Agile Project Management (AgilePM^®) Foundation and Practitioner Certificate Course

Don’t get left behind…

Agile Project Management (AgilePM^®) Foundation and Practitioner courses aim to address the needs of those working in a project driven environment who want to be Agile.

This course provides the ability to deliver Agile projects in organisations requiring standards, rigour and visibility around Project Management, whilst at the same time enabling the fast pace of change and empowerment that is integral to Agile.

It addresses the needs of management, project managers, team leaders, business analysts and the PMO working in an Agile environment, based on the DSDM^® (Dynamic System Development Method) Agile Project Framework.

The Foundation course also prepares candidates for the AgilePM Foundation certification.

The Practitioner course builds on the AgilePM Foundation course, providing additional depth of understanding, and prepares candidates for the AgilePM Practitioner certification exam.

Foundation Course Objectives

This course is about providing an understanding of:

• How to lay the foundations for successful Agile projects
• How an agile project is managed
• The different management styles needed for successful agile projects (compared to “traditional” projects)
• How Agile can be used in conjunction with PRINCE2^®
• What the requirements are for successfully undertaking the AgilePM Foundation Exam. The course also includes review, consolidation of concepts and exam questions for the Foundation level certification

Practitioner Course Objectives

The Practitioner course prepares participants to undertake and pass the AgilePM Practitioner Examination.  The course follows Section 2 of the Handbook V2 – “Digging Deeper”, and includes review, consolidation of concepts and exam questions for the Practitioner level certification.

Please note that the Practitioner course is an examination preparation course and focuses on the application of AgilePM to prepare candidates for the Practitioner examination.

Course Summary

At Foundation level, the course helps participants to:

• Understand the DSDM Agile Project Framework, the benefits of Agile and how to choose the right agile approach
• Describe the Agile Philosophy, Principles and Project Variables
• Identify instrumental success factors
• Explain the purpose and elements of the DSDM process: Pre-Project, Feasibility, Foundations, Exploration & Engineering, Deployment; Post-Project
• Recognise the vital roles and responsibilities required for Successful Agile Projects
• Identify the key products and documents across the DSDM Project Life Cycle
• Understand how requirements are prioritised in an Agile project and how the work is organised
• Discover the planning, testing, quality, tracking and control concepts throughout the Lifecycle
• Understand facilitated workshops, modelling, and iterative development
• Undertake a practice exam for AgilePM Foundation (marking and revision)
• Complete the AgilePM Foundation Exam

At Practitioner level, the course helps participants to:

• Understand the roles and responsibilities within an Agile project and the different levels of empowerment
• Understand Agile project management throughout the Lifecycle
• Produce and evaluate the content of Agile products produced during an Agile project in a given scenario
• Apply Agile practices in a project situation to deliver on time – combining MoSCoW prioritization and timeboxing
• Understand the mechanisms for managing people, teams and interactions
• Produce requirements and create user stories
• Understand how and when to estimate in an Agile project
• Conduct project planning throughout the lifecycle
• Ensure quality by never compromising on quality
• Manage risks
• Tailor the approach
• Undertake a sample exam for AgilePM Practitioner
• Complete the AgilePM Practitioner Exam

Foundation Certification

The Foundation course includes the AgilePM Foundation examination which consists of:

• 50 multiple choice questions
• 50% pass mark (25/50)
• 40 minutes duration
• Closed book

The Foundation examination addresses knowledge of the terminology associated with the method and a high-level understanding of the concepts.

Practitioner Certification

The Practitioner course includes the AgilePM Practitioner Examination. Please note: a pass in the Foundation examination is a prerequisite to sitting the Practitioner examination. The examination consists of:

• Complex multiple choice based on a project scenario
• 4 questions per paper and 80 question items (total marks)
• 40/80 marks required to pass (50%)
• 5-hour duration
• Open-book (AgilePM Handbook only)

Please note the examination is taken on the afternoon of the course, and papers sent away for scoring.

The AgilePM qualification is valid for 5 years. Practitioners should re-register within 3-5 years of their original certification in order to demonstrate their commitment to professional development.

APMG International administers the AgilePM examination scheme.

Foundation and Practitioner exams

The AgilePM exams are undertaken during the course as follows:

• Foundation: the Foundation exam is undertaken on the afternoon of day 3 of the Foundation course
• Practitioner: the Practitioner exam is undertaken on the afternoon of the Practitioner course