practice exams, agile-based websites, and more.
3. Domain I – Agile Principles and Mindset (13 min)
We discuss the importance of ensuring that agile is being implemented effectively within an organization, and that participants have the right mindset to make the agile methodology work.
4. Agile Culture (8 min)
We review the importance of having an agile champion who will help ensure that there is a common understanding of how agile will be deployed in the organization, and that appropriate approaches are in place to ensure that agile is properly adapted to suit organizational needs.
5. Agile Environment (8 min)
Steve walks through the process and procedures that need to be in place for successful agile delivery, including having high visibility of project progress to keep everyone informed of project statuses.
6. Domain II – Value Driven Development (7 min)
We focus on the of sub-domains of value-driven development: define positive value, avoid potential downsides, prioritization, and incremental development.
7. Epics and Stories (11 min)
Learn about the main tool used in agile to capture the business requirements, the story card. Business requirements typically start with high-level requirements, referred to as epics, which are decomposed into stories.
8. Releases (6 min)
We discuss releases, and the processes required to combine the results of several iterations into a release.
9. Backlog Management (10 min)
We review the process that product owners need to follow to maintain the product backlog, which includes accepting new epics and stories, as well as ensuring enough stories are completed in order for prioritizing and iteration planning.
10. Iterations (10 min)
We cover iterations, also known as sprints, which are 2- to 4-week cycles during which stories are developed and fully functional, and tested code is produced!
11. Domain III – Stakeholder Engagement (4 min)
Steve provides an introduction to the stakeholder engagement domain and its three sub-domains: understand stakeholder needs, ensure stakeholder involvement, and manage stakeholder expectations.
12. Vision and Visibility (5 min)
We discuss the importance of product vision so that everyone is aware of what needs to be achieved by a project. Plus, we touch on the need for easy access to project statuses so that all stakeholders keep up to date.
13. Stories and Conversations (9 min)
We discuss the importance of, and methods for, conversations to help ensure team members working on stories have a full understanding of the business needs.
14. Information Radiators and Managing Expectations (5 min)
We focus on the information radiators produced by the agile project process and their roles in managing expectations. We also review several traditional status tools such as deliverables, project-to-date, and forecast that are useful for managing stakeholder expectations.
15. Domain IV – Team Performance (4 min)
Steve provides an introduction to the team performance domain and its three sub-domains: team norms, sprint plan, and daily stand-ups.
16. Team Norms (9 min)
We review steps that need to be taken to ensure that teams work effectively, with a particular focus on making sure no one has specific code ownership. You also learn techniques for fostering an effective team, with particular focus on the Tuchman team-building model.
17. Sprint Plan (8 min)
We cover the process to develop sprint plans, and discuss the importance of teams owning sprint plans so that team members are empowered to completed tasks.
18. Daily Standup (4 min)
We dive into the main method used during agile projects to maintain status, daily stand-ups. These brief meetings help keep teams members informed of each others' progress, identify roadblocks, etc.
19. Domain V – Adaptive Planning (4 min)
Steve provides an introduction to the adaptive planning domain, with a focus on its sub-domains: levels of planning, adoption, and agile sizing and estimation.
20. Planning (10 min)
We explore the planning processes in an agile project! First up is the development and high level budget and schedule, followed by the release roadmap and individual release plans. We conclude by reviewing sprint plans.
21. Dealing with Change (7 min)
We discuss agile processes for dealing with changes, which are encouraged and acceptable at various levels, EXCEPT during a sprint.
22. Story Points (12 min)
We focus on methods used to develop story point estimates!
23. Domain VI – Problem Detection and Resolution (6 min)
Steve provides an introduction to the problem detection and resolution domain, along with an overview of the five tasks within this domain.
24. Threats and Issues (8 min)
We discuss the use of risk stories and spikes to identify and resolve project risks, and briefly review several traditional risk management approaches.
25. Domain VII –Continuous Improvement (5 min)
Steve provides an introduction to the continuous improvement domain, along with an overview of the six tasks within this domain.
26. Sprint and Release Reviews and Retrospectives (6 min)
We discuss how reviews and retrospectives are implemented at the end of each sprint and release.
27. Agile Tools and Technique (20 min)
Learn about specific tools and techniques that PMI identifies as being important for the ACP exam, including agile analysis and design, agile estimation, communications, interpersonal skills, and metrics.
28. Agile Earned Value Management (6 min)
We review how to use Earned Value Management (EVM), a traditional project management tool, on an agile project.
29. Kanban Boards (6 min)
Kanban boards provide a visual representation of steps and their control limits, and are used to manage the flow of work in each sprint.
30. Kaizen (5 min)
Learn about Kaizen, a management technique that's relevant for agile projects because it's consistent with the process that helps ensure successful story outcomes.
31. Day of Exam (11 min)
We close this PMI-ACP® certification preparation course with a review of the qualifications and application process for the exam, as well as exam-day tips.